Journey to Peace Village

I stayed in Ayutthaya an extra day because it was so interesting. There are many, many temples and historic sites. I spent the morning at a royal temple that had been destroyed by the Burmese in 1767. Then I walked around the public park and wound up at the local museum. It has a small museum with modern interactive exhibits on the history of the island of Ayutthaya. On the second and third floors there is an art museum. Although small I lingered for a long time, listening to the blues music being played over the internet as a Thai man painted. It shouldn't have fit the scene but somehow did. The most fascinating piece was a minature that you view through a big magnifying glass. This is a scene of a hillside flled with tiny elephants and matchstick bridges....

Later in the afternoon I went to the ruins of another Wat. This had been built in 1364. A few cavings were visible in the remnants of the towers, but the dominant figure was a headless Buddha facing west. The eternal song of birds was everywhere.

Labels: Thai culture, Thai history

Today I arrived in Ayuthaya, the old royal city. This place is fantastic! I'm going to extend my booking one more day. Everywhere there are old palaces and temples. Today I visited a temple that commemorates I Thai King who fought in a battle that ensured peace in Thailand for 200 years. Right in the middle of my visit, I found myself surrounded by soldiers. This particular temple is dedicated to soldiers and there were about a hundred there to learn all about the site. Many took pictures, others took notes. Then a flood of school children came and they were very friendly. They wanted to know my name and nickname (most Thais have a nicknamed based on some characteristic). I was embarassed to say my nickname is Bulldozer so I wouldn't own up to it.

I've seen something here I haven't seen much of in Asia--wildlife (except for fish). I saw a small squirrel type animal climbing around at the shrine and I've seen a lot of wild birds, including some ducks and geese. The shrine was very serene and I was able to sit by the water and relax, something I haven't really done since I left the States.

I'll post pics when I can, but the USB port isn't working here.

Labels: Thai culture, Thai history, Thai royalty