The Sacred City

Wat Mahathat, Ayutthaya

Former capital of the Siamese empire for over 500 years, and the most powerful city state in Southeast Asia during its heyday, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya (The Sacred City of Ayuthaya) is a very interesting place. After the Burmese sacked and burned the city in 1756, the capital was moved to Bangkok and since then time seems to have forgotten this town... Ruins EVERYWHERE and nary a farang tourist in sight. Turns out learning a bit of Thai came in pretty damn handy, as people here speak little to no English for the most part. Spent all day walking through ghostly ruins filled with Buddha statues in various states of disrepair (in ridiculous heat, mind you). With hundreds of broken Angkor-era temples, you can't help but wonder what this city looked like covered in gold in its prime...

The Three Chedi of Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Ayutthaya

Elephant Caravan - Wat Phra Ram