From Kanchanaburi, let's continue our journey back to the center and one of the former kingdoms of Thailand ~ Ayutthaya!
Travelling from Kanchanaburi to Ayutthaya is much like going back to Bangkok. Mga 3 hours din ang biyahe usually kung kaya't bumilib kami kay Sakol na 2 hours lang nag-drive from Kanchanaburi to Ayutthaya. Well, going to the provinces of Thailand, hindi naman ma-traffic. And aside from that, napakaganda ng road networks among the provinces. Kumbaga yung 8-hour trip dito sa atin in terms of distance, sa Thailand, abot-kamay within 4 hours only! :)
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| Almost nightfall in Ayutthaya River |
The main reason din siguro kung bakit pinalipad ni Sakol ang van ay dahil sa paghahabol namin ng sunset sa Wat Chaiwatanaram, or Wat Yai for short. Well this is not on our itinerary, but since Wat Chaimongkhol was closed noong nagpunta sina Teh, Robbie took us here instead. At dito, nalaman nina Teh na tubong Ayutthaya pala si Robbie so he knows the province so much.
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| Map of Ayutthaya and mini Wat Chaiwatanaram |
~ Wat Chaiwatthanaram/Yai ~
Thai: วัดไชยวัฒนาราม
In Robbie's opinion, this is the most beautiful temple, lalo na tuwing sasapit ang sunset. This temple somehow resembles Sukhothai's Mahathat. Hindi naman malayong influence pa rin ng Sukhothai ang makikita sa Ayutthaya, dahil Sukhothai kingdom ang sinundan ng Ayutthaya kingdom. Despite the fact na binaha ang Ayutthaya 11 months prior to Teh's visit, napakaganda pa rin nito. Kaya nga lang, hindi nakapag-explore sina Teh rito, dahil pinasara ito temporarily ng kanilang local government for the safety of everyone na bumibisita rito. Lumambot kasi ang lupa within the temple, kaya hindi safe na tabihan ang mga century-old na mga Stuppas, Phrangs and Buddha images. Speaking of Buddha images, isa ito sa mga temples na may maraming images na pugot ang ulo. Ang kuwento? Nalaman namin the next morning, sa kuwento ni Robbie during our Wat Mahathat (Ayutthaya) tour... Hopefully, Teh was able to make you feel how breathtaking Wat Chaiwatanaram is, most especially during sunset. ;)
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| Before the sunset... |
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| Ah ~ the much-awaited sunset... ~_~ |
~ Wat Lokayasutharam ~
Thai: วัดโลกสุธาราม
Another temple with a Reclining Buddha statue, ito ang isa sa mga outdoor temples na makikita sa Thailand. Shorter than the one found in Wat Pho, this statue measures 36 meters in length. Actually, dati rin daw, outdoor temple lang din ang Wat Pho, but then the government decided na pagawan ang Reclining Buddha statue doon ng parang bahay niya. And so, by then, Wat Pho became an indoor temple. At dahil diyan, tinanong ni Teh si Robbie kung bakit hindi pinagawan ng bahay ang Reclining Buddha ng Wat Lokayasutharam. Simple ang naging sagot ni Robbie, pero may pinaghuhugutan. "We did not do so because we want to be reminded of our lack of unity during the Burmese invasion."
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| The reclining Buddha image, damaged since the Burmese invasion... |
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| Top to bottom: Wat Phra Mongkhol Bophit Wat Ratcha Burana (Night version) Wat Phra Ram |
~ The Illuminated Temples ~
Another perk na natanggap ni Teh for having a tour guide who is a local at Ayutthaya was a free temple tour at night. So before nag-dinner ang buong Teh Thai Tour Team, we visited 4 illuminated temples. First is the Wat Phra Ram. Dahil ang tabi nito ay ni-landscape with a swamp, sobrang ganda ng effect, lalo na sa gabi. Sayang nga lang at puro blard[1] ang pictures kasi pasmado si Teh. Plus hindi ako nagdala ng tripod kaya pagtiyagaan niyo na lang 'yan mga teh. Highly recommended ang pagte-temple hopping at night. Super mega havey! :D So ang next na pinuntahan nina Teh ay ang Wat Phra Mongkhol Bophit ('eto daan lang) at ang Wat Phra Si Sanphet. Nang lapitan namin ang temples, bukod sa sinalubong kami ng maraming lamok eh nilapitan kami ng maraming dogs na tila ba lalapain na kami sa galit. Pero nang si Robbie ay pumalo nang dalawang beses sa gilid ng kanyang hita, naging maamo ang mga aso. Siguro mga old friendships sila ni Robbie noong taga-Ayutthaya pa siya. Lakaaas!!! :D Last temple that we visited was the Wat Ratcha Burana.
