Ayuthaya, The Ancient Capital of Thailand

Our first night in Ayutthaya, the locals told us about great food at Saithong, a Thai restaurant on the riverside (pronounced Sigh-tong). We took their word and went to try it out..we were not disappointed. The prices were reasonable, service was friendly, the food was delicious,
 and the location was close-by our guesthouse and had a beautiful, relaxing environment. It is especially nice when it gets dark and the lanterns light up all along the river. You can even eat your dinner on a boat while cruising the river.                                    I ordered Som Tum (green papaya salad) and some red curry crab. The red curry was so good I cannot tell you how good!! Just trust me!! It was amazing. I also ordered fresh pineapple juice which was yummy and beautifully adorned with orchids (something that could not be affordable for North American restaurants). The best part--my dinner cost me no more than $4 Canadian!

Gotta love Thailand!

Som Tum- SO GOOD!- has green papaya, sprouts, tomatoes, lime, and peanuts!

 

Chang and some snacks--cheap cheap!

 Now that we settled into Ayuthaya for a 3-day stay, we wanted to stock our mini fridge with some drinks and snacks for convenience. We went to 7-11 (Yes, there is a 7-11 on almost every corner in Thailand) and picked up some stuff, including some Chang beer, which is the best Thai beer in Thailand! It is delicious("aroi", delicious in Thai)-- which is rare, because the only beer I will even come close to at home is Bud Light Lime. I know thats "not really beer" , but its the only one that tastes good to me!
In Ayutthaya we were able to buy two 40's of Chang, 2 boxes of Soy Milk, A Collagen Fruit Drink(!), some sour candies, 2 packages of pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds all for 4 dollars Canadian!



Biking to the Ayuthaya Day Market on bicycles we rented from
 Mr.Moon!  It cost us 50 BHT each/day..thats only $1.60 a day!






Eating another delicious meal on the river- side, this time
 @ Baan Mai Rim Nam

 

 
   

Mmm...Tempura "gung" (shrimp) and pineapple
 rice with sweet and sour sauce @ Baan Mai Rim Nam



Often people under-estimate Thailand's development, think again!

Another fantastic meal, the name of this restaurant was only in Thai
writing so Im not sure, but it was across the street from Saithong and had
 an awesome staff! We had fun with them, and the food was good too!

Staying in Ayuthaya was exciting, cultural and definitely an eye-opener!. It showed us the simpler side of Thailand, as opposed to Bangkok. Although Ayuthaya has had its fair share of development too, still, many people in the old capital are leading simple family lives, with simple accomodations. It is pretty normal to see families sitting in the front yard doing their laundry, or to see the locals out in the streets selling flowers for merits and other traditional items. Ayuthaya was a great place to learn about the old Thai style, compared to Bangkok where traditions seem to be weakening because of rapid modernization.

**Click here** to see a video of our experiences in Ayuthaya! :)

 The old Ayuthaya architecture and temples were breath-taking, I can see why so many tourists go there every year. During our stay we went out quite a bit- we ate local food, toured the markets, biked around town and tried to see as much as possible- and surprisingly, we did not come in contact with many Westerners at all! In fact, during our stay we only bumped into a few other tourists, and this was only at the guesthouse and on the river boat ride to see the temples. While out on the streets, we did not see any tourists at all.
 We truly felt like outsiders in Thailand, for the first time-- not that this is a bad thing, but it was clear that we were not locals, and we got a lot of curious stares, and many comments about how "white and beautiful" we were. (How ironic- at home people pay to be tanned, but here the more white you are, the more beautiful you are thought to be. Everywhere you look, Thais have painted their faces white on a daily basis and its hard to find sunblock or lotion that doesnt have a whitener!)
 Very few people there spoke English, which was a challenge, but all the same, we were able to connect with the locals and find a means of communication through body language, hand gestures, and even drawings! Staying in Ayuthaya forced us to learn more of the Thai language to survive and for this I am grateful. All in all, it was fun!!

Here are a few special moments I captured on camera, taken in the streets of this Thai community on a typical day-its true what they say, some pictures say a thousand words:

It is home-time for some lucky Thai children who are able to attend primary school!
 School is out, and the rain is coming down! But its no big deal, it will dry in 2 minutes anyways!