Ayutthaya

NOTE: Another late entry, haven’t been keeping up well lately, especially with pictures. This post was written on the train riding out of Ayutthaya and recounted the last couple days prior

Bangkok wasn’t our first choice for a stop but surely it was the simplest solution: at least one day we could handle. I did find on Couchsurfing.com though that a meet was supposed to be taking place just as we happened to arrive; this would surely soften the edge of another visit to the city Couchsurfers being generally an entertaining and fun loving bunch with the notion of world travel linking us altogether.
Meeting time still hours away, we (possibly stupidly) drowned ourselves in the madness of MBK and the Siam area again. Veterans by now, the missions was to simply unlock Rachels phone so a Thai SIM could be used and then high tail it on out of there. I still can’t understand how the 4th floor electronics melee can support the sheer number of mindblowingly identical kiosks. Talk about same-same. I reckon a single kiosk counts on nothing more than the sheer chance a shopper, in their daunting confusion, stops randomly at their display of wares instead of the identical setup next to them and another next to them and another…
I don’t understand phone unlocking at all but our chosen random kiosk was able to do it in 20 minutes for 500B; what he did, I have no idea, but it works now.
I suppose we strayed from the phone mission objective a bit while looking around briefly for a suitable replacement bag for myself since my poor excuse for a backpack had self destructed and two crucial zippers are now non-op. Sad since from the go I figured the zippers would be the only weak point. A very simple duffel or rucksack with ideally zero zippers would be my prime choice at this point but I was unfortunately unable to find that in Ranong and now unable as well in MBK. Plenty of other knock off garbage but replacing one piece of junk with another seemed like a futile gesture so I’ll continue making do with the Frankenstein setup I have now with Rachel’s daypack strapped to the back of my only half functional pack.
Enjoyed the convenience of BTS to get us back to the park. Now that I’m recalling, we used the taxi to get us (and a crazy backpacker chick) into the city from the bus station but after that, only used the train and our two legs to get around. A substantial part of the Bangkok frustration is the monumentous traffic affliction; quite a bit less stress when you can avoid it. I only wish the rail system was a bit more extensive (ie past National Stadium) and that there was ONE pass for both BTS and MRT (a concept I figured was rather intuitive but apparently not to the transit planners).
The CS event description indicated to meet at the park entrance by the king and a horse. Obviously not familiar with the city like the locals (who were the organizers), we had to take a stab at what exactly this entrance was. We found the king (we thought) but the horse was absent; perhaps ridden away. Enough standing around and a guy fitting the profile of a CS traveler wandered over to investigate if our intentions were the same. The group snowballed from there picking up stragglers and latecomers as we went, eventually settling on a piece of grass in the nicely calm park that despite sitting square in the city could easily give the feeling of transport away from the normal city insanity. We sat, sharing the food we all brought, discussing our travels, our goals, our life in general. So many fascinating people, locals and travelers alike, as many as 50 at one point, all mingling on the grass a frisbee (of poor Thai quality) occasionally being tossed about. Even a bike tourer attended but he was strangely quiet: attempted conversation but no matter the topic he seemed uninterested and we never even got far enough in for me to explain I was cycle touring as well. I did have many lengthy conversations with other genuinely warm and nice people.
Sun behind the skyscrapers, rumor of invitation to a club where a CSer was DJing started circulating with mainly the prospect of "free drinks" at the forefront of each murmur. A band of us started the journey there again conveniently via train (to Suhkumvit). The others seemed to know where they were going so we followed, now on foot, through the infamous Soi Cowboy which was only a vague mental image before actually going there and…haha, wow….terribly over the top; fun just to talk through. [If you're unfamiliar, its a well established alley of seedy heavily neon-lit bars and strip joints where offers of cheap sex are thrown around with eerie abandon].
Was still early so the club was dead but indeed there were a few free drinks and a chance for us to chill out and talk (despite my insistence that clubs are the worst place to go to talk when you have high decibel noise to contend with; a sore throat trying to explain the smallest details is not my idea of a good hangout spot). Strangely no dance floor, maybe later in the night, don’t know, but when the free booze was cut off, we split anyway.
Leisurely late waking morning the next day and a zombie walk to the underground station and straight to Hualamphong for a train to Ayutthaya. Thirty trains a day on the route mean despite your arrival to the station, you won’t be waiting very long. I’d taken 3rd class train before but figured it was an experience for Rachel which I bet it was haha; only 1.5hr ride though.

Because of the day’s time constraints, we decided to tour the ancient city by tuk-tuk instead of bicycle and met up with a friendly driver we met earlier. Off we went on a whirlwind tour of the ancient grounds

Time constraints were even too great for the speeding tuk-tuk since we discovered by the sun’s setting we had only seen 3 out of the 6 sights as part of the tour. Our new tuk-tuk driving friend suggested we resume again in the morning and he would be happy to drop us off at the rail station at the tours completion; sure, why not.

