tuk-tukin' round the YOOT

So I've lived in Ayutthaya (pronounced uh-YOOT-tai-yaaa, and affectionately nicknamed The YOOT ) for almost 4 months now, so i figured it was about time i saw all the sights. with a friend in town and the sun shining, i finally had an excuse to be a tourist in my own city.

Kassem was our tuk tuk driver and tour guide for the day, and quite frankly, he was The Man. he spoke Thai with us - clearly and slowly - and somehow perfectly estimated how much we knew, because at all the right moments he would slip into a very articulate english.  "dern chaa chaa bundai jet sip gao ... around the back of the gold chedi behind the stupa... hen buddha suay maag". Not only did we understand HIS thai, but HE understood OUR thai - which is an amazing accomplishment in this little city.

In our further Thai-glish conversations with Kassem, we found out he was quite the ladies man,  also enjoyed rice whiskey, and wouldn't stop teasing me when my face got red after drinking a beer (damn asian flush).

of all the sights in ayutthaya, the reclining buddha is my favorite.This buddha is one of my favorite poses in general, where Buddha is about to die after his lifelong meditative battle with earthly suffering, escape samsara [reincarnation] and enter into nirvana [kind of like heaven, but not].

i find Ayutthaya's RB more beautiful than the more famous one in Bangkok's Wat Pho, mainly because you can actually see the whole thing at one time, and its not obtructed by pillars, nor contained by ceilings. It's just chillin' under the clouds, his orange robe wafted by wind, gold stickers sparkling in sunlight. He is relaxed and reclined, about to enter into the sweet blissful state of nirvana, and his expression captures this perfectly. his smile is sneaky and mysterious like the Mona Lisa, but definately at peace, euphoric with spiritual detachment and looking forward to his future liberation. he just looks so... content. almost smug. i love it.

Side Note: This is perhaps the reason why I prefer temples and buddhas over churches and crosses. Tell me the last time you were in a church surrounded by images of Jesus looking smug.... (never. its depressing.)

Another noteworthy temple of the Yoot is Wat Phu Khao Thong, an impressive chedi consisting of 79 steps but a rather bland extertior. While the name means "Golden Mount", it is actually white. More like dirty gray. But endure the 79 step walk up, and on the base of the chedi you will find a very small door, about 4 feet high, like something from Alice and Wonderland. It leads you down an equally shallow hallway, and there you will discover something amazing. Deep inside this pyramid there is small, clostrophobic room, 20 degrees hotter than it is outside, stuffy and... sparkling. It covered with glitter and gold, including a magnificent ruby Buddha unlike i've ever seen.

A monk was sitting quietly in the "room" already, but it was more like a closet. With only me, Eva, and the monk, the space was packed, the unmoved air stuffy with incense and farang sweat. Overcome with sparkling idols, I bowed to the ruby Buddha and humbly excepted a gift of sacred thread (yet another) and a blessing from the resident monk.

Our trip around Ayutthaya was tireless, but somehow visiting temples always leaves me rejuvenated and propitious. The city of Ayutthaya, it turns out, is much like the Golden Temple itself. As an outside observer,  it may look simply old and dusty. But look closer, and you will find a history deep as it is dirty, and full of beauty and blessings  in the most unexpected places.

Teaching English in the Old City

When I told people I was moving to Ayutthaya, reactions came from all ends of the spectrum. Some insisted it was the “Must-See City” of Thailand, while Joe called it “the loneliest place” he’s ever been. David at least tried to hide his concern when he said “Don’t worry, if you hate it, I can find you a job in Chiang Mai in no time… But,uh, I’m sure you won’t hate it.”

But so far I haven’t had too much to complain about. My apartment is perfectly situated between “Soi Farang” on one side -overrun with backpackers, bars, and white people - and to my west lies an array of eerie, silent, ancient ruins. I have air-con, my own balcony, and even a big girl bed – something that I’ve desperately coveted after 4 years of dorm and community living.

Not to say I haven’t already noticed some differences between Ayutthaya and Chiang Mai. The sun is stronger here, it’s not overrun by temples– and there’s no omlette lady on my corner to serve me a 12-baht breakfast (perhaps the saddest thing of all). Also, the people don’t seem quite as intrigued by farangs. Meaning: theyre not interested at all. Menus are only in Thai, and when I ask for my som dtamm at a road stand vendor, it feels like I'm bothering her. Chiang Mai definitely holds a special place in my heart. I’ve spent the past 2 months experiencing Northern Thai culture and attempting Chiang Mai dialect (different from Thai), which proves useless in Central Thailand. Today at lunch over som dtaam and sticky rice, my school's administrator told me that I “eat like a [Thai] Northerner”, and although I don’t know if she meant it as a compliment, I took it as one.

Also, yesterday was my first day teaching English (officially). I got through the day without crying, freaking out, or scaring any children – so I’ll call it a good day. I have P1 through P5 (about 1st through 5th grade) and today my P2's were just a bundle of energy, and pretty fun to hang out with. My schedule is crazy easy compared to my other farang teacher friends, so, again... somehow, I lucked out.

Ayutthaya: so far so good.

I haven't taken any good photography of this city so far, so, just for kicks, here is a picture of me spooning a tiger. And Hannah, don't worry, the tiger was only slightly better at being "little spoon" than you. :)