Wallowing in the River (Part 2)

The majestic reconstructed city of Ayutthaya at Ancient City, the world’s largest outdoor museum

Along the way, we toured a serpentarium on the outskirts of Bangkok to learn about the various species of snake present in Thailand while attending an exhilarating snake circus performance. After lunch, the group headed to Wat Saman, a pagoda with a unique architecture, as it presented a fusion of two major branches of Buddhism (Theravada and Mahayana) and Hinduism along with Thai and Chinese folk religions. The grounds of Wat Saman were sacred at every inch, for religious statues were omnipresent. One of the most conspicuous ones was the 22m long bright bink statue of Ganesha, a Hindu god with an elephant head and a human body, who represented wisdom and clearance of obstacles. The statues of two white standing mice escorted Ganesha were surrounded with visitors whispering their wishes in the mice’s ears to wish for good luck.

The statue of Ganesha, taken not far from a Spiderman figure holding a donation box. The architecture of Wat Saman never stopped surprising me.

Not only was I fascinated with the religious harmony woven into every corner of the pagoda, the history of Wat Saman was one of a kind, widely regarded as a testament to karma and reincarnation. The story went that the grounds of Wat Saman was formerly a cattle ranch owned by a wealthy man. Under his tenure, innumerable cows were killed for their meat, including those nursing their calves. Despite a Buddhist monk’s advice to stop killing cattle and spread mercy, the man continued his trades until his dearest son died suddenly. The son’s death served as an epiphany to the man’s deeds, so he ordered the construction of Wat Saman to repent for his sins. Miraculously, one of his cows gave birth to a calf with unusually insightful eyes, as if it could understand humans. The moment he learned to walk, the calf ran back to the former ranch owner with tears in its eyes. One of the local wise monks confirmed that the calf was the reincarnated form of the owner’s deceased son. To this day, the calf, now a mature cow, lives in a stable just a few meters away from the entrance, where visitors could pay a visit and admire his gentle eyes.

After enjoying fresh dates at a local market near Wat Saman, I embarked for Bangkok. The capital returned slowly, with the shiny skyscrapers sprawling over the cloudy horizon. Being stuck in a traffic jam with a waiting time surpassing even Saigon gave me the chance to take a macroscopic outlook of downtown Bangkok. Here, you could feel the flow of the city pulsating in every corner of the maze like streets, which were divided into at least six lanes and crisscrossed with overhead bridges and high-speed trains sprawling to the city’s 62 stations. On the sidewalks of densely neon-lit commercial buildings, white-collar workers strided side by side with high school students tucked in light violet uniforms, all cheerily chatting as they dangled plastics bags containing their afternoon snacks or dinner hastily bought from rolling food vendors under the tamarind trees or food outlets in one of the stadium-sized malls like Central World and Siam Paragon. Despite the long drive from Pattaya with an extra two hours being stuck in traffic jam by a murky section of the legendary Chao Phraya river, some strength in me still remained to grip to the handles of roller coaster-speed tuk-tuk to Pratu Nam night market. The night was unforgettable, as I tried the famous dancing fresh shrimps (only for the brave) seasoned in pungent chilli powder and fish sauce, tried on another pair of the iconic elephant-printed pants, and begged my mom to buy another bowl of coconut ice cream.

Think the traffic jams in Vancouver or Saigon are bad enough?

On cloud ninth at Pratun Nam

The next day, we embarked to Ayutthaya, the country’s former capital founded in the mid 14th century. As soon as the bus entered the boundaries of the ancient kingdoms, marked by the moss-covered brick walls lined with ornate streetlights, I was dazzled by the magnificent structure. Under the shady acacia trees, the elegant stupas still dominated the skyline amid the ruins from the Burmese conquest seven centuries ago. Met by us at the entrance was the towering statue of The Reclining Buddha spanning 42 metres, ceremoniously draped with gold cloth. After praying to the Buddha, I walked to the statue’s feet, where I said a wish while pressing a coin to the soles. If the coin sticks to the sole for a few minutes after one released their finger, good luck is bound to come. We spent hours wandering around the maroon brick walls covered by the sprawling roots of bodhi trees, admiring the intricate patterns of meditating Buddhas and ancient scripts. Scattered around the remnants of what was a glorious kingdom spearheading trades in Southeast Asia were headless stone statues of the Buddha, their poses remain still as witnesses of the brutal Burmese invaders, who chopped the gold-covered heads of the statues as victory trophies. Still, the remaining wats, some of which covered in golden fabric during reconstruction, stood ramrod tall under the brilliant sun, threads of fragrant incense smoke lingering in the air. The highlight of Ayutthaya was the head of a stone statue of the Buddha engulfed by bodhi tree roots, leaving only His serene face untouched despite the passage of time. 

Breathing the air in this sacred site, under the gentle shades of the lofty stupas and the singing cicadas, I couldn’t ask for more.

The sacred statue under the thick bodhi roots

Vicky the explorer?

Wat Yai Chai Mongkon, built by King U-Thon in 1357 AD. The interior remains largely intact, where visitors can present offerings and pray to the Buddha