Historical Monuments

Monday started off with a breakfast that included the best coffee we’ve had on this trip. If you’re looking for a place to stay in River Kwai, check out the Felix River Kwai Resort. All of River Kwai smelt of smoke from the farmers burning their sugar cane fields. It was an odd reminder of Southern California. I’m not sure if it smells like that all year round or just during certain parts of the year. We got on our bus a little before 8 am and didn’t leave until about 8:30. Some of our group members seem to have no concept of what being on time means. We’re always the last group to leave and to arrive. Oh, well.

The first stop on our way to Ayutthaya was the Bang Pa in Palace. This is a vacation house of sorts for the current king. It is closed to visitors when the royal family wants to visit, but according to our guide they haven’t come around in a long while.

Many places in Thailand have a dress code: Skirts below the knee and shoulders and cleavage covered. Pretty simple, right? Our group seemed to have a hard time reading the piece of paper in their native language given to them by our tour guide on what is acceptable to wear. This happened multiple days at multiple stops. Every time they have to put on a covering garment that Val and I nicknamed “The Clothes of Shame”. We had to wait to enter the palace until everyone was decent… again.

We witnessed the changing of the guards and spotted many armed guards around the property. They were totally okay with people posing to take a picture with them! We did not.

The grounds were well manicured and beautiful, but the structures did not match at all which created an eclectic view.

A building designed in traditional Chinese architecture was a gift from a Chinese business man. The house the family stays in looked like an eastern interpretation of a plantation home. This could have something to do with the fact that it was built in the 1930s after a fire burned down the previous one.

One building looked like a lighthouse! The rest of the buildings had a traditional Thai flare since many of them had religious value. 

The man made canals are full of turtles, fish, and even a monitor lizard! I called him “Little Buddy”. They had huge hedges shaped like elephants, snakes, and deer in the grassy areas. A prior king loved to hunt so he actually had his property supplied with these animals so he could shoot them. Thankfully no one was shooting at the hedges. 

On our way out we stopped for ice cream! I got a scoop of green tea (my favorite) and a scoop of mangosteen. Valerie got scoop of mango and a scoop of durian because that’s the surprise ingredient they always give the contestants on Top Chef. It was a thumbs down on the durian. 

We took a lunch break at a huge mall. It was almost identical to a mall you would go to in America which caused a little disorientation. We only had an hour so we stopped at this little place in the food court called California Grill. I had a sandwich and Valerie had French fries. They made cheeseburgers with pork and there were no avocados so I’d say it was a pretty loose interpretation of California! It was a funny experience. That’s probably how Thai people feel when they see their culture’s food served in a fast food setting in the U.S.

After that, we went to Wat Yai Chaimongkhon. They have a reclining Buddha there that can help grant your wishes. You take a coin and press it against the Buddha’s feet. If it sticks, your wish will come true, but if it falls it is still a mystery. My coin stuck! I didn’t really make a distinct wish before trying, but h

opefully some internal dream will get a little help from Buddha. The temple was prepping for some sort of banquet or festival so it was draped in ribbons and silks.

The last destination of the day was Wat Maha That. These grounds are a museum and cultural center now. The structures are leftovers from the destruction caused by war with the Burmese in the 18^th century. All of the Buddha images are missing their heads. This was done out of disrespect during times of war. Because of this history, anything with only a Buddha head is considered extremely disrespectful and against the law. The big focal point here is Buddha’s head in the roots of a tree. During the destruction, a Buddha head was thrown off to the side against a Bodhi tree. Since then, the tree has grown and the roots have pushed up the head and displayed it proudly. It is asked that if you take a picture with it, you kneel out of respect so that you are not standing higher than the Buddha.

This site was easily the favorite of the day for both of us.