Riding an elephant was at the top of Lisa’s must-do-list. Since busy downtown Bangkok was not particularly suited for playing mahout and we needed a break from the big city, an elephant-friendly location in a quieter setting had to be found. Quickly, we decided on a 2-day trip to Ayutthaya, the former royal capital ninety minutes north of Bangkok.
Although Ayutthaya was sacked by the Burmese in the 18th century and many of the large monasteries and prangs were destroyed, there are still plenty of buildings and artifacts left to make it a worthwhile trip for temple lovers. Clearly, UNESCO thought so too, declaring Ayutthaya a World Heritage Site in 1991.
I have to admit that I’m not the architecture buff Tony is, but walking through this historical town, I could clearly see influences from both Bagan in Myanmar and Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Angkor-like shapes blend with Bagan-like building materials to create the hybrid architecture Ayutthaya is so famous for.