Just got back from my trip down south to the Thai historical kingdoms Ayutthaya and Sukhothai. The tour of both sites was informative and interesting giving me a better understanding of ancient Thailand. The whole Thai studies program came with, making up a big group of 26 students and teachers. Fortunately Payap was nice enough to supply us with a bus. Our group left early Wednesday morning to Sukhothai. We stayed on day and night there, leaving in the morning to Ayutthaya, which is only 75kms from Bangkok. After staying in Ayutthaya for three days we packed all our goods and headed on a nine-hour trip back to Chiang Mai. So what did we do during our time at both ancient ruins? Below is a detailed schedule:
Wednesday 29 Sep
• 8:30am – leave from Payap University to Sukhothai
• Noon – Lunch
• 1pm – check into resort and rest
• 2:45pm – visit Ramkamhaeng Museum - This museum had artifacts salvaged from the ruins - Swords, crowns, Buddha images, statues, relics, pottery
• 4pm – bike around historical park - A road way weaved in and out of the ruins making the bike ride enjoyable
• 6:30pm – group dinner at local restaurant - As you go more south in Thailand the food changes - The food becomes spicier and coconut milk/ curry is more consistent
Thursday 30 Sep
• 7am – breakfast
• 8:45am Leave to Sukhothai historical Park
• Noon - Lunch - We stopped at a local food center and we able to explore the new style of food. I got spicy chicken noodle soup (not Campbells) with a side of sticky rice
• 1pm - Leave for Ayutthaya
• 5pm – Arrive in Ayutthaya and check into guest house
• 7pm – dinner
Friday 1 Oct
• 8:30am – visit Ayutthaya historical park
• Noon – lunch
• 1pm – Visit Chao Sampraya museum - Once again, we saw artifacts of ancient Ayutthaya - At the museum, in one of the showing cases, Buddha’s bone (the size was measured as smaller than a individual rice) was displayed in an amulet
• 6pm – dinner
Sat 2 Oct
• 8am – Visit Bang Pa In Palace
• Noon – Visit Ayutthaya floating market
• 6pm – group dinner - This dinner consisted of fried fish, curry soup, rice (as always), chicken with nuts and fruit
Sunday 3 Oct
• 9am – back to Chiang Mai
To give you a brief history and understanding of these ancient cities, below I will explain.
The Sukhothai kingdom (ราชอาณาจักรสุโขทัย) was an early kingdom in the area around the city Sukhothai, in north central Thailand; Sukhothai is located about 450 kilometers from Bangkok, about halfway between Bangkok and Chiangmai. Generally, it was the first truly independent Thai Kingdom, which enjoyed a golden age under King Ramkhamhaeng known and credited with creating the Thai alphabet (though some critics put it up to debate). To add on, the Kingdom existed from 1238 till 1438. It was recognized as the first Thai kingdom. Through its prominence, Sukhothai gained its independence in 1238. Eventually the city was annexed in 1376 by the rulers of Ayutthaya.
Ayutthaya, it is estimated that by the year 1600 CE had a population of about 300,000, with the population reaching 1,000,000 around 1700 CE, making it one of the world's largest cities at that time. It was the capital city before Bangkok. In 1767 the city was destroyed by the Burmese army, resulting in the collapse of the kingdom. The city is sometimes called "Venice of the East".
Here are pictures of both ancient cities:
-These temples can be found all over Sukhothai and Ayutthaya
-One of the huge Buddhas that are found everywhere
-Most of the ruins looked like this. Also bricks and sandstone are the two main stones used
-The walking Buddha pose. Buddha figurines and statues can be found in a large variety of different poses. While the most common is the sitting Buddha statue, there are many others. All the poses have deep meanings; for the most common Buddha pose that we see is the one with him raising his right hand and palm facing out, with the left hand down toward the hips and also facing out. This symbolizes peaceful intentions and peacemaking.
-One of the ruin sites
After visiting ton of sites like I depicted in my pictures, we also visited Bang Pa In Palace; a palace complex formally used by Thai kings to house visitors from foreign countries.
-The style and architect was heavily influenced by western styles
-Also, since Rama the V was a huge proponent for western cultures and cultures in general. There was a Chinese influence as well
-The light house for the palace complex
I could go on and on, but for the sake of your time I will end this post short. Please check out my facebook for the full albums, and also if you have any questions PLEASE email me I would love to hear from you!
Thanks a lot, talk to you all very soon.
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