Ayutthaya and Bangkok

On Friday, we wanted to get out of the city and visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the ancient ruins of Ayutthaya. This city was once the capital of Thailand and has over 400 temples. We were able to see a few of them on a guided tour. The day was supposed to start at 6:50, when we were supposed to be picked up by a shuttle bus from the hostel. We were there on time (yes, that's not like Tina), but the driver was already incredibly hectic and in a bad mood because he apparently wanted to pick us up at 6:30... the same was true for the other passengers who were picked up before and after us, and no one had known about it, which resulted in an eternal, loud discussion with the Thai driver in the busy city traffic, where he was also unfamiliar. But the worst part was not necessarily the driver, but four Germans around 60, who represented the typical complaining tourists... >note: don't book tours if you can avoid it, and explore on your own< 

Apparently it is normal in Thailand to not have shock absorbers on cars, to drive twice as fast as allowed, and for no one to wear seat belts (with what?). But the bumpy ride was definitely worth it: the many ruins, temples, and Buddhas were impressive! 

Afterwards, we made a detour to the king's summer residence - very beautiful and peacefully located with a great garden and buildings to receive state guests from all over the world. 

In the evening, we got off at Khao San Road, the party mile for backpackers, to enjoy the atmosphere and have a bite to eat. If you like to bargain, you can get a bargain here and there.

On Saturday, we checked out of the hostel and made our way to the Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. The royal palace and the surrounding temples are adorned and gilded all over, thousands of mosaic tiles and mirrors shine at you, and at every corner the king is revered and altars are adorned with flowers. If you want to take a trip here, you should definitely wear long pants and cover your shoulders. Unfortunately, it doesn't matter what the temperature is ;) in any case, very beautiful and magnificent! The Jade Buddha is quite small compared to his "brothers" in other temples, but he is the only one made of jade and therefore beautiful to look at. After that, our legs needed a break and we watched the tourists in their elephant pants for a while, which everyone buys if they forgot their long pants. 

Thanks to a recommendation, we later found the right big flower market (Rajinee pier), where the Thais buy lotus flowers and other flowers for their small shrines at home. Finally, beautiful smells! Here we also had something spicy to eat >it's always best to eat where the locals go, it's always delicious and safe!< and tried the first fresh coconut: very delicious!! 

Finally, we picked up our backpacks from the hostel and took a tuktuk (our first ride!), metro, and taxi to the north of the city, where our night bus to Lampang, our next destination, departed from. Here we were able to stroll through the Chatuchak night market for a short time, where we will definitely come back at the end of the trip to stock up and buy souvenirs. Its prices and selection are truly unbeatable! You should definitely start walking to the Bangkok bus station at least half an hour earlier to find the right bus out of over 100 (!!!) platforms. Thanks to friendly and helpful Thais, it's possible though :) And now we are sitting well fed in a luxurious and super punctual bus to Lampang, watching as the adventure in Thailand continues...