Sunday Series: The Elephant Village of Ayutthaya

All the world was quiet on the drive to Ayutthaya.

Green fields spanned miles in each direction.  The highway reached endlessly forward, persisting beyond the horizon with the vigilance and certainty of ever forward-marching time.  Every few miles, a lonely, dilapidated stall on the side of the highway selling food or hats.  Signs hanging down with their worn faces frowning at the world, paint peeling and fabric torn, a small wrinkled woman selling those hats and looking somewhere in the distance through tired eyes from a plastic seat.  Rolling on, life hurled down the road, on motorcycles, in cars, in buses, in taxis, on two feet.

As we reached our destination after an hour long drive through the countryside of Thailand, I stopped and gazed in wonder, I stopped -

There were no words as I saw the elephants begin to saunter slowly by our taxi.  Amid the crumbling ruins of what used to be the Kingdom of Siam's capital in 1350, gentle giants wander the streets as fellow citizens and residents.  For 500 baht (about $15 USD) you can ride the elephants through the ruins of the city.  You can watch as the trainers work with the elephants to dance and put on a show.  In fact, you can sit next to a baby elephant and have lunch with him as he tries to steal your poached quail eggs.

Instead of words to express this kind of joy, I offer this photograph, which captured the moment perfectly:

So began my adventures in Ayutthaya, where I spent the day riding elephants and roaming the ruins.

The Ruins of Ayutthaya

Around 1600 B.C., the city of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya was one of the most populated cities in the world with about 300,000 residents.  In 1350, the city swelled to over one million and became the capital of the Kingdom of Siam.  For hundreds of years, the city dominated Asian trade wind commerce.  Of the city, Asian myth and folklore was borne; the city offered merchants astounding views of 400 glittering temples jutting out from the green of the jungle, art, gold, and treasures beyond wildest dreams.  During its 417-year life, 33 kings ruled Ayutthaya and brought 70 wars to the kingdom.  Alas, like Rome, all cities eventually fall.  In 1767, the city was destroyed by the Burmese army.  The temples were sacked and the goods stolen.  However, due to a resurgent interest in the temples in the sixties, the site has undergone massive restoration in the past several decades.  In the seventies, officials renovated the city and it became a UNESCO world heritage site.  Today, the Ayutthaya Historical Park attracts thousands of visitors every year to see the mythic ruins of a once-ruling empire.

"Prang" or reliquary towers of the central renovated structure.

Located about one hour north of Bangkok, Ayutthaya sits comfortably away from the noise of the city and is another hour away from a few other must-see destinations, such as Lopburi to the north (monkeys!) and Kanchanaburi to the west (tigers! jungles!).  The city itself sits on an island at the head of the Gulf of Siam, surrounded by three rivers that connect to the ocean.  To ancient kings, the location made sense - it was relatively safe from floods, invited a booming merchant trading system due to its canals and waterways, and offered safety from passing warships of rival nations.  The

Ayutthaya is known as the "Venice of the East" and for good reason.  In striking similarity to the Renaissance-minded city planning of Leonardo da Vinci or the great Aztec metropolis, ancient architects laid out the city according to a systematic grid.  The citizens of Ayutthaya were innovators; they planned and built hydraulic waterways, a technical marvel unique to all the world at the time it existed.  The intricate structural outline of the city still exists today and makes for some of the most amazing photography to come out of Thailand's architecture.

The entrance fee is 50 baht (about $1.50 USD) and is open from 8am to 4pm.  Bring walking shoes, a good camera, and a guidebook to read about the temples and ruins in between enjoying the local food from street stalls and shopping in the endless, crowded fair set up just outside the ruins.

Though in ruin, the inherent geometric beauty of the city layout remains.

The Ayutthaya Elephant Village

For most people, riding elephants ranks high on the bucket list.  For a mere $15 USD (500 baht), you can scratch this one off the list.  One of the elephant trainers will seat you atop your very own elephant and walk you around the ruins.

After the ride is over, there is a souvenir shop where proceeds go directly to helping the elephants.  Walk around the village and get lost in the endless market full of every kind of food imaginable.