Christmas Party and Road Race in Ayutthaya

Dressed up for Christmas party

  Vince, myself and 5 others headed to Ayutthaya (ancient capital of Siam) for the weekend just before Christmas break. Three of us ran the half-marathon and 3 ran the 10km. It was a beautiful run which went by many of the ancient temples.

Our guest house, Promtong Mansion which was fantastic accommodation with friendly owners....but not a mansion.

A common shower/toilet combo.

At the market. The vendor insisted I take a picture with one of her purses.

The furniture section.

Temple

Temple

They are not sure how this buddha head became part of the tree...but it did.

One of many buddhas. Most were in pieces.

A mock up of what the temples looked like in their day. Incredible.

Elephant rides through the city.

Pink elephant. We couldn't decide if they were painted or albino.

The running gang.

Couldn't resist a picture in the post-race mist.

Tuk-tuk ride.

 Tuk-tuks look all have an encased front in this city and some have themes....like this Batmobile.

This was the one we rode in....very small especially for 6 full-grown adults. To give you an idea of the size Dan (on the left) is 5 ft 8 in.

This happens often and has to do with the fact that locals pay taxes to support the program. We sometime we get the foreigner rate if I show my work permit card but not usually.

We were lucky enough to be in Ayutthaya for the annual light and sound show which was a re-enactment of their history.

The stars of the show.

The pre-show market which was set up as a traditional ancient market.

Payment was with shells, which you purchase here. The translation is often a little awkwardly done.

The "money shells" which was enough for a three coconut ice-creams.

The show with the main temple as a backdrop. It was not easy to understand the history through the show but it was extremely well done.

The grande finale.