Ayutthaya

Ayutthaya, the Ancient City, which was the former Thai capital for over 400 years.
- *Over 600 years old, Wat Maha That was the heart and soul of the Ayutthaya people. It was almost completely destroyed by the Burmese during Thai-Burmese war.*

It was interesting to see the remains of the wat. It made me think of Angkor Wat, but not as grand. I enjoyed looking at the architecture. The Buddha head in the tree roots was very cool. I saw these cute elephant embroidered purses that I thought Ms A and Ms E would like, but we had to get on the bus. Reed found a couple for them in Bangkok after I told him about it. What a great daddy and uncle. :)

- *Wat Na Phra Mane remains in perfect condition, as it was used as the Burmese headquarters. The splendid Golden Buddha, dressed in regal attire, was placed in the temple along with the three thousand-year-old green stone carved Buddha. Both are considered as extremely valuable national relics.* The Buddhas are typically gold-leafed. In the main building there were two other smaller statues that are gold-leafed. Patrons of the wat find pieces of gold-leaf that have fallen off and they very carefully put it back on the statues.
 

Ms. A met a little girl in the Wat. She was so cute, she looked at me and asked if she could play with her friend. When I said yes, she ran over, introduced herself and gave her a hug. The little girl wasn't sure how to react, but her family and Reed took pictures of the two of them hugging, kissing and holding hands. I love watching her interact so well with the children here.
 
- *Wat Lokayasutharam has a mysterious past, whereby its origins are unknown. The temple enshrines the third largest Reclining Buddha Image in Thailand. It was built during The Early Period of the Ayutthaya Region.* The Buddha measures 105 feet in length and 26 feet in height. We had a quick stop here and were followed by vendors trying to get us to purchase something.

***(info provided by)