So You Want to Go to Ayuthaya?

Ayuthaya was the center of Thai culture from the 14th century into the 18th century. I had seen it's impressive temples in books, and as we all know, I love to look at old things. So off I went for a day trip from Bangkok to see the city. Or so I thought. . . You can take a local commuter train for 50 cents to Ayuthaya. The ride is supposedly and hour and a half. When I arrived at the station, a man from the info desk rushed to ask me where I was going. (You are foreign so you must not know what you are doing!) He said my train was leaving in five minutes and hurried me to the window to buy a ticket. The younger attendant would not let me buy a ticket for that train and suggested the A/C car of the one in 50 minutes for ten dollars. I caved just to get on my way. The older attendant however was very upset that he would not sell me the earlier train and started yelling at the young whipper snapper. I definitely learned that along the way, some people are just going to be there to help you out.

I killed time by booking my transportation to the islands and went to wait on the platform. Now when you can't read signs, there is always the doubt in your head that you might not be in the right place. However, there were a few other tourists so I just stood thinking I had figured it out. After striking up a conversation with a retired English professor from New York, we both realized a long time had passed. Our train was at least forty minutes late. We found an attendant and asked about the train.

English: Train will come in a few minutes. Train is late.
Thai: Train is late. It may or may not come today, such is life. However, I will refrain from telling that another train for your destination is leaving in ten minutes. Perhaps you will figure that out yourselves. Have a nice day.

Well some others figured it out, and we ran to the cashier to exchange our tickets with about 15 seconds to spare. The four of us jumped onto the moving train to discover...no seats. We walked the length of the train looking for seats for the 2 hour, unair-conditioned ride. (So that's why it's fifty cents!)

I stood as two older women took up four seats. Eventually a man came along and told them to let me sit down. (Again, someone will come along and help you out.) So I sat on my wooden seat angled at a perfect 90 degrees.

With the late train, I had less than two hours to spend exploring the city before catching the last train back to Bangkok. As I drove threw all the ruins it started to rain. Yes, making my day that much better. It was one of those days that made me remember that things aren't going to go smoothly. But I saw something I had never seen, met some nice people, and I can at least say that I been there. All in all, not so bad.











And what did I find? A series of small walls!

















At least on the way back, the seats were cushioned.