It's day two in Ayutthaya. Alesh is gone, Flemming has a different itinerary, so it's just my bike and I.
I finish the full tour of all the major wats (temples), including Wat Maheyong and the stunning Wat Phanan-Choeng, home to a massive three-story gold sitting Buddha. There is a long line to get in and once through, I'm sitting among hundreds of Buddhists, who bow in prayer and pass gold silk sheets forward to help dress the statue. To the left, two dozen monks pray, wearing outfits out of the same gold material. According to the guide books, this is the largest Buddha in Thailand, created in 1324 yet it shines like new. It's said that when the Burmese sacked Ayutthaya in 1767, this Buddha formed tears.
Wat Yai Chaiyamongkhon is one of the only operational temples in the city. The buildings are much newer and all the Buddhas retain their heads and right arms. It's one of the busiest temples in Ayutthaya. The centerpiece of the temple grounds are large chedis wrapped in saffron rings, which also adorn the nearby fully realized Buddha statues. The faithful beside me purchase gold leaf to decorate the statues throughout the campus. In the largest chedi, 100 stairs up, visitors drop coins down a deep well, hoping to land in a 1 ft x 1 ft box.
I'm hungry after the bike tour which is good since I'm right next door to the Chao Phrom Floating Market, a sprawling collection of stalls and dining halls pitched on an offshoot of the Pa Sak River. The market is predominantly clothes, sunglasses, handbags, and cosmetics plus endless food options. The amount of sweets in this market is particularly notable -- vendors sell custard-filled rolls, sesame candy, brioche, ice cream, caramels, peanut crisps, cakes, cookies, muffins. The nearby savory stalls sell bamboo soup, fried preserved eggs, salt-crusted river fish, fried fish skin chips, chilis, taro and banana chips, hot dogs, odd crepes that are peeled to look like dental floss or household insulation, blue crabs, prawns, and the usual curries, stir fries, skewers, noodles, fish cakes, pork balls, dumplings, and rice dishes. Nearly all the cooking -- wok stirring, deep frying, charcoal grilling -- is performed on small boats drifting in the river bank, held on with small ropes. Everything has free samples and, as the lone foreigner here, I'm greeted with smiles and open arms. I cool off with a shaved ice, condensed milk flavor, topped with fresh strawberries, while locals walk beside me, arms loaded to the biceps with bags of snacks. From the bridge, I can see nearby mahouts offering elephant rides, the snake farm, and the goat petting zoo.
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| Snout's up |
As planned, Flemming an I meet up at Stiky's Burger at 8pm (actually 15 minutes early). Unfortunately, despite waiting for thirty minutes, Stiky never shows. This is quite sad as we wanted to see our new Thai friend again and try Ayutthaya's premiere burger. We head back to Malakor again. This time there is one other group, but I think they're friends with the lone owner/chef/waiter, who looks like a samurai warrior with a long, jet black ponytail. We share their signature river fish soup, which is spicy, bright, with a pronounced citrus flavor. Mixed with the light broth are large pieces of the local freshwater fish, tomatoes, onions, scallions, lemongrass, and galangal. Continuing our seafood binge, the main course is a whole river fish steamed in fresh lime juice with chilis, served alongside jasmine rice. The fish is beyond light and moist and we're told it just arrived this morning. The whole meal with two large Changs and tip is 400Baht ($12).
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