Ayutthaya

Ayutthaya. A city shrouded in mystery to most of the West. Despite being one of the largest trading ports in Southeast Asia, and capital of Siam until 1767, most Westerners would probably never know what you were talking about. Home of kings and the locus of power for much of the Chao Phraya river valley, it was long forgotten by outsiders, who from the latter half of the 18th century rarely went beyond the new Siamese capital of Bangkok. Even the local Thai put it aside, and have only recently begun to see the ruined temples and palace grounds as an important part of their cultural heritage.

Our journey to the ancient capital of central Thailand began in the modern capital--Bangkok. We started out of the Shangri-La hotel for the ride up to Ayutthaya. On our way up, our guide gave us some brief notes about the Ayutthaya period, though there was also time to catch up on a little lost sleep for those of us who got up earlier than usual.



We first stopped on the west bank of the Chao Phraya river, across from the ancient city of Ayutthaya, at Wat Chai Wattanaram. This ancient temple is in the Khmer style, and was the model for Wat Arun in Bangkok. Prior to Thai dominance, the area of Ayutthaya was under Khmer control, but as their grip loosened, the Thai people formed their own independent polities, with Ayutthaya as one of the capital cities. Ayutthaya continued to vie with the Khmer kingdom in Cambodia, and Wat Chai Wattanaram was built in 1630 by King Prasat Thong to celebrate a victory over the Khmer.



One prominent feature of the Khmer style Buddhist temples is this central prang--the prominent 'mountain' in the center.



...It is definitely easier going up than down. If only because when you are going up you don't have to look down.



Situated at the confluence of several rivers, with the Chao Phraya leading out to the sea, this was an important place for trade. In addition, the rivers provided a natural defense. By digging a single channel the city was made into an island. Furthermore, smaller canals were dug to provide both irrigation and transportation; most Thai houses of the time had one side facing the water and the other facing the land, and boats were one of the most common forms of transportation.



Despite its defensive position, Ayutthaya finally fell to the Burmese in 1767. Although it had suffered defeat before, this time the Burmese wanted to remove it as a threat, permanently. All that is left of the Grand Palace are these foundations. When the Siamese fled the Burmese invasion, they created a copy of the Grand Palace, first on the west bank of the Chao Phraya at Thonburi, and then again when they moved across the river to Bangkok. At that time, they also came up to Ayutthaya and removed stones from the wall that had once surrounded the city to help rebuild the capital in its new location.



The only temple that survives intact from the Ayutthaya period is Wat Na Pramain (or Wat Na Prameru Rachikaram). The Burmese general used this as his headquarters, and so it was spared the fate of most of the 400 some-odd temples recorded within the city limits.



When the Burmese left, they also left behind an image of the Buddha in the Burmese style. The current image is actually a reproduction to replace the original. It is generally assumed that people make statues of the Buddha in their own image, and this is how many connoisseurs determine a statue's provenance.



The last place we visited on the island of Ayutthaya was Wat Maha That. Also built in the Khmer style, it is said to have been started in 1374. During its heyday it was the temple of the Supreme Patriarch--the highest ranking Bhuddhist priest in the country. After the fall of Ayutthaya to the Burmese, it was ruined, and in the later centuries it was vandalized by people who would cut the hands and heads off the Buddha images to sell to tourists and antique dealers.



The fate of one head was not to be sold. While it is unclear exactly what happened, this head was apparently left by vandals after it had been cut off. The roots of the Bhodi tree then closed around it, and now it is one of the more popular symbols of Thailand and Ayutthaya in particular.



From the island of Ayutthaya we traveled south, past the sites of the old Dutch and Japanese settlements, to the Summer Palace. This is still a Royal Palace, and it was built by King Rama V of the current Chakri dynasty. This pavillion is the only fully Thai building on the property. Other buildings are inspired by mostly European architecture.



The crown jewel of the Summer Palace is supposed to be this Chinese palace--built by Chinese immigrants for the King. While it is impressive, it was almost too much, and I think I preferred the more sedate Western style buildings, which I felt had a more stately elegance.



Personally, I found the Western style buildings, such as this stately Italian influenced mansion, to be more elegant. Perhaps it is simply an ethnocentric preference for European buildings--though I think it has more to do with the Chinese palace just being too busy. I find I occasionally have the same issue with the aesthetics of Thai temples--though as I grow more accustomed to them I find them not quite so jarring. Perhaps it is just that my mind is no longer being overloaded in an attempt to classify all of the 'new' information and is coming to grips with the style in general.



We got on the boat just in time--as we were eating lunch on the boat, the skies opened up and it began to rain. Despite the wetness, there were still people out working, however, such as this scene we captured floating downriver.

It is truly amazing how many people live along the river, which can rise as much as 20 feet when it floods. It is also amazing just what kind of engineering went into it to straighten out some of the curves, providing 'shortcuts' that turn a half-hour into five minutes. I still wonder how they did it.



