We took a short flight from Phuket back to Bangkok. We had two days left to relax and explore more of Bangkok. We stayed in a different part of the city that was next to all the shopping. We splurged and stayed at the Waldorf Astoria Bangkok. It was an absolutely magnificent hotel. I have always wanted to stay at the Waldorf in NYC so I was so excited to stay here. The hotel was so beautiful and the service was amazing.
We decided to spend the next day shopping around Bangkok. Our first stop was the MBK Center. Inside is a huge market. There are several floors filled with shops of all kinds. Brandon had a custom suit made while we were there. He was so excited because that was the one thing he wanted to get while we were in Thailand. I picked out some beautiful scarfs, and the boys found some neat souvenirs.
There was also a huge mall near our hotel. We had fun looking around in all the stores. I wanted to go in the Louis Vuitton store, but the looks on my boys faces told me maybe next time! I loved all the Christmas decorations!
Finally, on our last day in Thailand we decided to take a day trip up to the ancient ruins of Ayutthaya. Our flight didn’t leave Thailand until 1:45 in the morning so we had the entire day before we had to get to the airport. There are several ways to get to Ayutthaya. We decided to just hire a taxi to take us up there and then drop us off at the airport on our way back. Our taxi driver was very knowledgeable about the different temples in Ayutthaya. He was the perfect tour guide for our trip there.
The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ayutthaya is about 70 km north of Bangkok. Founded in 1351, Ayutthaya is the old capitol of the Kingdom of Siam. It was once an important trade center between China and India. In 1767, it was destroyed by the Burmese Army. It was once home to over 400 beautiful temples. Today there are around 10 temples left. You have to drive around the city to visit the different temples. You cannot just walk from temple to temple. Our taxi driver was very familiar with all the temples and the order in which we should visit them.
The first temple we visited was my favorite, Wat Chai Wattanaram. It was a magnificent temple situated on the banks of the Chao Phraya River. Inside you will find the row of Buddha statues that were beheaded by the Burmese Army in 1767.
The next temple we visited was Wat Lokkayasutharam. The highlight of this temple is the huge Reclining Buddha. In front of the Buddha is a small alter where visitors can make offerings. There are a few small shops near the temple where you can buy flowers from the Thai ladies to give as an offering. You are also given little pieces of gold leaf by the local ladies to give as an offering. It was neat to experience this different culture.
Next we visited Wat Mahathat. It is one of the most famous temples because of the Buddha head entwined in the roots of an old tree. We had fun seeing who could find the tree in the temple first. I believe the boys were the first to find it!
The boys were starting to get tired so we visited one last temple and as we were walking to the temple we were greeted with elephants just walking down the streets of Ayutthaya!
It turned out to be the perfect ending to an amazing trip to Thailand. We headed back to the airport for our late night flight. I hope that one day you have a chance to visit this amazing country. I never imagined in my wildest dreams I would have had this experience!
