On the hour, everyone stands for the national hymn
Living by the railroad best illustrated
In the small tuk-tuk
 
Nice temple by the river
A building of the Chan Kasem Palace
Charm of the Chan Kasem Palace
13th century Lopburi-style standing Buddha
 
Fish presentation at the Hua Raw market
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Barely woken up, I look at the time and think it's better to get an early start without waiting for my alarm to go off, so as to go to the train station and head to Ayuthaya, an ancient capital from 1350 to 1767. The city was impressive said all the Europeans who came here to have diplomatic and commercial bonds with the powerful kingdom, the artistic style of which has become the symbol ogf Thai art. While stuck in the traffic, I read the old Lonely Planet guide lent by Mihel and watch the meter as I have very few Bahts left, having changed the minimum amount at the airport and surprised by how long one can go with only 30 euros here. I easily get a ticket for the next train, half a euro for a journey of almost two hours. While I begin to wander in the station to look at people, the clock strikes 8 o'clock and a music starts, surely the national anthem. Everyone rises before things go back to normal. I soon board and head off, even if the train stops after a few hundred meters, and then again later... the trip could be long but I have enough to keep me busy and it's comfortable and windy. I don't forget to get down as the train arrives roughly on time. Having avoided the tuk-tuk drivers, I head south following the vague guide map, the scale of which is surely wrong. At a bridge, I cross over to this big island surrounded by three rivers, making an ideal historical location. I then go down a large avenue and decide to take one of the small tuk-tuks that go down it, just like in Jakarta. I'm the last one on board so I tell him I'm going to the palace of Chan Kasem which is now a museum, not far away. I don't know how much to give him, and it even ends up being more expensive than the train, but remains very little. What is left of the palace doesn't really deserve the name "palace" despite the restauration by Rama IV who wanted to stay here during his trips to this important province. Some beautiful Buddha statues in a style unknown to me are worth a look, and I also glance at the pictures of neighbouring temples. While walking in the empty courtyard, I go by a charming patio and quietly stroll around the place. I feel like going to the jetty to ask how much a boat trop to Bangkok or the nearby city of Bang Pa In is, but I'm not sure it's the right place and don't feel like having proposals I wouldn't be able to get rid of. I have plenty of time, and head west, walking by the market of Hua Raw where beautiful fish baskets remind me of the charm of Asian markets just as I had backtracked from an alley thinking it's always the same there.
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Ayuthaya 