He and his wife picked us up for breakfast the next morning. I had picked up for dinner with them the night before so they insisted on breakfast. Most of our conversations revolved around asking how to say something in Thai They got a kick out of my little Thai, why we originally were engaged by them, but they got an even bigger kick out of the even smaller repertoire of Thai that I’ve tried to bestow upon Rachel. Their amusement with Rachel continued by her American use of utensils (fork in right hand) and her use of the phrase “oh my gosh” to which they bemused, repeated a few times in various tones.

 

Dropped at the train station, booked a ticket to Phitsanulok (gateway to Sukhothai) via a special express diesel car train; sounds fancy huh. There’s a confusing system of trains listed in order of speed they travel: ordinary, rapid, express, special express.

I took a stroll around in search of a filtered water vending machine (1B for 1.5L of water, can’t beat that for sure, and no waste!). Asked directions to the machine, which I got and happily replied with my thanks. To my surprise, I heard a “de nada”. Wait a minute…Spanish? Turned on my heels and started a conversation with the guy who I learned spoke a few languages and welcomed Rachel and I to chill out at his cafe while we waited. Fun guy, very active in trying to get people to come over and sit down; I think good for him. Runs a guesthouse as well, closest one to the train station and only 100B. We sat waiting for the train and were entertained with this guys jokes, magic tricks and puzzle games he’d randomly hand us and then yell out “tonto!” when we couldn’t get them :p

Train to Phitsanulok, special express is actually rather speedy. Some details follow after this point but I’ll be honest, I’m looking to get out of this internet cafe and trying to speed things along sooo…minimal detail mode.

Bus from Phitsanulok to Suhkothai. Stayed at No.4 GH; bitten by mozzies from hell. Moved go J&J. Rented moto from Poo’s in town. Rode to Old City. Saw the amazing sights, rented bicycycles, or rather, Thai bicycle shaped objects. Amazing end to the day, sun setting behind Khmer ruins.

   

Arrived in Chiang Mai today after an early morning bus from Suhkothai. Hounded by tuk-tuk drivers, they’re quite determined here but the one we settled on ended up being a great guy and affirming what I’ve heard about Chiang Mai: some surface craziness but a general laidback attitude.

Staying at Eagle House 2 in the old city section and it is not great. We didn’t do our research our well so we’re paying the price, oh well. Still have yet to decide the plan from here but I can already tell there will be no shortage of options.

 

 

Lee 3 Guesthouse – Near Soi Duphli, South Silom, Bangkok, Thailand
The guidebooks seem to tout this number 3 building as the best and although I did not visit the others (1,2 or 4) I would find it likely that indeed 3 is king. Nestled wayyyy back into a secluded feeling alley (look for the signs), noise is not a worry in the least. Lee 3 was the only of the four guesthouses in that immediate area that were open at 8am and a friendly elderly woman was happy to show us first a small room with modest garden view for a mere 120B and then a larger room for 160B which we settled on (both rooms had beds suitable for two and overhead fans). The larger room had such luxuries as a table, a mirror and two plastic chairs. Front door is locked at 10p and a key is given. The surrounding neighborhood has seemed to become well established as an area for both travelers and expats populating the cheap apartments (which most do nightly rooms for rent as well). With this, you get a smattering of travel agencies, internet cafes, restaurants, laundry, etc. Beyond the neighborhood you’ll find Lumphini Park and Lumphini MRT Station a 10 minute walk making connections to most places in the city a snap. Cheap, quiet, traveler amenities, park and rail transit in walking distance: winner.

 

Ayutthaya Guesthouse – Ayutthaya, Thailand
On the main road of the traveler ghetto amongst restaurants and cafe/bars lays the two story Ayutthaya GH. Never made any real connection with the staff but never had a problem either; hospitable. There are some rooms to the back of the building and rooms on the second floor (the latter seeming quieter). We were situated in a room with private bath and huge bed. The bath "room" is a bit of an anomaly though being simply a non partitioned section of the room with a small tiled divider giving slight privacy around the toilet but honestly only for couples who have a certain level of comfort with the human body. Shower stall was nice though with actual water pressure; cold water. We weren’t even advertised the feature, but the room came air conditioned. AC room with private bath for 300B; a deal for sure although in the area you can get cheaper without this room’s luxuries. The place next door had bicycles and motos for rent and the desk downstairs could organize travel activities but we took part in neither. Easy walk from the train station: exit the station and head straight towards the river to the pier; boat drops you off in town, turn right, then left, then right again once you find the traveler area across from the bus activity and waiting tuk tuks.

01.Apr.09 South East Asia 2009