Ayuttaya

Meditating Thai Dog

If you would like to get a glimpse of Thai civilization before what Bangkok is today, Ayuttaya is a good start.  Just about 80 kilometers north of Bangkok, Ayuttaya was the former capital city of what was then Siam.  Many Thai-Burmese wars occurred here in the 14th and 15th centuries, on elephants, no less. Temples and palaces were burned and buddhas and other valuables stolen... The remnants of that time reveal the prosperity and importance of Buddhism in this country.

Our friends Case and Maude were visiting for a few days after Christmas, so we had a good excuse to go there for a day excursion. The kids did not quite get what we were up to, but they were happy to get to ride more elephants at the end of the day!