Khao Yai & Ayutthaya (Thailand)

We are on a journey around Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia in South East Asia, with our most recent stop being in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. Next, we headed to the Khao Yai National Park, Thailand’s first national park and a UNESCO World Heritage site. We were hoping to see some of Thailand’s wildlife.

Leigh in Khao Yai National Park (UNESCO), Thailand

Khao Yai is known for its trails, waterfalls, and wildlife, and as a place where it is relatively easy to see deer species, elephants, hornbills, gibbons, macaques, porcupines, and many other animals. But, our first challenge was to find the correct bus from Bangkok to take us the 175 km north-east to the small town of Pak Chong, the entry town for the Khao Yai National Park.

Mo Chit bus station, Bangkok, Thailand

We managed to get a Bangkok tuktuk to take us the long 25 km from our hotel to the Mo Chit bus station in outer Bangkok. He dropped us and took off, but when looking for our bus number, we discovered we were at the wrong part of this enormous station. Trying to stay calm, we asked all and sundry using our best sign language, where we should be.

Songthaew in Pak Chong, Thailand

Finally, we found our way to the right bus about 1 km away, paid our 180 baht each (about NZ$7.70) and were on our way. Arriving in Pak Chong several hours later, we found a songthaew to get us to our hotel. A songthaew is an open pick-up truck with seats in the back so that it serves as the local bus. They offer nice breezes on a hot day!

Leigh at our accommodation in Pak Chong, Thailand

After a 45-min cultural ride around the back streets of Pak Chong with the locals and their fruit, veges and live chickens, we finally arrived at our accommodation, the Khao Yai Cottage. Once there, we caught up with the guide we had booked to take us through the Khao Yai National Park and its ancient rainforest.

Crocodile in Khao Yai National Park (UNESCO), Thailand

The next morning, we were on the trail, and it was great. After donning tick-guards for our legs, we saw many huge alligators, heaps of monkeys, unusual lizards, tree growths and tons of beautiful birds. The guide was really good and showed us how to take a close-up photo using his telescope.

Gibbon watching us watching him, Khao Yai National Park (UNESCO), Thailand

A highlight was seeing the gibbon monkeys. They live in the canopy of the jungle and move fast, making it very hard to spot them among the thick foliage. But if you watch carefully, they can be seen making huge leaps or swinging from tree to tree. At the end of our tour, we headed back to our hotel after a wonderful day.

Ayutthaya township, Thailand

The next morning, we songthaew’d our way back to Pak Chong, then caught a train west. A couple of hours later we disembarked at Ayutthaya, the old capital of Thailand (or Siam as it was then). As this ancient town sits on an island surrounded by three rivers, we had to catch a ferry boat to the main township. 

Our fancy tuktuk in Ayutthaya (UNESCO), Thailand

Reaching the main street, we found a place to stash our suitcases, then headed off to find a tuktuk driver who would give us a tour of the ancient ruins of Ayutthaya, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Driver found, and a good baht rate negotiated, we headed off in his fancy blue tuktuk in the humid high 30’s heat.

Marg at Wat Mahathat Ayutthaya (UNESCO), Thailand

Our first stop was Wat Mahathat, "Temple of the Great Relic". These ruins are amazing, with the original site dating back to the 14th century. Much of it was destroyed by the Burmese when they raided Siam in 1776, but you can still see the unique brickwork.

Leigh with the Buddha in a bodhi tree in Ayutthaya (UNESCO), Thailand

While at the Wat Mahathat, we found the famous Buddha in a bodhi tree. It is said that Buddha achieved spiritual enlightenment while sitting under a bodhi tree so these trees are revered by Buddhists. This bodhi is extra special because there is a stone carving of a Buddha head nestled in its sinewy roots. It seems the tree grew around the Buddha head during the period when the temple lay abandoned and overgrown.

Bronze Buddha, Ayutthaya (UNESCO), Thailand

Opposite Wat Mahathat, we saw the remains of Wat Ratburana (15th C) and then our next stop was Pra Mongthon Bopohit, a UNESCO site. This interesting site has a very large pagoda that houses a huge bronze Buddha statue that has been gilded. It’s about 12.45 metres high and 9.5 metres across the lap. Unfortunately, too big to fit into the camera lens from inside the pagoda.

Marg at the Reclining Buddha, Ayutthaya (UNESCO), Thailand

Tuktuking along and looking at the many interesting ruins, we came across an astonishing site – a giant reclining Buddha. This statue of Buddha lying down, is in Wat Lokaayasutharam. It’s 42 metres long and 8 metres high. It was draped in a super-large golden robe that was so skilfully made that it looked to be one piece of material. 

The three chedis, Ayutthaya (UNESCO), Thailand

Further on, we saw many other wats and ruins. These included the three chedis of Wat Sanphet, sitting in a lovely park with lakes and bridges. The three chedis contain the ashes of three early kings of Ayutthaya from the second half of the 15th century.

Us at Wat No Phra Men, Ayutthaya (UNESCO), Thailand

Nearby was Wat Na Phra Men, an early 16th century wat from the time of King Ramathibodi II. Apparently, this was the only temple not to be destroyed by the Burmese. There was so much to see, but after several hours we collected our suitcase and head back across the river to the train station. We were planning an overnight train ride to Chang Mai, and you can read about that in the next blog.

This post is the second in a series about our travels through Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia in South East Asia. The first post was about Bangkok and you can read it here: Bangkok post.