To the old Capital

Day 30 (29/04/08): Ayutthaya, Thailand

I didn't get much sleep, a result of the early checkout time and my late bedtime. I also woke up to that familiar scratching in the back of my throat, and a hint of phlegm in my sinuses, the typical precursor to a cold or flu. Oh well, nothing you can do about it, I will just grin and bear it! We had a quick bite to eat, before saying goodbye to Khaosan road and Bangkok. Bangkok is really a unique place, and while I really enjoyed my time there, it is also nice to keep moving and go explore and discover new places.

We caught a third class train to Ayutthaya. While I have had my share of third class trains, this one was only 1.5 hours, so nothing too bad. Ayutthaya is the ancient capital of Thailand, and home to a large amount of ruined Wats (Buddhist Temples). The town of Ayutthaya itself is technically an island, with a river running all the way around it. Getting off the train, we had to catch a boat across the river to get into the town itself. We wandered around in the typical fierce Thai heat, and after checking out several places, managed to find a cheap guesthouse. Like the place in Khaosan road I stayed at, it was only 90 baht each ($3.75 NZ) a night. Although unlike that place, this one was actually very nice! Decent beds, very clean, and a really nice bathroom! Brilliant!

By now it was mid-afternoon, and we were both pretty tired from all the travel. We decided to forgo any sight-seeing, and spent the remainder of the afternoon reading and at the local internet cafe. I would have spent a whole let less time at the internet cafe, but while I was there it started raining. The thick, heavy and unrelenting rain of a monsoon region. So I figured that staying warm and dry and catching up on webcomics was a much better idea than walking anywhere. My flu was now also in full swing, my nose constantly dripping and my head felt like it was in a cider press. Not very pleasant.

For an unknown reason, I was very hungry at dinner that night, and ended up ordering food three times (the waitress just smiled). Back in my room, I tried reading my book, but all the lack of sleep caught up with me, and coupled with my wracked body, I was asleep shortly after 9pm.