Our entire Fulbright crew initially had very grand plans for our first weekend in Bangkok but we quickly succumbed to our jet lag and spent that first Saturday and Sunday sleeping ourselves into sync with our time zone. So the weekend of the 27th, we decided to be more ambitious and we decided to make about two hours north of Bangkok to the city of Ayutthaya, one of Thailand’s capital cities.
Thai history can be divided into three periods; the Sukhothai period (about 200 years long), the Ayutthaya period (1350-1767), and the Rattanoskin or Bangkok period (1782-present). Each period of history is marked by the move of the capital city to Sukhothai, Ayutthaya or Bangkok. Ayutthaya now is one of Thailand major historical sites outside of Bangkok and huge tourist attraction.
We took a train from Hua Lamphong (the Bangkok Grand Central) an hour and a half north to the city. We rode in 3rd class for 30 baht (35 baht=1 dollar). However, 3rd class has no air guarantee for an actual seat and no air conditioning, the latter point makes for an uncomfortable ride in one of the most humid countries on the face of the earth.
When we got to the city, we decided to go on foot and see what we could see. We quickly became disenchanted with this because we realized that Ayutthaya was way bigger than it looks on a map and also it had at least ninety degrees that day. However, we ended seeing our first wat (Thai word for temple or holy site) of the day. This wat easily covered an acre and the ruins of the wat that once stood there rivaled many of the buildings that I used to walk by in New York. There is no way see these ruins, to walk among them and not feel incredibly impressed and also incredibly small. That feeling stayed with me the entire day as we saw about four other wats that day in the city. In regard to the wats was a profound sadness that most Americans have and will never get to see these sites, never get the awesome proof about what a deep history Thai people, and Southeast Asia as a whole, have. Instead of a proud people, Thailand may simply remain a place from whence comes pad thai and Thai iced tea or one of those places that they confuse with China on a map.
Alongside the powerful history that one will see Ayutthaya you will also see a heavy western tourist influence in the city. When we took a tuk tuk (small Thai taxi that looks similar to a golf cart) to the main street in Ayutthaya to get some lunch, we had our hearts set on some type of Thai food. That proved difficult to find however but the eating establishments that proved plentiful were Thai adaptations of KFC, McDonald, and the other food chains that we all know and love/loath. I was initially surprised but I shouldn’t have been. For better or for worse, this is a product of globalization what I hope to study when I get back to the states.
As we went to each wat, those tourists who Buddhist would wai the Buddha figure, get on their knees and commune with the universe about their place in it. Most of the foreigners who were there were by and large very respectful, almost never taking pictures of people at prayer (or the Buddhist equivalent) and always asking before they took photos of everyone else. There was a respectful gingerness of the tourists even as they walked through the wats which gave me a certain amount of comfort. But as I walked past the monks who temples these were I wished my Thai were better. I wished it were better so that I could ask them how they felt about their holy sites being a tourist magnet? Did it interrupt or fray how they lived their lives? If it did, how did they feel about that? Was it always this way? If it wasn’t, would you go back if you could?
Chike
Thai history can be divided into three periods; the Sukhothai period (about 200 years long), the Ayutthaya period (1350-1767), and the Rattanoskin or Bangkok period (1782-present). Each period of history is marked by the move of the capital city to Sukhothai, Ayutthaya or Bangkok. Ayutthaya now is one of Thailand major historical sites outside of Bangkok and huge tourist attraction.
We took a train from Hua Lamphong (the Bangkok Grand Central) an hour and a half north to the city. We rode in 3rd class for 30 baht (35 baht=1 dollar). However, 3rd class has no air guarantee for an actual seat and no air conditioning, the latter point makes for an uncomfortable ride in one of the most humid countries on the face of the earth.
When we got to the city, we decided to go on foot and see what we could see. We quickly became disenchanted with this because we realized that Ayutthaya was way bigger than it looks on a map and also it had at least ninety degrees that day. However, we ended seeing our first wat (Thai word for temple or holy site) of the day. This wat easily covered an acre and the ruins of the wat that once stood there rivaled many of the buildings that I used to walk by in New York. There is no way see these ruins, to walk among them and not feel incredibly impressed and also incredibly small. That feeling stayed with me the entire day as we saw about four other wats that day in the city. In regard to the wats was a profound sadness that most Americans have and will never get to see these sites, never get the awesome proof about what a deep history Thai people, and Southeast Asia as a whole, have. Instead of a proud people, Thailand may simply remain a place from whence comes pad thai and Thai iced tea or one of those places that they confuse with China on a map.
Alongside the powerful history that one will see Ayutthaya you will also see a heavy western tourist influence in the city. When we took a tuk tuk (small Thai taxi that looks similar to a golf cart) to the main street in Ayutthaya to get some lunch, we had our hearts set on some type of Thai food. That proved difficult to find however but the eating establishments that proved plentiful were Thai adaptations of KFC, McDonald, and the other food chains that we all know and love/loath. I was initially surprised but I shouldn’t have been. For better or for worse, this is a product of globalization what I hope to study when I get back to the states.
As we went to each wat, those tourists who Buddhist would wai the Buddha figure, get on their knees and commune with the universe about their place in it. Most of the foreigners who were there were by and large very respectful, almost never taking pictures of people at prayer (or the Buddhist equivalent) and always asking before they took photos of everyone else. There was a respectful gingerness of the tourists even as they walked through the wats which gave me a certain amount of comfort. But as I walked past the monks who temples these were I wished my Thai were better. I wished it were better so that I could ask them how they felt about their holy sites being a tourist magnet? Did it interrupt or fray how they lived their lives? If it did, how did they feel about that? Was it always this way? If it wasn’t, would you go back if you could?
Chike
3 comments:
eep writing bruh. how long are you out there again?
You're a regular world traveler now! But I'm glad that you're enjoying Thailand and making the most of it. I was worried that you'd be so busy teaching that you wouldn't get a chance to really explore the country. Keep those pictures coming, too! I want to make sure you're doing well over there :)
Well its nice to kno ur safe and having fun.. the pictures are nice
-IFY
Post a Comment