Bangkok, January 11th 2026

The program today was a combined bus and boat daytrip to the old capital of Ayutthaya just north of Bangkok.

Built over centuries this was the capitalnuntil the end of the 18th century.

The famous Buddha head engulfed by Banyan vines.

In total we had three stops, and our guide tipped us to a local ice cream maker.

When the capital was moved to Bangkok, much of the bricks from this site was reused, and some of the temples has been restaured using concrete, not optimal.

Our last stop was at a reclining Buddha, which has been fully restored based on earlier descriptions and drawings.

The two hour boat trip back to Bangkok started in rural rice growing surroundings, before the scale and bustle of Bangkok reappeared.

The arrival point was close to a church hidden amongst the skyscrapers.

In the evening it was time to explore new neighborhoods around the hotel.

Very nice area despite the tourist crowds.