The towering prang of Wat Arun indicated we were almost home. Soon we would alight at the Shangri-La dock, head over to the BTS Skytrain station at Saphon Taksin, and ride home. The rain had lifted, and we were able to give some thought to the trip. Overall, it was well worth it--for a day trip, it was quite reasonable, and well organized. We definitely plan to head up, again, to Ayutthaya--there is still too much history there for us not to go back. There are museums and temples to visit, not to mention several towns nearby that are still known for producing traditional products, such as swords and the like. Plenty to keep us busy for many weekends to come!

Doi Suthep and Our Mountain Adventure

An expedition which starts at a mountain temple and results in an unexpected detour through the wilds of Northern Thailand.



A long time ago the ruler of Chiang Mai and the Lanna Kingdom, King Nu Naone decided that to raise a new temple. To find an auspicious location, they placed a chedi with a holy relic on the back of a royal white elephant and let it roam free outside the city. The elephant wandered up a nearby mountain, Doi Suthep, and when it reached the top it trumpeted three times and died. Deciding this was an auspicious sign, the King founded the temple of Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep on that spot, overlooking the valley and the city of Chiang Mai.



That was back in the 14th century. Today, throngs of worshippers continue to make the trek up the mountain to worship at the temple. Of course, most of them drive up (or take one of the songthaews), and once you reach the bottom of the temple complex you can now take a tram up and skip the approximately 300 steps.



At the foot of the stairs, merchants have set up, selling various Buddha images, offerings, and refreshments. There are even dancers and musicians.



The musicians play while young girls in traditional hilltribe costumes offer to let you take their picture for a small price. To western eyes, it seems quite commercial. As the musicians played, we made our way up the steps to the main temple complex.



At the top, there is an inner and outer courtyard. After passing through the gates, you take off your shoes before entering the inner courtyard, where a golden chedi sits in the middle of galleries of Buddha images. Worshipers make offerings to Buddha images, choose lots for fortune, and receive blessings in the galleries and side chapels.



Around the central chedi, worshippers carry lotus and incense offerings. They walk clockwise around the chedi, praying for good fortune.



Around the outer courtyard were bells, which people ring in succession to help build merit. Small chapels surrounded the outer courtyard, eaves flaring upward in the distinctive style of Thai roofs.



On a clear day, the view from Doi Suthep is amazing. Regrettably, there was a thick haze when we were there, though you can barely make out the runway of the Chiang Mai airport.



After paying our respects at the temple, we continued into the mountains. We went passed the royal Phu Ping Palace, and decided to continue on and see what we could find. A sign informed us that there was a Hmong village only 7 km from where we were, so we decided to follow the sign and see what we could find.



Note: When traveling mountain roads in Thailand, distances are farther than posted on any nearby sign. We aren't certain, but we think that the signs might only be telling you how long before the next sign. Regardless, as we went farther and farther along the single track road, we kept going forward, assuming that around that next bend would be the village we were looking for. We almost gave up when we reached a national park area, but pressed on when we found another road leading out (with another sign, too).



Pavement gave way to dirt, and soon we were out of rang of any roads on the GPS. Still, we saw signs of habitation and pressed on. The mountain road was barely wide enough for the 4WD SUV we were traveling in. A sheer drop on one side with a corresponding rise on the other meant that if we came upon any other vehicle we would be required to pass one or the other would have to back up--not a fun proposition.



Finally, we came to a small group of houses hanging precariously on the mountainside overlooking rows and rows of coffee plants. A small sign offered coffee to travelers (in English, even) and a red songthaew was stopped outside. We decided to go in and have a cup.

Oh. My.... I should tell you that I am not typically a coffee drinker. This was excellent. It didn't have that characteristic 'burnt' quality of coffees in so many other coffee shops. It was fresh and delicious--if I could find more coffee like this I might be tempted to drink it more often. The lady running the little roadside shop was also kind enough to let us know that the Hmong village was only another kilometer down the road. This close--we figured we would give it a shot.



Three or four kilometers later, we finally found a village (we think it is the village we had been looking for, but we don't know for sure). As we rolled into the village we stopped and asked directions--turns out everyone was out in the fields working. We did find a couple of people operating stalls--apparently expecting some little traffic to come through. We purchased a few items, fed some biscuits to the dogs, and then asked for directions to Chiang Mai. After all, we had just come down a one lane dirt road. There had to be a better way back, right?



Be careful of assumptions. Although we were told we could go through the village and the road would eventually take us back to Chiang Mai, we were in for quite the adventure. At forks in the road we generally took the one that looked more traveled. Although there was evidence of farms on the hillside, mostly we looked out into trees and forest. We were nowhere near anywhere on the GPS, and some of us were experiencing vertigo with the sheer drops.



At one point the car was at such an angle, we had someone spot while only the driver maneuvered the car. We then had to ford a small stream. A local family, who was no doubt quite amused at our situation, told us we were going in the right direction. Of course, going in the right direction and being anywhere close to civilization are two very different things.



Two hours after we had begun our journey to the Hmong village, we reached pavement once more. We came around a lake where throngs of people were gathered for picnics and parties. Eventually we hit a main road and headed up towards Mae Rim.



We ended our adventure with a late lunch at the Four Season's Resort, overlooking idyllic rice fields. After our trip through the unknown wilds of the mountains, it was nice to be catered to for a while. While rustic charm has its place, a touch of elegance--even if the rice paddies are sculpted for our pleasure--is a nice change of pace.