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| The place kung saan umani sina Teh ng sangkatutak na kagat ng lamok: Wat Phra Si Sanphet |
~ Ayutthaya Street Restaurant Chat ~
After having our most healthy dinner with Robbie and Sakol, we chatted and exchanged ideas. First off, nalaman nina Teh na kasal siya sa isang Japanese at may dalawa silang anak. Isang 5 years old at isang 5 weeks sa tiyan. Omedetou[2], Robbie-san! ^_^ Maybe curious din kayo kung paano niya na-meet 'yung wife niya. Well, when he was a student, waitlisted siya sa mga exchange students na ipapadala sa Japan. Suwerte niya kasi may nag-back out so 1 week before the exchange students in their school went to Japan, he got the slot. Eh 'di ayun, naka-tumbling si Robbie to Japan so there, na-meet niya 'yung wife niya. Another omedetou, Robbie-san! :D Actually, medyo shocked lang sina Teh kasi noong una, akala namin beki siya. Huhu, judgemental much. >_<
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| Food + Exchange of ideas = Good time! :D |
Then we exchanged our knowledge about our own countries. Medyo naawa lang si Teh kay Sakol kasi bumalik siya sa tour van. Hindi kasi siya gaano marunong mag-English. Hindi tuloy namin siya naka-chat. :( Anyway so Robbie shared that to make any tour successful, learn and try new things. Teh totally agreed, and we are glad na naging adventurous kami sa mga pagkain at nag-immerse kami sa Buddhist culture. We were also able to know about the situation in southern Thailand, being similar with Mindanao region. At napag-usapan din namin ang possibility na may napipintong World War III. Ang lahat ng ito, hindi na idi-detalye ni Teh dahil baka matsugi si Watashi. Huhu... With our exchange of thoughts, pakiramdam nina Teh suwerte sila sa guide nila dahil bukod sa knowledgable siya, very open-minded din siyang tao. And everyday, napansin din naming palabasa siya ng diyaryo. Very fit ang character niya para maging tour guide. :)
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| ♫ Baler kuberch, kahit jutay. ♫ Zzz... |
After this, hinatid kami nina Robbie and Sakol sa tinutuluyan namin ~ the Ayutthaya River Hut. Such a small world. Kasi the owner, who is a policeman, is a friend of Robbie. This place is quite far from the city center but then, sobrang tahimik dito. So if you want to escape the buzzing noise of the city and experience living in a bahay-kubo, then stay na rito and hear the singing crickets at night. Very cheap din ang lodging dito. If Teh remembers correctly, nasa less than THB 400 per night ang aircon room. ;) And so, we called it a day. Zzzzz...
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| The leaning Phrangs of Mahathat |
~ Wat Mahathat ~
Thai: วัดมหาธาตุ
On the morning of Teh Thai Tour Team's Day 4, we visited the last 2 temples and a palace on our Ayutthaya list. Ang una naming pinuntahan ay ang Wat Mahathat. Pagpasok namin sa loob, kapansin-pansin ang deformation nito since its downfall. Isama mo pa ang fact na binaha sila almost a year ago. Wat Mahathat has a lot of leaning towers of Phrangs, making this temple Cambodian-inspired. And yep, they are leaning at para bang any minute, magco-collapse ang kahit alin sa kanila. But Robbie assured us na hindi sila basta-basta magco-collapse kasi pinatibay na ang underground foundation ng mga ito with the help of engineers. At noong nagpunta sina Teh, may mga naabutan kaming workers na nagre-restore din ng temple due to the recent flood in Ayutthaya.
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| Beheaded Buddha images. :( |
As we continued exploring Mahathat, napansin nina Teh na halos lahat ng Buddha images ay pugot ang ulo. One reason was because around 40 years ago, the Antique Industry was really famous. Ang ginagawa ng mga magnanakaw ng temple images ay bibiyakin nila 'yung mga images then ia-assemble nila. Another reason was somewhat a local folktale. Minsan daw kasi, may isang baliw na cowgirl na napadaan sa isang temple in Ayutthaya and then naghukay-hukay siya kasi trip niya lang siguro. Tapos nakahukay siya ng ginto. Pagkatapos, baliw-baliwan ang peg ni teh cowgirl, pinagsigawan niya sa buong sambayanang nakahukay siya ng ginto. At nagsitaasan ang mga tenga ng mga magnanakaw kung kaya't sinira nila ang mga temple and their images in search of gold and other treasures. So nagtanong si Teh kung itong mga kemeloung ito eh hindi natakot kay Buddha. Malamang hindi daw, dahil they just swarmed the temples without even thinking of Buddha's possible punishment to them. Hay ang kayamanan nga naman. Nakakapagpabago sa tao. Sayang tuloy ang ganda ng mga temples...
