Exploring the temples of Thailand's oldest cities

From Bangkok, I caught a minibus (it was far less comfortable and more crowded than the bus that brought me into Bangkok) to a town about two hours north, Ayutthaya. Ayutthaya was one of the major seats of power for the Siam empire between the fourteenth and seventeenth centuries, as its position between India, China, and what is now Malaysia made it a perfect trade post. At the height of its power, the city was burned when the empire was invaded by Burma. Today the city is something of a sleepy town, but the ruins of the destroyed empire's temples and palaces still stand, complete with headless Buddha statues destroyed by the invaders.

One of the things I loved most about Rome was how seamlessly the old meshed with the new - that the ruins of the ancient empire stood in the midst of the modern city. Ayutthaya is more or less the same: tourists stop and gawk at ruined temples that locals and tuk tuk drivers pass by without a second glance. The ancient palace sits just feet from one of the city's busiest and noisiest streets, and Wat Mahathat (arguably Ayutthaya's grandest) is across the road from a 7-eleven. It was nice, too, that the temples were so different from those in Bangkok (ruins, rather than gleaming structures still in use) because neither competed with the other (it would have been tough competition with Bangkok's Grand Palace).

My first stop after checking in and dropping my bags, was Wat Mahathat, which was just about a block away from where I was staying. Even though it, like most temples of Ayutthaya, it was thoroughly destroyed in the invasion, several of the complex's stupas still stand: crumbling stone towers that reach into the sky, and low walls lined with decapitated Buddhas.

Wall of Wat Mahathat, with Wat Ratchaburnna's restored prang behind

All the headless statues make the place a little bit eerie

One of Wat Mahathat's claims to fame: a tree that has grown up around a sandstone Buddha head

I spent quite a while exploring the various shrines and stupas and chapels of Wat Mahathat, then moved on. While most people choose to take in the sights of Ayutthaya by bicycle, I chose to walk around the area, sacrificing distance for the chance to really explore the places I did visit. It was a long but lovely trip on foot - I walked around a beautiful lake and got to pause and enjoy the beauty of the place, which I probably would not have noticed on a bike.

Another of Ayutthaya's most impressive temples, Wat Si Sanphet, sits just beside the ancient palace, and is an enormous and beautiful complex, with its three enormous chedis still more or less intact. The former palace is an unfortunate pile of rocks, unrecognizable as the elaborate and rand place it must have been three hundred years ago, but the temple is still lovely. The chedis were beautifully carved, with intricately decorated staircases, and it was nice, despite the heat, to wander around there.

Three chedis

Re-capitated Buddha

I decided to work my way toward the river, but when I arrived I found that it was not much to look at. I took a small ferry over to the other side, just to see what was there, and found one beautiful working temple, and a small residential neighborhood, where people smiled and waved as I walked through, then returned to my own side of the river and walked back to the hostel for a quiet night (much needed after Bangkok).

The following day I got up early, for one last tour of Ayutthaya before continuing north. I decided to check out one more nearby temple: Wat Ratchaburna, which was, in general, in much worse condition even than the others, except for one restored prang, made of a much whiter stone than the surrounding structures, and looking beautiful if a bit out of place. The park surrounding the prang was full of crumbling rocks and walls, and a handful of Buddhas (headed and headless), but almost completely empty of tourists, perhaps because it was early in the morning. I wandered for a while, before heading out and bidding goodbye to Ayutthaya: I was on my way to one more ancient city.

Sukothai, perhaps the more famous of Thailand's ancient capitals, lies approximately six hours north of Ayutthaya, and is by far the more well-preserved of the two. It is about a century younger and the name means literally, "Dawn of Happiness". The biggest difference between Sukothai and Ayutthaya is that while the ruins of Ayutthaya are scattered around the city, closely integrated with the modern city, Old Sukothai - and the temples preserved there - is about 10 kilometers away from New Sukothai, where most of the guesthouses and restaurants are. The ruins themselves are gated within three large compounds, completely protected from the intruding modern world. With all of this in mind, and arriving somewhat late in the evening, I stayed in the New City, using that first night to get a feel for what was around. There wasn't much, outside of food, guesthouses, and bike rental shops (for transport to the old city), so I spent the night wandering in a huge street market, loaded with delicious food and clothing (and one stall selling dog treats, because even dogs understand the delights of street food). It was a quiet night, but and interestingly equal mix of locals and tourists.

The next morning I woke up, hopped in a truck headed for Old Sukothai, where I rented a bicycle and entered the first of the three compounds – the Central Zone, which is also the largest and most often visited. There I met many tour groups, guided in multiple languages, and the biggest crowds in the area. The most magnificent temple is the one I visited first, on the heels of a French-speaking bicycle tour (which accidentally/on purpose saved me from paying the entrance fee for the entire Central Zone… oops!). Sukothai’s Wat Mahathat is simply spectacular: the stupas, shrines, and statues were not demolished, as those of Ayutthaya’s were, so although they do lie in ruins, it isn’t difficult to imagine them as places of worship at the height of the city’s glory.

From Mahathat, I traveled along one of the roads toward another of Sukothai’s temples. The area of the old city is somewhat swampy, so that each of the temples is surrounded by truly beautiful ponds and flowering trees, which allow for a really lovely atmosphere for biking around the complex. My next stop was Wat Si Sawai, a much smaller, originally Hindu temple, with three tall stone spires. While not as grand as Wat Mahathat, this one was much less crowded and more peaceful.

I rode around to see several smaller temples, which needed no more than a quick once over, but were nonetheless beautiful.

Wat Traphang Ngoen

Wat Sra Sri

Having finished the rounds of the Central Zone, I headed out of the gate and made my way up to the Northern Zone, a quieter area than the Central Zone (unfortunately there were no bike tours there to follow in, so I had to shell out the three dollars for the ticket). I went first to Wat Si Chum, a small but lovely temple housing a massive Buddha statue, whose fingers dangled near the ground, some four feet long. From there I moved on to Wat Phra Phae Luang, which is the center of the rest of the Northern Zone. It is one of the older temples (even by Sukothai’s standards) and in my opinion rather unremarkable, though the carvings on the walls were beautiful.

Carvings at Wat Phra Phae Luang

I circled Wat Phra Phae Luang, the surrounding area of which was a small pond and a mix of functional and ruined temples, then moved on to the final, Western Zone. Even emptier than the North, the Western Zone was spread around a much larger area: it was necessary to bike from temple to temple, and I definitely wouldn't have gotten far on foot. It was also much more in the woods: these are clearly monasteries designed with peaceful surroundings in mind. With even fewer tourists here than in the Northern Zone (I met no more than three people, and then only in passing), it was an extremely serene and quiet place to cycle through. The temples weren't huge or grand like they are in the Central Zone, but it was definitely worth the ride over and through the forest there. It was also much more pleasant to bike through the shady forest than it had been in the exposed and sunny Central Zone.

Wat Saphon Hin

The remains of Wat Chang Rap and Wat Aranyik

Shrine at Wat Khao Bat Noi

View of rice paddies and mountains from the Western Zone

Having spent a good five hours between the three zones, I returned my bicycle and headed back into New Sukothai, where I hung out at the hostel until I went out to grab dinner. I found a few local food stalls, where I had delicious (and cheap) curry, then headed back to my room - I planned to leave somewhat early the following day to get to Chiang Mai.