Ayuttaya

Yesterday, we boarded a train to Ayuttaya, to explore whatever awaits us. My tourist book told me there were ruins, so ruins we came to see. After we paid sixty cents for a train ticket, we boarded the train. It was nastier than the BART train, but still ok. And we had A/C, wee! We see the ticket collector guy coming down the aisle (cue Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade - "tickets please") and seemingly randomly booting people to other cars. Crap, we don't know the difference between cars. Are some better than others? Which one did we get on? Is there a bathroom? No idea. The ticket guy skipped us the first time through, I can only assume this was because we appeared to belong in the group of other white (though non-American, I think) travelers that we strategically sat with. He did, however, come back about a half hour later after people had moved to our car and had standing room only. He checks our tickets and tells us that we belong in the 3rd class in the back. We were currently in 2nd class, with A/C, which costs 225 B ($6, rather than sixty cents). So we move to the cattle car. No A/C, windows all open, no room to store our backpacks. At least we got to spend 40 minutes of the ride as stow aways in the good train car. We smoosh into seats facing two Japanese girls, clutching our huge backpacks. I ask a Thai girl opposite me if she is going to Ayuttaya because thus far we have not been able to discern any of the stops. She is going to Ayuttaya, though she speaks no English. Thank god anyway, we'll get off when she does.

We get to a stop around the time that we are supposed to arrive to Ayuttaya, and the girl taps me on the shoulder to tell me this is the stop. Bless her heart, I could have kissed her feet. We would have stayed on that train all day. Next challenge: cross the river. The guy who booked our hotel (at the Tourist Authority of Thailand office or TAT) told us to cross the river and get a taxi to our hotel. Where the hell is the river?

We walk down the road that faces us. Nobody accosts us like in Bangkok. Still dirty, still street vendors, still tons of dogs running around, but nobody yelling at us to buy their shit and no foul stench. We like this place better already. And low and behold, the river is at the end of this street. Three Baht to cross on a ferry - about nine cents. The ferry is some real third world goodness, but we didn't sink so I have nothing to complain about.

It's slummy here, like everywhere, but nice. The buildings are all interesting - ranging from corrugated steel shantis to fancy Thai architecture - and at the very least, it looks nothing like America. That's why we came, right? We take a tuk-tuk to our hotel for $1. Tuk-tuks are these little three wheeled motorized carts with benches in the back for tourists to sit on. They are cheap and scary, but I think that's the theme for the whole country. Should be their anthem.

Our hotel is plush. We had intended to do this journey staying at the cheapest hostels, but because we fear arriving at places with nothing booked, we keep booking these sweet hotels. Not plush like a US hotel, but has a nice lobby, large rooms, restaurant, pool, and American style toilet and shower. They don't seem to have the decorating prowess that Motel 6 has (I'm not kidding), but definitely nice. And about $60 a night. So, that's how we've been rolling so far.

Our day in Ayuttaya discussed in next post.