Site one: The Kingdom of Ayutthaya was once the ancient capital of Thailand and was previously considered one of the most powerful cities in all of Southeast Asia. The ruins of the ancient city are a series of Buddhist and Hindu inspired temples as well as various other religious shrines. The kingdom of Ayutthaya existed between 1350 and 1767 A.D. and was founded by its first ruler King Ramathibodi I. The prior and short-lasting kingdom of Sukhothai to the North was absorbed into Ayutthaya. Theravada Buddhism became the official religion early on and King Ramathibodi I also compiled a legal code.
When we got here there were, what looked like thousands of people. When we walked up we walked past a huge sculpture that was made all by hand. It was very ancient looking, but it was still very interesting to see. Then we walked up some steps and into the actual building. It was kind of falling apart, but it was fun to explore and see how people lived and did things back in the day. This was a good experience.
Site two: Next we are off to visit Wat Xieng Thong in Luang Prabang, Laos. The glittering Xieng Thong, built in 1560, sits grandly on a peninsula jutting into the Mekong River. The facades of two of its buildings are covered by glittering glass mosaics; another building contains an ornate chariot with the heads of seven dragons and the remains of a king. About a dozen English-speaking monks roam the premises.
We first got there we could not believe our eyes. The outside of the building had so many little details and add ons that it was just amazing. When we finally got inside, after looking around at the outside for awhile, we were almost as amazed as we were with the outside. The inside was filled with many carvings, paintings, and a variety of different art styles. We took many hours at this place and enjoyed every minute of our experience.
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