People here aren’t that pushy. With an abundance of ruins and historical sites, Ayutthaya is perhaps even more of a tourist-land compared to Jogja. Generally, I didn’t feel that the locals were out to rip tourists off. I even felt that most didn’t have much of a drive for profits. The lady at the pier happily accepted my 4 Bahts, even though the price for crossing the river with a bicycle should have cost 6 Bahts — I didn’t know that at first, but maybe she wasn’t sure either! I was pleasantly surprise to see the sign “free for today” at the entrance to the most prominent ruin in the city, Wat Phra Mahathat. The entrance fee was waived for the day! Unlike at the temples in Jogja, the sites in Ayutthaya don’t have much in the way of markets parading kitschy collectibles and stall vendors hankering for tourist attention. It was a place where I felt at ease with being a tourist.
The distances were manageable and I had a great time cycling around the city. I met the guesthouse staff this morning on my way out, told him that I was looking for bicycle rental, and off I was on his scooter to the rental shop. It was my first time on a scooter!
My Ayutthaya photos — a mish-mash of elephants on streets, floating markets, night markets, Lunar New Year bazaar cum stage performance — can be found here. It was two days from the Lunar New Year, and the city’s tourism office had put up a night market, lasting about a week, celebrating all things festive and Chinese. The guesthouse staff pointed out to me that the event also celebrates the anniversary of Thailand’s diplomatic ties with China. This being Thailand, it had the sights of the festival, but not quite the sounds. The Thais who have descended from Chinese ancestors generally don’t speak Mandarin and they have assimilated very well into the Thai society. The festival was also not a public holiday in Thailand I was left to ponder upon the status of this festival in the Thai society.
Despite my initial apprehensions and dismay with my accommodation, Ayutthaya was really pleasant. Map in hand provided free-of-charge by the bicycle rental company, I had no trouble navigating around and getting to my destinations. The roads are wide enough that bicycles have room to maneuver without upsetting other drivers. The bicycle also put me out of harm from the ubiquitous stray dogs. Some barked at me even when I was on the bicycle, but they can’t outrun me. In the larger scheme of things in the animal world, speed counts!
