Today we did the whirl-wind tour of about as many historical sites associated with the First Kingdom of Siam (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayutthaya_Kingdom) as we could’ve possibly fit into one day. To paraphrase the title of a 1960’s movie, it was our “If this is 2 O’clock, it must be Wat-whatever”-day. If you’ve ever done tours of historical sites in Europe, you’ll understand the acronym, “not AFC” (Another Freakin’ Church); well this was our, “not AFW (Another Freakin’ Wat) Day”.

We were picked up in front of Tony’s Place by our driver for the morning. We started off with our “three hour tour”. Luckily for us, it didn’t end the same way for us as it did for the Skipper, Mary-Ann, etc.

After a short drive we arrived at Wat Yai Chaimongkhon.

Along one side of the Wat complex, there is a row of bungalows which house old Monks…

… and their cats.

… and now back to the Wat.

Next up was Wat Maha That.

This Wat is the location for one of the most iconic images of Thailand; the “Buddha Head in the Tree”.

Now I needed somewhere to wring-out the sweat from my shorts and we desperately needed a cold drink… maybe, just maybe… walking around red clay masonry in 40+ Degree Celsius heat wasn’t exactly the brightest plan for today….

Then it was onto Wat Phra Si Sanphet…

It was a short walk to the next Wat. But first, Eron found a litter of temple-dogs and we had to have a little cuddle-time with them.

Then it was Wat Phrasisanpethi.

And then Wat Phra Ram.

There is a company operating in the area near these Wats, offering rides on Elephants to the tourists. On just a casual inspection, we could see an orange discolouration on some of the Elephants; indicative of a certain type of fungal infection. Left untreated, the infection will eventually cause the skin in the affected area(s) to literally slough off; making them susceptible to massive secondary infections. A cruel, painful, and undignified end for such majestic creatures… especially when the fungus can be readily treated.

And in front of each tourist attraction; the ubiquitous tuk-tuks are parked awaiting fares.

Onto the next; Wat Lokayasutha.

And then the final stop on our 3 Hour Tour (actually more like 5 hours): Wat Thammikarat.

With that, we were finally done for the morning… or afternoon(?); we were so broiled medium-well to well-done that we didn’t know, “Wat was What”. By this time we were literally “Watted-out”; sweaty, grimy, foot-sore, and HOT! Did I mention, HOT? It was around 1:30 PM and we had just spent the entire morning in the sizzling sun and it was now, “Son-of-an-Hibachi-hot”. We were never so glad to be told that a tour was finished.

As we made our way back towards Tony’s Place, we came across a mode of public transport peculiar to this city. Sukhothai has it’s Wooden Buses; Ayutthaya has “Stainless Steel Buses”.

When we got back to the hotel, we found “Tony’s” pimped-out, customized tuk-tuk parked in front. This thing just cries out to have a couple of surfboards strapped on top.

We literally ran up to the room, had a quick rinse in the shower, jumped into our swimsuits, and got down into the pool as fast as humanly possible… ahhhhhhhh!!!! It was only after we cooled down that we could even think of lunch… very possibly a first for us.

We didn’t even get a siesta in today because at 4 PM we were picked up for our Boat Tour of guess what… more Wats! We, and the rest of the Farangs, clambered into a couple of waiting tuk-tuks and headed for the river and…

The Longtail Boat (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-tail_boat) took us along the river…

… until arriving at Wat Mae Nam Pa Sak.

Once back on the river, we passed the…

… before landing at Wat Phutthaisawan.

And this was actually available for purchase in the temple gift-shop…

Next on the tour was Wat Chaiwatthanara.

Now, it was time to head back to the hotel via the river.

We knew we must of acclimatized, at least a little bit, when we entered our room and found it refreshing and cool at 27 Degrees Celsius (about 83 Degrees Fahrenheit).

Later that evening, we walked across the street to the Chang House Restaurant for beer on ice and dinner. After we ate, Eron decided to turn in early as she was absolutely beat. I stayed to enjoy an after-dinner cigar. This evening, most of the clientele consisted of young Thais; many of them off-duty staff from the restaurant. They were having a good time, the flat-bottles (10 oz Mickies) of Hong Thong Whisky were out, and the music was certainly more up-tempo than last night… but nothing was taking anything away from my full tummy, my cool drink, and my cigar.