When I went to Bangkok, Thailand last year, I also made a side trip to Ayutthaya, Thailand. The ruins of the old city now form the Ayutthaya historical park, which is recognized internationally as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I was booked for a packaged tour for 750 baht, but I woke up at 9 AM! that I was left behind by the tour which was suppose to assemble and start at 8 AM. So, no choice, since I don’t want to pass up on a trip to Ayutthaya, I made a resolve to do it by myself. I quickly made a research on the net and also asked some more info from my hotel’s front desk too. I made my way to Ayutthaya by riding the Bangkok BTS (LRT) to Mo Chit Station, the last station in that line.
From there, it’s only a short walk to another famous Bangkok attraction, the Chatuchak Weekend Market. But I did not go there as I was intent on going to Ayutthaya. From Mo Chit, I decided to take a taxi to the Mo Chit Northern Bus Terminal. It was not easy giving directions to a taxi driver in Bangkok, so I sat first in a bus waiting shed and tried to observe the people around me. I was looking out for someone whom I thought would know how to speak English. Then zeroing in on one person, lo and behold, she does not know a single English but she mumbled something and called on a cellphone someone who turned out to be just nearby. That person made his way to us and he spoke (and understood?) a little English and he hailed me a cab, spoke to the driver of my destination and wished me goodluck. That’s one of the good things in Thailand, people are generally helpful and tourist friendly. That was not the end of it, the cab driver also helped me book a bus trip to Ayutthaya.
The bus trip took so long though because of the combination of traffic and the annoying stops at every place where there are Thais waiting for a ride. The bus trip to Ayutthaya I was told would normally take 2 hours but it took us more than 3 hours! Ayutthaya is 76 kilometers north of Bangkok and boasts numerous magnificent ruins.
When I got there, another problem arose. I need to rent a car with driver in tow or rent a tuktuk for the 10 or so temples in Ayutthaya. Then I saw a Japanese girl who was approached by touts for the Ayutthaya tour ride. I was not approached by any of them thinking I was Thai! I got that a lot in Bangkok too. Anyway, I asked the Japanese girl if she is willing for us to split the cost of the rent a car and driver, and she gladly agreed. So we made a bargain with the driver, who initially offered 1000 baht for 8 temples. I was amused at the Japanese who adamantly refused the quoted price. The driver then exasperatedly said 800. The Japanese talked to me and she told me to pretend that we walk away. HAHAHA.. When we were about to do, the driver said 700 and she accepted, and off we go, LOL.
We went to Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Wat Phra Mahathat, Wat Ratchaburana, Wat Thammikarat, among others. I had a temple burnout by the fourth temple. They all looked the same. LOL. The Japanese girl mentioned she was an Architecture graduate, and so I surmise is at home with the temples. What further dampened my enthusiasm was that almost every temple have an entrance fee of 50-100 baht! (for Foreigners). It was also unbearably hot and my feet were sore coming from 5 days of mostly walking tours of Singapore. But of course, I managed to enjoy every moment of the trip though. We even went to the Elephant Ride area, but we did not bother to ride one since we both got scared with climbing (and riding) it. In Wat Mahathat, you can find the famous Buddha head wrapped around the roots of a Bodhi tree.
Some other Wats (and ruins):
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Looks like you had an amazing time there. I love Thailand's old Buddhist temples.