PS: Ellen says that we won't be doing that once we get our own car--especially if it doesn't have four wheel drive. Oh well...

A Night in Northern Thailand

Lanna and Northern Thailand's long internal autonomy and self-governance, as well as the proximity of various hilltribe people, has made Chiang Mai a mecca for traditional Northern Thai culture. Capitalizing on this, several dinner shows have sprung up to showcase Northern Thai culture. We went to one of them and it was rather enjoyable, if predictably kitschy.



When you approach the Khum Khantoke dinner show at the Lanna Cultural center you are greeted by several female musicians and artists carving fruit and arranging flowers. There are several shows at once in different pavillions. The shows are similar, but slightly different (according to our host, anyway).



We went to one of the largest pavillions--in a graceful Thai style but much larger than any traditional building we've seen here. We were led inside to small, low tables. You could sit on the floor in traditional style or you could stick your legs into the depression under the table.



You had to take your shoes off before entering, like with a traditional Thai house or temple. There was a large stage at one end of the hall with an ornate relief mural that depicts numerous traditional Thai themes. Performers were on stage playing traditional Northern Thai music.



Dinner was served on a large tray with several smaller dishes, representing traditional Northern Thai food (though I don't know whether or not they were mellowed for tourists). Everything was quite delicious, and there were fried bananas as a palate cleanser. If you finished off any particular dish, you could request more from the wandering servers.

(Ellen adds: Because I am certified-- or certifiable!-- as being obsessed with food, I will tell you what the above consists of. In the center is a dip made of mild green chiles with fresh vegetables for dipping. Starting from the lower left and going clockwise are: fried chicken, pork rinds-- a Northern specialty, sauteed vegetables, fried rice noodles, and a Chiang Mai dry curry with pork-- the same one I learned to make in my cooking class!)



The opening dance was similar to another we had seen previously at the Night Bazaar. A processional moved towards the stage with paired dancers and then a man and a woman, and finally what appeared to be offerings of some kind. I don't know what the significance behind this dance was, but it seems quite ritual in nature and I wonder if it isn't a traditional opening ceremony of some kind.



Dances apparently came from various different cultures of Northern Thailand. I have no idea of the antiquity of any of them, and very little to compare them to, yet. These peacock dancers were quite entertaining, however.



These umbrella dancers were also fun to watch, though I couldn't help but have thoughts of Miss Saigon going through my head. Can't quite say why--just an association that must be back there somewhere.



These drummers were highly active. Much like Taiko drumming, the beats reverberated throughout the hall. They were also extremely energetic, and they danced as they played.



Khon is another form of traditional dance, although it is hardly relegated to NOrthern Thailand. This was a scene we had watched before in Bangkok--it is from the Ramakien (or Ramayana) where Hanuman, the Monkey King, attempts to woo the Queen of the Mermaids. You see, Hanuman has been attempting to build a causeway to the city of Lanka, where the immortal demon king Totsakan has captured the wife of Hanuman's liege, King Rama. As Hanuman commands his monkeys to throw rocks into the sea to build the causeway, however, the rocks mysteriously disappear. Hanuman discovers that the Mermaid Queen, who is a daughter of Totsakan, is having her mermaids and the creatures of the sea carry away the rocks. Hanuman decides to woo the Mermaid Queen and convince her to let him build the causeway. It is an extremely active scene, though I believe the Bangkok theater felt more rehearsed and professional. Still, it was a lot of fun and probably a good thing for all of the tourists gathered round.



Next, there was a dance that seemed very similar to English country dance in the overall movements, with different couples dressed to represent different hilltribe people.



A sword dance followed. There was a lot of twirling going on--it was hard for me to pick out if there were martial implications in it or not (though the announcer claimed it was based on traditional swordsmanship). At one point the dancer danced while balancing all the swords in a precarious position. Unfortunately he did drop a sword twice, which visibly affected him. Some of the feats he performed for the crowd seemed more like gimmicks, to my mind, but I don't know enough about traditional Thai martial arts yet.



The last dance of the evening was a fusion of traditional and modern music and dance. Eventually, the progressed into a circle dance, inviting members of the audience to participate.



The circle dance is definitely part of a tradition--the tradition of bringing up audience members to embarrass them in front of their friends. Of course, this is much easier if said audience member is a ham to begin with. The moves were fairly simple as long as your fingers are double-jointed. I have no idea how they get their fingers to actually bend backwards like that. It's just not natural.



After the evening is over, you head outside, where you can have your picture taken with some of the dancers, or participate in traditional Thai rituals (for a small fee).

(Ellen adds: The above guys are dressed for the Khon dance-drama: Phra Ram, or Rama, is to the left of me, and Phra Lak, Rama's brother, is on the right. Rama is evidently the role model for the strong but sensitive Thai guy. Lak, or Lakshaman, is Rama's right-hand man, an appropriate role for him as he was apparently Rama's throne in a previous life!)

We let off one of the traditional (paper) balloons, which are a part of an annual balloon festival every year in Chiang Mai.



That's all for now--more still to come.