Adventures in Ayutthaya

Our goal for the day was to get into Burma and get out again with new Thai visas intact. We wanted to get an early start, so we were up with the roosters and off to find a tuk-tuk that would take us to the border. After some negotiation, the driver agreed to a somewhat decent price and we were off. The border was crowded and we were approached by a gentleman immediately. He ended up being our guide through the border process and walked with us across the bridge to Burma. His grandfather had been a translator for the British during WWII, so he was very proud to use his English skills to help foreigners. We were ushered into a small room where our passports were taken, photographed, and examined by a burly looking Myanmar official. After 15 minutes, the passports were returned and we walked back across the bridge. Myanmar allows tourists to enter 1 km into the country and see the town. We opted to skip the propaganda and get back on the road. On the Thai end of things, we skipped the long line of Burmese waiting to get into the country and got our new passports without incident.
The tuk-tuk drove us to the bus station and without much delay, we were on our way to Ayutthaya. The ancient city was a 7 hour bus ride from Mae Sot, and I spent most of the ride staring at the countryside listening to a book on my i-pod. The bus was spacious and uncrowded, and the abundance of leg room greatly appreciated. The bus dropped us at the bus "station". The station was nothing more than a wooden structure with motorcycle taxis and one truck waiting. We were forced to pay whatever price the taxi driver wanted and were once again off to find lodging. The final winner was a lovely guesthouse right on the river and near the old city. The owner was an absolutely lovely woman who truly invited us into her home. The room was clean, cheap, and much better than the lodging in Mae Sot. The riverside restaurant provided a great ambience to sit and pass the time. We tried a number of different dishes in her restaurant and loved it. That evening, we paid 5 baht or about 15 cents to go across the river and see the temple ruins at night. We drove past the temples and took in their glory with the flood lights making the entire place spooky, yet holy. We made it back to the guesthouse before the ferry stopped running and crawled into bed.
The next morning, we got up and ate breakfast at our little home before crossing the river once again. We rented bikes for a very steep price of $1 for the day. After navigating slightly dangerous traffic, we were off to see the temple ruins in the daylight. The ruins were beautiful and majestic, but I couldn't help comparing them to Angkor. Nothing is quite as stunning as the complex in Cambodia, but Ayutthaya was impressive. As the day wore on, the heat got to me and I needed to rest in a cool, shady place. Uli and Matthias rode on while I pedaled through the city to the ferry. I slept beneath the fan and was rejuvenated enough for our late afternoon boat tour. We popped into 3 different temples and searched out the Buddhas in the various poses. We made it to the final stop just in time for sunset. I love watching the sun set over temple ruins. It is quickly becoming one of my favorite things to do. I love the constant of the sun setting mixed with the ancient holiness of the temple ruins. Now if only we had more temple ruins in the US.
We had met a French woman on the boat, so we had a lovely dinner with her. I now have someone to visit in Northern France when I get over there next. I've been so fortunate to meet awesome people while traveling. I will have to plan a trip around visiting everyone. We had decided to take an early morning train to Bangkok, so I attempted to repack everything. I'm not quite sure how I manage to empty my pack within the first 10 minutes in the room and then have to spend an hour repacking. I may be getting ready to not live out of a backpack. I woke late and rushed to get everything ready. We were lucky to be staying super close to the train station and made it with 5 minutes to spare. The train to Bangkok was 50 cents and took about 2 hours. Vendors wandered through the aisles selling food and drinks. We arrived without incident and headed towards Khao San Road and the inexpensive rooms.
The original plan was to spend a couple of days in Bangkok and check out a national park just outside the city. Unfortunately, the political environment of the city and country had other ideas. We arrived on Friday and the weekend welcomed thousands upon thousands of protestors. We adjusted the plan and got out of the city on Saturday night. I took in my last sights of Bangkok, ate some more street food, and bartered for the best deal. We did take the water ferry and the train to get our stuff back from the storage unit, so I saw new parts of the city. I received some terrible news on Friday. A friend from my week with First Descents last summer passed away. Rockie was a spitfire who had more spunk than I've ever seen. I was so completely crushed that I sat in the internet cafe crying unable to do anything. I was instantly angry that she had been taken so young. A part of my heart was gone and it was hard for me to get back into the traveler mode right away. I took the afternoon to wander and reflect. I realized that the best thing to do was to continue seeing the world and absorbing as much as I can. Rockie is now joining my parents and coming with me in all that I do.
Saturday night, we boarded the night bus to Ko Tao to begin the week of relaxation beachside. The bus was like every other bus we've taken, however we were put into groups based on where we were going. I fell asleep only to be jolted awake at 3:20 AM. Those of us going to Ko Tao were escorted off the bus and not so pleasantly left at the side of the road. The driver told us the next bus would be coming in 15 minutes. Our waiting area was a dirt patch in the middle of nowhere with nothing except dark buildings around us. We would have been easy targets for robbers. I'll be the first to admit I was a little uneasy about the whole situation. Two hours and many grumbles later, a bus arrived to take us to the ferry. We waited for another 2 hours before getting on the boat to the Island. I was past tired, so I alternated between reading and scoping out the incredible color of the water. I knew I was going to love it!