thailand episode iv

I can’t say I was sorry to leave Bangkok. I don’t do well in big cities, and Bangkok with its stuffy air, horrible traffic, and rows upon rows of tuk-tuks asking “Where are you going?” was no exception. I would miss Thanon Rambutri, the little street just off Khao San where I stayed this time. The noodles shops were particularly cheap and delicious.

Speaking of noodles, I got some for breakfast and sat down to talk politics with a Thai businessman. It seems that I came to Thailand just in time for the controversial Parlimentary elections. There were several demonstrations downtown while I was here, but I never saw them, being in the northwest corner of the city. After slurping down the last of the spicy soup, I headed over to catch a bus to the train station. I tried to wave down the number 53 as it passed, but two ignored me before I was finally able to hop on.

On the way through the city we ran into a bustling clothing market. There are two kinds of markets in Thailand. The first kind is for Thais - food markets sell raw meat and vegetables, and clothing and household markets sell Western style clothes and plastic containers. The second kind is for tourists - “traditional” Thai clothing, jewelry, and bags that I never saw any Thai people using. Once you leave Bangkok’s tourist center, you’ll be hard pressed to find any of those Thai souvenirs you want to take back as gifts.

The bus took me to the train station where I bought the only available ticket, a 2nd class air conditioned car for 235 baht, compared to a 15B 3rd class ticket. Apparently, some trains have both kinds of cars, and some don’t. An hour and half later, I arrived in Ayutthaya, an old capital of Thailand famous for its ruins. Across the street from the train station was a guesthouse that had been suggested to me by a Canadian I had met earlier, so I stopped in and rented a room for 100B ($2.50) and a bicycle to ride around the city.

Ayutthaya is a medium-sized city that seems a lot like Nara. It’s an old capital with old temples, designated spots for tourists, and quiet hidden places off the beaten track. The center of the city is surrounded on all sides by rivers, creating what is called “the island.” I wove my bicycle through traffic like the pro that I am until I came to the center of the island, where the most famous temples are situated. It is there that I met Withaya, the coin-collecting tuk-tuk driver. He tried to convince me that in order to see the temples outside of the river boundaries, I should go with him on a three hour tour for $10. Seeing that I didn’t know if I or my slightly too small bike would make it in 40 degree weather without shade or a reliable map, I said okay.

Withaya collects foreign coins and glues them to his dashboard. He has eight state quarters, including Indiana. He has been looking for a fifty cent piece or a dollar coin, but no luck yet. As of last year he has been collecting bills as well, which he has framed and hanging in the back of the tuk-tuk. An interesting man and a good tour guide.

We started off at Wat Panan Cheong which is famous for its Chinese influence. This temple is noisy and crowded with people chanting, burning incense, offering lotus buds, and presenting gifts of orange cloth to be wrapped around the large Buddha image. The smaller halls on the sides enshrined Chinese style Buddhas and bodhisattvas, including Kuan-yin, the protecter of seafarers. It was odd to be in Thailand and reading Chinese kanji.

Next was Wat Yai Chaya Mongkol. Like most of the temples I had seen, the central area was square, enclosed by rows of Buddhas. Climbing up the steps of the chedi, I started hearing sqeaking noises. The center of the chedi had become home to a few hundred bats who act as natural protectors of the Buddha statues inside. Half of the tourists wouldn’t go in, and the other half of us covered our heads just in case a bat decided he would take a bathroom break while we were standing under him.

One of the main visual differences between Thai and Japanese Buddhism is the Thai custom of covering Buddhist images and buildings with cloth. In most places the Buddha has an orange or yellow cloth slung across his shoulder, and occasionally you will see chedi wrapped in brilliant colored cloth as well. I think it says something about the energetic and real way Thai people experience Buddhism as opposed to the austere and distant feeling Japanese Buddhism evokes.

Moving on, we went to what was my favorite place in Ayutthaya, Wat Chai Wattanaram. The literature differs; some say this temple predates Angkor Wat, some say it mimics the style. I am inclined to believe the latter, since most of the “old” things in Ayutthaya are actually not more than 600 years old, and most haven’t existed for even 300 years. My tuk-tuk driver proudly stated that one of the temples was over 400 years old, and I had to repress the urge to tell him that somehow in Japan there are temples made of wood that are 1300 years old. Regardless, I loved the fact that these ruins were practically empty, the grass was green, the sky was blue, and birds were flitting around between headless Buddhas and leaning chedis.

Traditionally, large Buddha statues were not allowed to be covered by a building so that they could be seen throughout the countryside. The reclining Buddha at Wat Lokaya Sutha has been preserved in this form, although from the column remains it looks like he did have a building at one time. I wondered what the condition of the stone under his blanket was like.

We stopped for lunch in front of Chedi Pukhao Thong, which was started by the Burmese but finished by Thailand after they had driven the Burmese out of the country. I was caught by the handmade hammocks for sale at the little roadside restaurant, and bought one impulsively for the family I’m living with; they have the perfect rooftop patio for a hammock. Anyway, the view from the top of this chedi is a wonderful panoramic of the countryside. It made me realize just how much I love living where there are no mountains. I think this is why I like taking pictures of the sky so much.

Right behind the chedi is a monument to King Naresuan, who had a thing for cock-fighting. Surrounding his statue are large and small statues of roosters. Apparently, trainers come here to pray for the success of their chickens. I just got my picture taken with one.

It seems that most people go to Wat Napramen to see the large gold Buddha, but I liked the much older stone one from Sri Lanka next door. This temple was one of the oldest in the area and considered to be a protective temple. I bought a simple string amulet bracelet that many of the Thais were wearing.

At this point Withaya dropped me off inside the river boundaries again so I could visit the last three most famous temples on my bicycle. After seeing all the great quiet ones outside, it was slightly disappointing to be part of the crowds of tourists again. I was intrigued at Wihaan Phra Mongkhon Bophit by a string running from the Buddha’s finger to a smaller bodhisattva statue off to the side. I am curious as to the meaning of this, but I haven’t looked it up yet.

Right next door was Wat Phra Si Sanphet with tapering cylindrical chedi. I didn’t stay long, though, because I was trying to run away from the six groups of Japanese and Korean tourists and their flag carrying guides whose chattering was echoing from the jumbled stones.

Last, and most famous, was Wat Phra Mahathat. The structure is pretty much the same as everywhere else, but the most photographed object in Ayutthaya is residence here; it is the head of a Buddha entwined in the roots of a large tree. In addition, there were cows wandering around the grounds. Why are Asian cows so much more appealing than American cows?

With that, I rode back to my guesthouse, crossing the river on the little ferry. I was planning on going to the night market to see if I could finish any last minute souvenir buying, but I was foiled by two things. Firstly, as mentioned before, once you’re out of Bangkok you will find it difficult to find a “tourist” market. And secondly, it was election day. On election day many stores and markets close and there is a ban on alchohol. Luckily, the the Friendly Guy at the guesthouse did not have a problem with us drinking “tea” in mugs with our dinner. A few of us sat outside until late drinking, talking, playing Jenga, and enjoying the cool river breeze. One of the guys was actually Japanese, and he couldn’t speak more than the essentials in English so we had a nice chat in Japanese. The Friendly Guy was envious of my Japanese skills, despite the fact that I was envious of his minor language abilities in Japanese, Chinese, English, French, and Czech. He told us his life story, we offered him drink, and we all laughed and had a good time. It was a good way to spend my last night in Thailand.