Ayutthaya,Normal,false,EN-US,X travel,insurance Ayutthaya

Torres del Paine is among the biggest of Chile’s national parks, occupying almost 600,000 acres (242,000 ha) of land in the south on the border with Argentina. It is also among the most important, receiving a significant proportion of domes Like any American, traveling occasionally is just what I love doing and I bet you share the same stuff with me. But traveling does not mean that you would be safe. Escaping from our job and other stressful activities is just something that w

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;mso-style-noshow:yes;mso-style-priority:99;mso-style-qformat:yes;mso-style-parent:"";mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;mso-para-margin-top:0in;mso-para-margin-right:0in;mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;mso-para-margin-left:0in;line-height:115%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"Cordia New";mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}Bangkok nowadays has grown to such a size that visitors maybe forgiven for thinking that it has always been the capitol of Thailand. Butthis is not the case. In fact, since the 13th century it is the third such, theother two capitols being in the north at Sukhothai (1238-1351 AD) andAyutthaya. Bangkok has only been the center of government since 1782 and thepresent Grand Palace that just about everyone visits here was actually modeledon the style of the old palace in Ayutthaya. For more than 400 years,1351-1767, Thailand was governed from Ayutthaya in an era known by historiansas Thailand's "Golden Age."At its height, the ancient city of Ayutthaya was a trulythriving center of a nation that was the most powerful in Southeast Asia forseveral centuries until its sacking and plundering by the Burmese in 1767. Intheir lust to take over the commercial center that Ayutthaya had become becauseof its control over lucrative trade routes, the Burmese destroyed many of theAngkor style temples and took unlimited amounts of wealth in the form ofartefacts and jewels back to Burma. Although they were driven out less than sixmonths later, the Burmese had ended Ayutthaya's reign as a capitol city due tothe thoroughness of their destruction of what had been the "jewel of theEast."However, perhaps because of the proximity of Bangkok toAyutthaya (86 km) it is once more a thriving town of more than half a millionpeople and the ruins of the Ayutthaya civilization attract many visitors intheir own right. As do the colorful markets, fine floating restaurants andpleasant quietude you are surrounded by compared to boisterous Bangkok.In order to best protect their home, the ancient rulers ofAyutthaya utilized three nearby rivers which they connected by man-made canalsto surround their stunning city, making a mostly natural moat around the citythat served to ward off invaders. They were courted during those times by savvyJapanese merchants who built their own settlement just outside the city, on theother side of the moat, and were soon joined by other settlements constructedby English, French and Portuguese traders from Europe.The Kings who ruled Ayutthaya constructed walls andfortresses as well as the moat that surrounded them, the remnants of which canstill be glimpsed at certain points in the old part of the city. And of thehundreds of temples that were built, there is enough remaining of them today toenable you to imagine yourself back in Thailand's golden era of prosperity. Ifyou close your eyes for a moment in the proximity of an ancient ruin it is notdifficult to picture throngs of silken clad Thais in their national dress ofbaggy trousers cut off at the calf going about their business of the day. Thecity today is still surrounded by the three rivers (the Chao Phraya, Lop Buriand Pa Sak) and a good way to visit the city is to take the three and a halfhour boat trip up the Chao Phraya from Bangkok, returning by road or trainwhich is about an hour and a half trip.When visiting Ayutthaya, in order to get a taste of the city,a good idea is to travel by boat again, taking a circumnavigatory tour of theisland. Boats leave from the pier by the market and the trip lasts about anhour. You will pass by Wang Luang (the remains of the old wooden palace buildings),Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Wat Phra Ram, Wat Ratchaburana, the Ayutthaya Study Centerand two museums - the Chao Sam Phraya and Chandra Kasem.Your short boat trip around the island will set you up forfurther exploration by giving you some ideas of where you would like toexplore. One temple that you might find particularly interesting is theaforementioned Wat Phra Ram, which was founded in 1369. It is set in adelightfully laid out garden with lotus blooms floating in a pond surrounded bythe enigmatic ruins of the temple. The sight begs the question of how thepeople in those times could have designed and decorated such complex and andartistic structures with the technology they possessed.Another ancient temple worth visiting, that is still in goodrepair, is Wat Phra Si Sanphet which was founded in approximately 1448. Itsthree bell-shaped chedis (monuments enshrining holy Buddhist relics) areflanked by two columns of viharas (assembly halls and chapels) and surroundedby sandstone images of Lord Buddha.Before leaving Ayutthaya, a must, if you want to go home withlong-lasting memories, is a visit to the Chao Sam Phraya Museum. There you'llsee how Siam was influenced by the Mon and Khmer civilizations. You will seewell-preserved remains of Buddha images and mythological images from Thailand,India and Sri Lanka. And you will also have the chance to see some fabulousglittering treasures of gold and jewelry in the museum's east room that werefound in Wat Ratchaburana, luckily one of the only ones not looted by thescavenging Burmese. The regalia of gold on display, the filigreed headdresses,the ornamented war-elephant complete with howdah, a sword with a crystal handleand a scabbard inlaid with precious stones, all of these artifacts and more givea hint as to how fabulous a city Ayutthaya must once have been.