Anyway, we did not fail to see the face of Buddha naman here in Mahathat. Nakakita kami ng dalawang sitting Buddha rito, at ang isa ay nasa ilalim ng tree shade. The sitting Buddha's head, whose image is with beheaded others on the side (right side ng picture below), ay isa lang palang replica made of plaster. 'Yung katawan na lang nito ang original, which is made of sandstone naman. Still, hindi masyadong obvious na replica lang ang head. At least they restored this image. ;)
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| The restored/preserved Buddha images :) |
Another interesting Buddha image is the tree root Buddha head (upper left ng picture sa taas). By the name itself, ang Buddha image na ito which is composed of head only, ay napalibutan ng mga ugat ng puno. Ang chika eh, iniwan daw ito noon ng isang temple raider somewhere in the middle of the temple kasi napansin niyang damaged pala ang ilong nito. Therefore hindi na niya maibebenta ang image. Tapos one time may nagmagandang-loob na nagtabi ng image sa puno. Hanggang sa lumipas na ang panahon at nagkalimutan na, nabalutan ang Buddha head na ito ng mga ugat ng puno. By the way mga teh, 'pag magpapa-picture kayo dapat nakaupo kayo as a sign of respect. No standing up pose, please! :)
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| The Ratcha Burana temple undergoing restoration |
~ Wat Ratcha Burana ~
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| The main Phrang |
Thai: วัดราชบูรณะ
Sumaglit kami rito the previous night, pero sa labas lang kami dahil sarado na. This great temple actually has a great story to tell. It was September 25, 1957. May 10 temple raiders na nanloob dito at nag-explore ng malaliman sa main Phrang. Upon investigating inside, na-discover nilang hollow ang ilalim ng kinatatayuan nila. Tinusok-tusok kasi nila 'yung sahig ng insenso. Eh nabutas kaya naisip nila 'yun. Tapos itinapat ng isang matalino sa kanila ang tenga niya sa butas na iyon. In a short while, nakaramdam at nakarinig siya ng hangin and therefore he concluded na puwede pa silang maghukay sa kinatatayuan nila. So naghukay sila. Then sa kalagitnaan ng paghuhukay nila, may na-encounter silang malaking rock. Hindi nila maiangat ang bato kaya 'yung isa sa kanila, umuwi to get a pulley. Eh 'di tagumpay, nagbuksan na nila. Pagbukas nila, tah-dah!!! Bumulaga sa kanila ang napakaraming royal treasures! Sa sobrang dami, napanganga sila as in... :O Ang kuwentong ito ay galing sa isa sa 10 thieves na buhay pa noong umamin siya sa Discovery Channel. Sayang lang at hindi mahanap ni Teh kung anong palabas 'yun pero when I googled about it, Teh came across this short documentary... Same with Mahathat, this temple also is undergoing restoration.
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| Teh: Hello? May kayamanan pa bang natira? |
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| Welcome, welcome! For a lazy pair of feet, rent a golf-car for THB 1000. :) |
~ Bang Pa-In
Summer Palace ~
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| Clockwise: Dutch Building (abandoned); King Prasat Thong Shrine; ??? (wala sa mapa...) |
Thai: พระราชวังบางปะอิน
Our last destination in Ayutthaya is the Bang Pa-In Palace. Of all places here in Thailand na napuntahan ng Teh Thai Tour Team, ito ang masasabi kong distinct among them. Almost lahat kasi ng buildings dito, European-inspired. Thanks to the restoration order by King Rama V, who, of all the Thai Kings during the early times, was able to open himself to the world and explore it (though he was very busy, having 36 wives... O_O). Sa bawat gusali na napasok nina Teh, sobrang garbo and stylish ng interior designs. And may isang building doon kung saan ang ceiling design ay pareho sa floor carpet design. Cool!... Hindi pa nakakapunta si Teh ng Europe pero feeling ko, nakapunta na rin ako doon dahil sa mga buildings na ito. Well, walang maipakitang photos si Teh kasi bawal mag-picture sa loob. So you really have to see for yourselves mga teh. :)
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| Counterclockwise from upper left: Krajom Trae; Phra Thinang Uthayan Phumisathian Residential Hall; Devaraj-Kunlai Gate and Aisawan-Dhipaya-Asana Pavilion; Phra Thinang Varobhas Bimarn Residential Hall Basta 'yan! Hihirap ng mga pangalan... X_X |
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| Clockwise from Left: Bird image on the Doll bridge; Royal Raft; Landing area |
The last building na pinasok namin sa Bang Pa-In ay ang Chinese-inspired building, which was a gift from the Chinese government to the Thai Royal family. Ay, ang feeling pagpasok eh parang nagbalik si Teh sa Beijing. Nostalgic... ~_~
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| Counterclockwise from Left: Inside the Wehart Chamrun; Ho Withun Thasana Tower; Phra Thinang Wehart Chamrun Residential Hall |
Sa lahat ng magagarbong buildings ng Bang Pa-In Summer Palace na nabisita nina Teh, I have one sentence for the King. Napakayaman niya, siya na! :D
And this marks the end of our tour in Ayutthaya. Keri pang bumiyahe pa-north mga teh? Tara na sa great temple ng Phitsanulok!... Up next in the Adventures of Teh! Thanks for visiting! ^_^
Special thanks to the following people who made the Adventures of Teh in Thailand successful:
- Tour Coordinators Matt and Supattra of Travel Hub Thailand
- Tour Guide Robbie and Tour Driver Sakol of Travel Hub Thailand
~ Vocabulary ni Teh ~
[1] Blard - matigas na pagbigkas ng blurred.
[2] Omedetou - Japanese word which means "congratulations".
[2] Omedetou - Japanese word which means "congratulations".
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