This past weekend, on a whim, I was invited with my Thai family (a group of street vendors and teachers who are all related that live near my apartment), to go on a family trip to the ancient city of Ayutthaya for the weekend. Due to the fact that I haven’t yet had a weekend at home this month, I was hesitant to go. However, they pressured me into going, and I couldn’t turn down a fun trip to somewhere new anyways, with Thais who were sure to travel differently (more authentically) than a foreigner like me.
At 9pm on Friday night all ten of us left in a “karaoke van” to drive to Bangkok, and then on to Ayutthaya. We arrived just outside of Bangkok on Saturday morning at 7am- I have to say that sleeping on a van is not the best sleep ever. Regardless, we brushed our teeth and freshened up in a public bathroom and headed to our first of four wats for the day. The wats were all extremely busy with Thais who were there to worship, as opposed to foreigners who usually sleep in and show up later in the day. I had an absolute blast. I loved seeing throngs of Thais carrying pineapples, huge cartons of eggs, gooses, and pigs’ heads to donate to the monks in the hopes of good luck. I also love buying lotus flowers, incense, a candle, and gold leaf paper at the wats. I am not sure exactly what all of these symbols represent, but it is really exciting. The gold paper comes in little envelopes, and, after you pray, you stick the gilt paper on different Buddha figures (e.g. happiness, wealth, etc.) for good luck. Buddhism is just such a different religion than the semitic religions I know. I mean, Buddhism worships idols…and many of them! On the drive, if we passed a wat or a Buddha figure, everyone in the car would silently pray and wai to themselves. There are also really only two religions in Thailand: Buddhism and Islam in the far south, so I always think to myself how strange/ Thais must feel knowing that everyone is the same! In the states, while Christianity is a prominent religion, when you walk outside you really have no idea what the religion is of the strangers you see on the street.
After our exciting day of wats, and my exciting day of practicing Thai, we drove to Bangkok to spend the night at a friends home. I am continually amazed at how flexible Thais are, and how they are willing to be more uncomfortable than many Americans I know. We stayed in the basement of a 3 bedroom house. Ten guests? No problem! We rolled out a big floor mat and everyone piled on. I can’t think of many situations in America where a host would be comfortable with this.
The next day we drove an hour north to Ayutthaya, and we visited nine wats there. Thais, like Chinese, believe that the number 3 is good luck. Therefore, what is better than the number 3? Multiples of 3!!! The wats in Ayutthaya were very different than any other wat I have been to. They were ancient ruins, and the Buddha figures were a different style than the Buddhas in the more modern wats in Bangkok. Ayutthaya used to be the capital of Thailand, but it was attacked by the Burmese in 1767. Let me tell you, Thais have not forgotten. Many of the stone Buddhas in Ayutthaya are headless now after the attacks. Still, the Thais pray to them, almost as if in mourning.
The highlights of the weekend, besides getting to spend time with my adoptive Thai family (!), were:
- Going to Wat Pho Bang Khla, where there were hundreds and hundreds of relatively large bats in the surrounding trees. It was SO cool.
- Going to Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon, where I could see the ancient chedis peaking up from the trees from where we parked, and then being overwhelmed at how majestic the white Buddha’s were there. It was like living in another time.
- Going to Wat Phanan Choeng as our first wat of the morning in Ayutthaya, when wat-keepers were changing the attire of the giant Buddha. Every morning they do this, and every morning they extend the fabric into the crowd for people to touch. It is supposed to be lucky to touch the fabric. It was amazing to see people trying to touch a little piece of the material. I have a pretty powerful photo of this below.
- Seeing a spirit house that was filled with these really scary cat stuffed animals.
- Having a happy stray cat follow our whole group from a parking lot to the quiet ruins of Wat Maheyong, and then it followed us back again. If you see cat pictures…this is the cat.
- Eating coconut ice-cream with peanuts sprinkled on it, in a coconut shell, at the Ayutthaya floating market.
- My favorite: Going to Wat Phra Mahathat's ruins…home of the famous, and truly unbelievable, Buddha face overgrown within a fig tree.
