From Temples to River Cruises: Exploring Ayutthaya's Timeless Charm
Ayutthaya, a special province in Thailand, is recognized by UNESCO. It shows how impressive it was when it was the main city of the Ayutthaya Kingdom, starting in 1350. For over 400 years, it was a big center for politics, money, and culture. Even though time and wars damaged it, the big old buildings there still show how important it once was. Being in a good spot helped Ayutthaya trade and learn from other places, which made life there interesting and rich with different ideas.
In January, the Tour East Thailand team went on a trip to Ayutthaya and had a nice lunch cruise back to Bangkok on the Chaophraya River with Grand Pearl Cruise. They started from River City in the morning and took a private bus for about 2 hours to reach their first stop, Wat Mahathat in Ayutthaya.
Wat Mahathat is a very important temple in Ayutthaya that shows both its spiritual side and its old architecture. Built in the 14th century, it was a big place for Buddhist teachings and special events for the kings. Even though it's been around for a long time, it's still an interesting place to visit, with calm Buddha statues, fancy stupas, and a strange sight of a Buddha head stuck in a tree's roots, reminding us of Ayutthaya's past.
They spent about 40 minutes exploring Wat Mahathat before moving to the next stop, Wat Phra Si Sanphet..
Wat Phra Si Sanphet was a very special temple in Ayutthaya because it was where the kings did important things. It was built in the 15th century, and it had three big stupas covered in gold. Even though it was mostly destroyed during a war in the 18th century, you can still see how grand it was from what's left and what's been fixed.
In the same area, there's another place to see, Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit, which has a huge bronze Buddha statue over 16 meters tall. It's been there since the 16th century, and people still visit it because it's so impressive.
Next, the team visited Wat Lokkayasutha, a temple with a very big reclining Buddha statue. It's 42 meters long and 8 meters high and looks very peaceful. Around the statue, visitors can see parts of old buildings, showing how long the temple has been there.
After seeing all these amazing places, the team went to Grand Pearl Pier for a lunch cruise back to Bangkok. The buffet had lots of delicious Thai food like Pad Thai, Papaya Salad, Tom Yum soup, and mango sticky rice. They relaxed on the boat for about two hours, enjoying the view of life along the Chaophraya River, including old buildings and places like Koh Kret, famous for bike rides.
The cruise ended at River City pier, where they said goodbye, taking with them memories of Thailand's past and the life of Thai people along the river.
Contact Tour East Thailand to experience a beautiful day trip to Ayutthaya and enjoy a cruise along the Chaophraya River.