Kanchanaburi to Ayutthaya
Wednesday May 16th
Pauline was suffering from a bit of the Delhi belly last evening but she managed to force down some of my excellent Thai green curry and some Chang beer for purely medicinal purposes. Fortunately she is feeling better today and has managed much more of the medicine.
We breakfasted bright and early at the Bridge over the River Kwai resort and Sutthi and Sart were duly waiting for us at 08.00. the first stop was the Jeath Railway museum. We were unclear as to whether it was a typo or a deliberate attempt to indicate death without saying it. It was an incredibly muddled museum. there were some incredible exhibits and huge piles of extraneous old stuff and it was all in need of a curator to give it some direction and to tell a clear story.
Nevertheless it was moving and we were the only clients which gave each thing an eerie presence. The long and the short is that the Japanese were incredibly cruel to the slave labourers who the used to build a railway from Thailand to Burma. The museum documents that and has many artefacts from the period.
After coffee on the road we made our way to Ayutthaya for lunch in one of the restaurants which have been hidden behind a flurry of stalls which are hiring our traditional Thai dress to followers of a soap opera which has been shown recently on Thai TV and filmed in the ruined temples of Ayutthaya.
There were many groups of young Thais full of make up and freshly coiffed hair being filmed by friends. There was some incongruous sights where everything was authentic down to the Nike trainers or high heels. It added a bit of colour to the otherwise uniform brick ruins of the city of Autthaya which was the capital of Thailand until it was sacked by the Burmese - twice.
In Supoburi we had come across an incredible Chinese display which had been arranged by a former prime minister who was of Chinese descent. Our guide suggested that a certain amount of corruption had been involved in sending the funds to create this display but it was undoubtedly impressive.
From The huge dragon at the entrance to the water garden and impressive painted figures it was an oasis of Chinese calm in an industrial setting.
After our second temple visit in temperatures in the 40's we decided that the hotel pool was more attractive than the third Ayutthaya temple complex which we have postponed till tomorrow.
It has been a good day. The arrangement is working well and we feel quite comfortable.
Tonight's hotel is a wonderful large four star international hotel. It has a colonial feel (but Thailand has never been a colony) There are four restaurants serving four different cuisines. We ate outside overlooking the river Pak sa watching boats come and go and enjoying the balmy warmth.
Pauline was suffering from a bit of the Delhi belly last evening but she managed to force down some of my excellent Thai green curry and some Chang beer for purely medicinal purposes. Fortunately she is feeling better today and has managed much more of the medicine.
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| River Kwai breakfast |
We breakfasted bright and early at the Bridge over the River Kwai resort and Sutthi and Sart were duly waiting for us at 08.00. the first stop was the Jeath Railway museum. We were unclear as to whether it was a typo or a deliberate attempt to indicate death without saying it. It was an incredibly muddled museum. there were some incredible exhibits and huge piles of extraneous old stuff and it was all in need of a curator to give it some direction and to tell a clear story.
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| BSA Japanese? |
After coffee on the road we made our way to Ayutthaya for lunch in one of the restaurants which have been hidden behind a flurry of stalls which are hiring our traditional Thai dress to followers of a soap opera which has been shown recently on Thai TV and filmed in the ruined temples of Ayutthaya.
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| The old and the new in Ayuatthaya |
In Supoburi we had come across an incredible Chinese display which had been arranged by a former prime minister who was of Chinese descent. Our guide suggested that a certain amount of corruption had been involved in sending the funds to create this display but it was undoubtedly impressive.
After our second temple visit in temperatures in the 40's we decided that the hotel pool was more attractive than the third Ayutthaya temple complex which we have postponed till tomorrow.
It has been a good day. The arrangement is working well and we feel quite comfortable.
Tonight's hotel is a wonderful large four star international hotel. It has a colonial feel (but Thailand has never been a colony) There are four restaurants serving four different cuisines. We ate outside overlooking the river Pak sa watching boats come and go and enjoying the balmy warmth.
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