Ayutthaya was a whirlwind trip (I came back Monday morning and then I had to teach!), but it was truly spectacular. This weekend, I am very much looking forward to sleeping in J
Beautiful jasmine and orchid garlands that you can buy and
bring as an offering to a wat. They are sold everywhere in Thailand.
I will definitely miss seeing these everyday when I move home.
A woman presses her gold paper onto a Buddha figure for good luck.
A pig's head and egg offering for the monks.
So many offerings. I spy a pineapple!
My Thai family :)
From left: Me, Mahh Lahng, Nomurri, Paw Owt, Foot, and Ying
If you dress showing too much skin they make you wear these horrible blue robes.
That is reason enough for me to dress modestly!
Me with Ying (left) and Yee (right).
Giant Pink Elephant Wat!
(Wat Samarn)
Mahh Lahng clipping money into a lucky elephant figurine.
Wat Samarn had these giant rat sculptures with large ears.
You are supposed to whisper your dreams and wishes into their ears...it is lucky!
I have no idea what this is, but I saw it at Wat Samarn and I thought it was cool.
It reminds me a little bit of a seder plate!
Wat Samarn offers massages by blind masseuses.
It brought tears to my eyes seeing them work, and not letting their disability hinder their lives.
Bats at Wat Pho Bang Khla
The ancient temple at Wat Pho Bang Khla
Ying and I, sitting in the back of the van, showing off our coconut snacks.
Step 1: Make hole in the coconut
Step 2: Insert straw
Step 3: Enjoy
The Grand Palace/ Wat Phra Kaew, Bangkok
Riding the SkyTrain. I've missed this!
Harley Davidson exhibit outside of Central World in Bangkok.
You can see the famous gold domed restaurant Sirocco glowing in the background.
I love this photo.
Height discrimination! (I was a tall child...)
Workers changing the giant Buddha's attire in the early morning at Wat Phanan Choeng.
Everyone was so anxious to touch the fabric that had touched the Buddha.
Really something...
Oh you know, just ringing some lucky bells.
Michael Jordan fans, even in Ayutthaya, Thailand!
Go Chicago!
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon
Also, the cover of my Eyewitness Thailand Travel guide. Another world.
(Me with Mahh Lahng)
Spirit house filled with stuffed animal cats. Don't ask, because I don't know.
The Reclining Buddha at Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon
People sticking gilt paper on its feet for good luck.
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon
I climbed up those stairs, and at the top there is an incredible view,
and many more small gold Buddhas inside.
View from the top of Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon
Wat Maheyong
Foot (right) and I found a "magic" cat here who followed us around everywhere we went :)
Wats are safe places for all animals to live, because it is considered a sin to kill an animal near a wat.
Wat Maheyong
We had the wat all to ourselves
The headless Buddha at Wat Maheyong
Do you spy our cat?
The whole gang :)
Mahh Lahng, Paw Owt, and me!
Wat Na Phra Men
My Thai family praying/ mourning a headless Buddha ruin.
An entire wall of headless, destroyed Buddhas
Nomurri, Ying, Yee, and me in front of the famous head-within-a-fig tree at
Wat Phra Mahathat
The Lord Buddha's head nestled within an overgrown fig tree.
Me, Mahh Lahng, and Nomurri at
Wat Ratchaburana
Wat Ratchaburana
Wat Thammikarat
Me, with our van driver (who wanted to take a picture with "the farang")
in front of the great Buddha head!
Wat Thammikarat: The Rooster Wat!
(Some king won a cockfight a long time ago...)
Note the umbrellas: It was raining, it was just super hot.
Me, Yee, and P'Liew with some crazy ruins
The picture of tranquility:
A motorcycle taxi driver takes a rest on a bench in the shade, near a hammock,
reading a newspaper, accompanied by a lounging stray dog.
An elephant and a tricycle-taxi: Thailand.
Ayutthaya Floating Market!
Floating ice-cream stand!
Eating coconut ice cream, from a coconut, with peanut sprinkles
On our drive back to Ubon, we made a brief stop at Kao Yai National Park,
where I saw a parrot.
I will leave you with this happy image:
Me holding the stray cat our group bonded with at Wat Maheyong.
(It's okay, I've had the rabies vaccine :))
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