Headed back to Siam, Getting There is Half the Battle

Day 3: This morning I’m up early and off to Ayutthaya (a-yoot-ta-ya). Ayutthaya was the second capital of Siam from the mid-1300s until it was burned by the Burmese in the mid-1700s. After that, it was never really rebuilt, and remains a popular historical site today. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Centre.

I’m staying near Hua Lamphong, the largest train station in Bangkok, so I start my morning by walking over, hoping to get an early train (like 0700 early). Since I’m only headed about 50 miles north of Bangkok, it’ll be by a local train, and you can’t buy tickets in advance. The sun is almost up, and the city is barely awake.

Bridge from my hotel to the train station

I walk in to the cavernous train terminal and head for the ticket windows. I had a train schedule saved on my phone, so I showed it to the ticket agent and pointed to my preferred train and was issued a ticket for about $1.50. There were a lot of foreigners already up and out and dressed similarly to me, traveling clothes, backpack and hiking shoes, so I fit right in. There’s a big electronic board announcing trains and what track they’re on, much like any train station in the world, so it’s easy enough to figure out.

Time for some caffeine. I’m a fan of a gigantic cup of black coffee in the morning, but that’s not to be had here. There are a zillion coffee drinks that I just don’t get (I don’t get them in the U.S. either, so I don’t think it’s a language thing). I order an iced coffee, and it’s super sweet. Lesson learned, find the phrase for “No sugar” in my phrasebook, but I’m tired, it’s already hot out, and the drink is cold, so maybe there’s some method to their coffee madness.

Choo, choo! All aboard! Time to hop on my train, it’s pretty basic, but I find a seat and put my backpack on the floor by my feet. In my second lesson learned before 0700, a roach ran across my backpack and I quickly put my backpack on the rack above my head.

We start on our way, and I have about 10 stops over the next 1:40 before I arrive. Vendors come through selling food, and I choose a breakfast that I kind of recognize from my first trip to Thailand. It’s steamed rice, an egg, and larb, which is minced pork, fish sauce, herbs, and super spicy chiles.

Somewhere along the way, the couple in the picture joins me in the seat directly across. This was the first time I realize that the seat I thought was very generous for a 3rd class train was actually a seat for 2! This became even more apparent when a Thai man joined me on my seat. While I was pretty squished, it made me feel good that no one was avoiding me because I was a foreigner.

Upon arrival, I take in the tiny local train station that looks like something we would have turned into a museum by now in the U.S. It’s really well kept, clean, and welcoming. The next step is to find the ferry across the river. Ayutthaya is actually an island created by a confluence of three rivers. I only have to walk across the street and down a couple blocks to the river. I pay about $0.15 to the ferryman and we’re off.

Once I get to the other side, my hotel is about a mile away, so I walk. Bad idea, it’s hot! By the time I get to the Tamarind Guest House, I’m a hot sweaty mess, but the innkeeper greets me with cold water and checks me in right away, even though it’s still pretty early in the morning. I can’t believe how pretty my hotel is, hiding down an alley, draped in plants, and all for about $20. Make sure you take off your shoes before entering, it’s the polite thing to do.