I rose early and walked up to the rail bridge again, then back through the town, getting an iced coffee at the 7/11 convenience store on the corner (TB35). The minibuses and their obliging drivers reappeared to take us back across central Thailand to Ayutthaya, stopping a few times on the way to see rice paddies and other crops.
At Ayutthaya we stopped at a roadside shop and were shown the Thai method of producing sugar floss, which is a popular local dessert served on roti bread and is known as roti saimai. I had a go at ‘pulling’ the thick ropes of hot sugar – it is certainly a workout.
Pulling sugar to make roti sai mai (Thai sugar floss), Ayutthaya, Thailand
Pulling sugar to make roti sai mai (Thai sugar floss), Ayutthaya, Thailand
Pulling sugar to make roti sai mai (Thai sugar floss), Ayutthaya, Thailand
Pulling sugar to make roti sai mai (Thai sugar floss), Ayutthaya, Thailand
Making roti for roti sai mai, a popular Thai dessert, at Ayutthaya, Thailand
Making roti for roti sai mai, a popular Thai dessert, at Ayutthaya, Thailand
Making roti for roti sai mai, a popular Thai dessert, at Ayutthaya, Thailand
Saw lots of these ‘clockwork’ car keys around Ayutthaya
Liz and our driver ordering drinks in Ayutthaya
Tuk-tuk, Ayutthaya-style. They are quite different from those in other cities
Tuk-tuk, Ayutthaya-style. They are quite different from those in other cities
Reclinging Buddha at Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya
Reclinging Buddha at Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya
Reclinging Buddha at Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya
Lotus blossoms at Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon in Ayutthaya
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon Temple site in Ayutthaya
Jasmine, Andrea and Soon
Wat Phanan Choeng Temple site in Ayutthaya
Wat Phanan Choeng Temple site in Ayutthaya
Wat Phanan Choeng Temple site in Ayutthaya
Wat Phanan Choeng Temple site in Ayutthaya
Wat Phanan Choeng Temple site in Ayutthaya
Wat Phanan Choeng Temple site in Ayutthaya
Wat Phanan Choeng Temple site in Ayutthaya
Wat Phra Mahathat Temple site in Ayutthaya
Buddha head surrounded by the roots of a huge Banyan tree at Wat Phra Mahathat, perhaps the most photographed site in Ayutthaya
Buddha head surrounded by the roots of a huge Banyan tree at Wat Phra Mahathat, perhaps the most photographed site in Ayutthaya
Wat Phra Mahathat Temple site in Ayutthaya
Wat Phra Mahathat Temple site in Ayutthaya
Wat Phra Mahathat Temple site in Ayutthaya
Wat Phra Mahathat Temple site in Ayutthaya
Wat Phra Mahathat Temple site in Ayutthaya
Wat Phra Mahathat Temple site in Ayutthaya
Wat Phra Mahathat Temple site in Ayutthaya
Wat Phra Mahathat Temple site in Ayutthaya
Wat Phra Mahathat Temple site in Ayutthaya
Wat Phra Mahathat Temple site in Ayutthaya
Wat Phra Mahathat Temple site in Ayutthaya
Wat Phra Mahathat Temple site in Ayutthaya
Wat Phra Mahathat Temple site in Ayutthaya
Wat Phra Mahathat Temple site in Ayutthaya
Wat Phra Mahathat Temple site in Ayutthaya
Wat Phra Mahathat Temple site in Ayutthaya
Wat Phra Mahathat Temple site in Ayutthaya
Wat Phra Mahathat Temple site in Ayutthaya
Late in the afternoon we retired to a hotel to rest and swim in the pool to cool off before grabbing some more great street food and heading to the railway station to catch the overnight sleeper train to Chiang Mai.
Waiting for the sleeper train from Ayutthaya to Chiang Mai
Waiting for the sleeper train from Ayutthaya to Chiang Mai