Ayutthaya

Ayutthaya & More

Ayutthaya was the second capital of the Royal Thai Kingdom from 1350 to 1767

Just 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Bangkok is the old capitol of Ayutthaya (or Ayuthaya, or even Ayodhaya. No matter how you spell it, its pronounced ah-you-tah-ya.) The city became Thailand's capitol in the mid-14th century and remained the capitol until the late 18th century. About the time that Americans were tossing tea into Boston harbor, the Burmese attacked and sacked Ayutthaya.

The Ayutthaya period is looked on by many as the time when much of what is now thought of as "Thai style" was developed. In temples, this is when you see a marked transition from the Khmer style "prangs" to the bell shaped "chedi." While Sukothai further north is seen as the birth of the Thai kingdom, Ayutthaya is seen today as its high point. Around Ayutthaya are signs of the Japanese, French, Dutch and Portuguese traders that came to the Thai court.

Ayutthaya is a relatively low-key site. You can spend a leisurely day here, or a quick stop, all with relatively low pressure compared to many other tourist sites. From Ayutthaya you can quickly get on an expressway and be back in Bangkok in about an hour.

Wat Mahatat

&

Wat Praputthabad Saraburi

Lunch in a rice field on Chaba Lagoon in Chai Nat

Services at a wat in Chang Rai

The majority of the Karen people live in Burma, and yet they also form by far the largest of the major tribes of northern Thailand. There are as many as 280000 Karens living in Thailand. They can be found living both in the mountains and on the plains, most of them in the provinces of Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Sorn, Chiang Rai, but also in central Thailand. They live in bamboo houses raised on stilts, beneath which live their domestic animals, pigs, chickens and buffalos. The mountain-dwelling Karens practice swidden agriculture, and the plains-dwellers, for the most part, cultivate irrigated paddy fields.

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Ayutthaya was the second capital of the Royal Thai Kingdom from 1350 to 1767
	Just 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Bangkok is the old capitol of Ayutthaya (or Ayuthaya, or even Ayodhaya. No matter how you spell it, its pronounced ah-you-tah-ya.) The city became Thailand's capitol in the mid-14th century and remained the capitol until the late 18th century. About the time that Americans were tossing tea into Boston harbor, the Burmese attacked and sacked Ayutthaya. The Ayutthaya period is looked on by many as the time when much of what is now thought of as "Thai style" was developed. In temples, this is when you see a marked transition from the Khmer style "prangs" to the bell shaped "chedi." While Sukothai further north is seen as the birth of the Thai kingdom, Ayutthaya is seen today as its high point. Around Ayutthaya are signs of the Japanese, French, Dutch and Portuguese traders that came to the Thai court. Ayutthaya is a relatively low-key site. You can spend a leisurely day here, or a quick stop, all with relatively low pressure compared to many other tourist sites. From Ayutthaya you can quickly get on an expressway and be back in Bangkok in about an hour.
Wat Mahatat & Wat Praputthabad Saraburi


			Lunch in a rice field on Chaba Lagoon in Chai Nat
		Services at a wat in Chang Rai
The majority of the Karen people live in Burma, and yet they also form by far the largest of the major tribes of northern Thailand. There are as many as 280000 Karens living in Thailand. They can be found living both in the mountains and on the plains, most of them in the provinces of Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Sorn, Chiang Rai, but also in central Thailand. They live in bamboo houses raised on stilts, beneath which live their domestic animals, pigs, chickens and buffalos. The mountain-dwelling Karens practice swidden agriculture, and the plains-dwellers, for the most part, cultivate irrigated paddy fields.