We left Bangkok to take a tour of Ayutthaya Province. We purchased the tickets through the hotel the previous day and found our way to the tour bus for the trip up north.
Bang Pa-In Royal Palace: This is also known as the Summer Palace, since it was used as the summer residence of the king. As with other Thai palaces, there are many buildings located amongst beautiful gardens. Included are the lookout tower Ho Withun Thasana (Sage's Lookout), the Chinese-style residence and throne room Wehart Chamrunt (Heavenly Light), and the royal residence Warophat Phiman (Excellent and Shining Heavenly Abode).
In order to see inside the Warophat Phiman, both mom and Peep had to rent skirts to conform to the dress code.
Ayutthaya Historical Park: Seen here are the ruins of a several temples that were located near the royal residence when the kingdom of Siam was centered in Ayutthaya, prior to be moving to Bangkok. The royal residence itself was completely destroyed by invading Burmese and all that can be seen today is a large open flat field.
One of the temples, Wat Mahathat, became a favorite tourist spot when a documentary aired showing a Buddha head encased in a tree trunk and many people believed that it was a natural occurrence. However, the head was most likely set down next to the tree rather than being carried off by plunderers, who typically cut off the heads of Buddha statues because the entire statue is too heavy to transport, and the tree grew around it. There were many Buddha statues without heads within the temples.
River Cruise: For the trip back to Bangkok the tour group left the bus and boarded a boat for a slow cruise down the Chao Praya river. Lunch was served as we passed rural Thai villages. Following lunch Peep and I went to the top deck and listened to our tour guide point out the main attractions on either side of the river as we neared and then entered Bangkok.