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Chao Sam Phraya National Museum.
Keep an eye out for the gold swords
and utensils owned by royalty that were
discovered in the early 21st century during
the excavations at Wat Ratchaburana and
Wat Mahathat.
As non-Siamese were originally not
allowed to live within the city walls, the
remains of foreigners’ settlements can
make an interesting visit to add context to
the city as it was once. TheMuslimquarter
– still home tomany Thai Muslims – is the
remains of what was once the settlement
for the Persians andMuslim-Indian traders
that travelled to Ayutthaya in its heyday.
A pleasant afternoon can be passed
exploring the narrow streets, admiring the
neat houses and mosques, and sampling
some wonderful Muslim-Thai food at little
cafes and restaurants hidden within the
riverside community.
Tourists also flock onto the river itself,
with many companies offering boat trips
that will encompass visits to some wa-
terside temples. It is also worth getting a
snap of the impressive Queen Suriyothai
Monument. The statue depicts KingMaha
Chakkraphat sitting a-top a war elephant,
commemorating how the slaying of the
Queen rallied the Siamese to fight the
invading Burmese bravely.
A TASTE OF THE PAST
As with all Asian travel, food is a key
element to embracing the culture and
traditions of a place, and is always guar-
anteed to be good! Ayutthaya is famous for
two local specialities which can be tasted
during a visit. The
Roti sai mai
is a hugely
popular dessert that consists of threads
of twirled palm sugar (like cotton candy)
wrapped in paper thin slices of bread and
comes in a whole host of different flavours
including banana and
pandan
.
The more savoury speciality is the
kwit-tieo reua
– or ‘boat noodles’ – that
are now available throughout the country
but believed to have originated in Ayut-
thaya, getting their name from being sold
exclusively inwooden boats that traversed
the city’s canals and waterways. This
concoction consists of a broth tempered
with pig’s blood inwhich rice noodles and
various pork-based ingredients such as
liver, deep-fried skin and meat balls, with
some greens thrown in for good measure.
A trip to Ayutthaya, however brief,
makes for a wonderful addition to a Thai
holiday, yet merely scratches the surface
of how fabulous the experience would’ve
been for the visitors of 1700. Keep that
thought in mind as you admire the city’s
gems and try to capture a feeling of just
what a grand and glorious place this
former capital once was.
The Siamese architecture is
reminiscent to that in Siam
Reap, Cambodia
Cattle graze amid the ruins
Explore the modern
alongside the ancient
The structures are well-
preserved considering they
date from as early as 1351