Melting in Ayutthaya

Ayutthaya, Thailand

When you read about Ayutthaya in guide books or tourist pamphlets, you often hear about the remains of ruined temples that are scattered about the city. It is an extremely historic city due to these preserved sites because it not only marks the different architectural styles of ancient Thailand, but the ruins still hold the scars of wars in which invaders attempted to break the spirit of the Thai people by smashing the heads of every Buddha statue they came across. In fact, one now famous Buddha head toppled from it’s statue and rested next to a tree whose vines slowly grew around it. We saw incredible stupas and chedis from the 12^th century which tested our ability to grasp history. In fact there are so many ancient wats in the city that we soon became overwhelmed. Much like a church tour of Europe, there are only so many temples one can see before you stop being able to tell the difference.