Ayutthaya, city of temples

I can do almost everything I need to do in Bangkok. My walking boots have taken me halfway round the world. But now I’ve had enough. Getting size 46 sandals is quite difficult in the land of small feet. The first street vendor wants a photo of my feet. Web design is a little quieter at the moment, and that’s a good thing. My fingertips are still bleeding from Australia.

I make the most of the time. After two days in Smogcity, I take the Skytrain to the Victory Monument. From there by minibus 80km north for next to nothing. The biggest problem: at most 10% of all Thais speak English. And of those, 90% speak only rudimentary English. Should I learn something? Phrases like “Mai mai mai mai?” Put me off. The differences in intonation alone mean “New wood burns well, doesn’t it?”

You can’t rent a motorbike in Bangkok. Would have been my first choice. So I drive to Ayutthaya, the old capital of Siam. To be honest: after two trips by tuk-tuk, I understand why there’s nothing to hire: It would be suicide in Bangkok. The traffic has the density of New York, the speed of Munich. The irritability of Italy, the incompetence of Egypt and the carelessness of the Dominican Republic. Or in short: the worst of everything.

After just over an hour I am in Ayutthaya. Ayutthaya is a World Heritage Site and was the capital of the Kingdom of Siam from 1350 to 1750, when the evil Burmese came and destroyed everything. In its heyday, Ayutthaya had a million inhabitants, significantly more than London. Today, hundreds of ruined temples stand on a 4 square kilometre river island. When I check into my hotel, a sign catches my eye. Bus to Chiang Mai for 8 euros. Wow.

I’ve already paid for the room, but the three showers that day alone are worth the €5. The night bus to Chiang Mai on the edge of the Golden Triangle is booked for the evening. I tour Ayutthaya on a scooter. The landlord wanted nothing, nothing at all – except to see three euros. The interesting thing about Ayutthaya is not the temples, but the smooth transition from the old temples to the new city.

In the afternoon, we visited a few temples and palaces from the inside, then went on a two-hour motorbike tour of the surrounding countryside. How fast can you drive in Thailand? No idea. My scooter doesn’t have a speedometer needle anyway. The sun sets over the rice fields.

I treat myself to another far too fatty dinner, two courses, mango mojito plus orange juice in huge quantities. By the time I leave at 20:30, I’m too full to sleep. Now I’m on the bus, last free seat. In front of me 700 kilometres of rough roads. I’m worried about my recently repaired laptop hinge.