Ayuthaya
ByWe were used to being welcomed in guest houses in Thailand, but being cherished was a delightful experience. The two Thai sisters of advancing years who ran their wooden guesthouse, The Baan Lotus, positively took us under their wing. They were relieved to hear that we wouldn’t be arriving too late, when we booked. On our first outing to the city they went over our route in detail, twice. Then they checked that our hats were OK, the sun can be bright at this time year, you know. It was wonderful.
The tall towers and spires of the ruined temples compete well with the modern buildings in the provincial capital, Ayuthaya (aye uh tie ya). Once the Royal Capital, from 1350 to 1767, this was where the European traders came to negotiate treaties. Today it is a bustling centre of commerce but the historical sites within the city have been well preserved and maintained in separate parks with well manicured grass. At night the principal temples and monuments are flood lit.
One of the most enigmatic sights in Ayuthaya is at the ancient ruined temple of Wat Mahathat. Here a stone statue of seated Buddha has been completely enveloped in growing tree roots until only the face is left showing through. It is reminiscent of the tree roots growing through the temples near Angkor Wat in Cambodia.
Walking between the historical sites our eyes were drawn to an elephant magnificently decked out in rich red and gold silk livery draped from its back almost to the ground. A matching tasselled parasol shaded the occupant of the howdah, or seat, from the harsh sun. Resplendent in red and gold the mahout gently encouraged his elephant along. Only when we took our eyes from this splendid sight did we realise that there were a procession of eight or so similar elephants majestically moving up the road with the famous royal temples as their back drop.
We discovered that the elephants were looked after in a former royal elephant enclosure just outside the city. As luck would have it we met an Englishman living in Ayuthaya who worked as a volunteer with the elephants. He introduced us to a four month old bouncing bundle of fun which actually ran across the compound to greet us. Whilst the mother elephant looked on benignly, the baby elephant dexterously untied Allan’s shoe laces with her trunk.
