Weekend in Ayutthaya

Ayutthaya, just 80 km (or a one-hour drive) from Bangkok is a great place for a little get-away. I've been there a few times, but it was usually just a day-trip from Bangkok due to it's close proximity. Not to mention, there not really more than about a day's worth of stuff to do there.

Actually, that's not really true, you can spend several days visiting all of the ruins in and around the city. But the problem is that's pretty much all there is to see -- 200-700 year old piles of brinks in various shapes and sizes.

Of course there's something to be said for centuries-old piles of bricks, especially when there are so many of them spread over such a large area. Exploring the area and imagining the spendor of the capital of Siam before the Burmese destroyed it usually makes for a fun afternoon.

But this weekend I am spending two nights here doing some travel research. I rented a motorcycle today and visited some of the sites outside of town, including a huge white chedi that was originally built in the 1300s. I also visited one of my favorite temples in Thailand: the always crowded, Chinese-inspired Wat Phanan Choeng.

The pace of life is noticeably slower here. There isn't much traffic and there are a lot of great little Thai restaurants around, once you get away from the guesthouses. It's definitely a great break from the chaos and noise of Bangkok.