Ayuthaya ... pictures revisited
Yesterday when I Yahoo! chatted with angel, I told her that my first priority would be to revive my external hard disk that had dieded on me for some weeks now.
I managed to do that, and boy, was I glad I managed to unearth my Ayuthaya pictures ...
Ayuthaya is my favorite place in Thailand, contrary to wild, baseless rumors claiming that my fav place is Soi Cowboy instead. Soi Cowboy is so not my fav place. Leave your address with me so that my lawyers can take you to the cleaners for slander if you still insist it is ...
Close up of a facade on Phukao Thong, the Central Chedi.An ancient city that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is peppered with ancient Thai Buddhist temples in a very laid back city. It was the former capital of Siam (now Thailand) until the Burmese sacked the city after a long siege in the 1700s.
Evidence of a grand past is all over the city. There's actually a roundabout in the middle of town that is an old ancient temple. Imagine Malaysia having a roundabout with A Famosa in the middle - that's what I'm talking about.
Here are some of the pictures I would like to share all over again with my imaginary readers ... and yeah, I welcome comments regarding the photos ...
Observant folks would have realised the addition of a flickr badge on the side bar. Well, feel free to browse through my photos.
They make me miss my Bangkok friends all over again ... Khun Dee, K Surin and Mrs. Surin ... *tsk* .. miss you folks
You want peace? Here we have a sandstone Buddha head wrapped in a Bodhi tree root ... most of the Buddhas in the temple ruins had their heads pilfered by profiteers or invading armies of the past ... this one must have dropped into the lap of the tree and just ... fell asleep ... how peaceful ..
Two Buddhas meditating in Wat Wattanaram .. this is an odd temple - it is not Thai Ayuthaya styled, but Khmer styled. What's the difference? In a nutshell - Ayuthaya is a grand style found in Thailand, while Khmer styled temples are the ones that are reminscene of those in Angkor Wat.
And this .. is one of the enduring images of Thailand, the reclining Buddha at Wat Yai Chai (Big Chedi Temple). Originally housed in a temple, the roof and most walls have collapsed - only the columns stand the test of time.
This is a black and white shot of one of the two Buddhas flanking the Big Chedi itself ...
And finally, another shot that invokes peace within ... a rare feeling in a heart often caught up with the stressful corporate and city living ...
11 comments:
:)
and yeah, i saw your flickr ;)
btw, your thai is still 'alive'?
angel:kevin dai poot thai krub
wow.. not bad..u like taking all these photos too huh
wah liao. so many Buddha statue. so lucky you can go. me oso cannot go.
Nice photos..love the last Buddha's photo very much.
I'm going to backpack in Bangkok this Sept. Any places that are worth visiting in Bangkok ?
smashpop: TQ ... hehe ... pretend to be pro photographer la ... actually i've got plenty to learn
cheng sim: yeah, it's like Buddhas every corner. don't worry - you'll get your chance.
che-cheh: TQ. Bangkok is packed to the brim with placed to go to. What do you want to do there ?
Visiting temples, market, etc and indulge in sinful food. :)
Che-Cheh: Email me ... I'll give you my 5 cents thoughts on what to do ... just let me know how many days you're spending there ...
ahah no need to pretend la.. your pics all very nice already
smashpop: haha ... so now i get it .. i need to take pics at a funny angel
matthias: The World Heritage sites are very much in various states of constant repair - as many of the temples are still in working order.
For purists, the fact that some repairs are done crudely (especially to some of the buddha figures) would be very distasteful. There are simple booths at the entrance to all the world heritage locations, which are well kept. Various conservation (and preservation) efforts in the past have resulted in visually un-appealing results - eg it's very easy to see some murals they have tried to restore.
There isn't much in terms of visitor management. It's mostly free for all, with some freelance tour guides plying their trade.
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