The legacy of Siam
Long ago, when Ayutthaya was the capital of the Siamese kingdom after Sukhothai, it flourished into one of the world's largest and most cosmopolitan urban areas. Surrounded by rivers that connected the city to the Gulf of Siam, it was a center of global trade. Until the Burmese destroyed the glittering empire in 1767....
The remains are hundreds of overgrown temples, discolored Buddha statues and crumbling towers and palaces where the excess of the Golden Age is still evident. The UNESCO-proclaimed World Heritage Site is a wonderful place to wander around, by bike or on foot, musing on times of yore. Where the world can't find you...
Picturesque ruin complex
At Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Ayutthaya's main temple, a huge gold-covered Buddha once stood. Now the three chedis are the eye-catchers of the complex. Wat Phra Mahathat is the most startling temple because of its Buddha head entwined in the roots of an ancient bhodi tree. The largest Buddha can be found in Wat Lokaya Sutha; the statue is a whopping 37 meters tall! For a paragon of famous Khmer architecture, visit Wat Chai Watthanaram; with its magnificent prang and pagodas on the banks of the Chao Praya River picturesquely beautiful.
For those who want to see the Khmer remains, temples and chedis but avoid the crowds of Ayutthaya, Lopburi is a nice alternative. The monkey-infested city hosts the Lopburi Monkey Festival every year. The monkeys are then fed by the population, an extraordinary and bizarre sight.
