A Lovely Day Off

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This is going to be my obligatory travelogue post. I remember how boring it was as a kid to be forced to sit through other people's slide shows so feel free to skip this one if it's boring (though I will try to keep it as entertaining as possible of course!)

Yesterday was a day off, woo hoo! My new and lovely friend Yasha (our on-set editor from India) decided to spend the day with me touring Ayuthaya, which is about 40 minutes from our hotel. We were pretty overwhelmed with where to go and what to see. All the guide books just list like a million temples but they don't really give any good itineraries for a day trip. But between the two of us and our trusty friend Google, we came up with 5 or 6 top destinations we thought we'd like to see.

Luckily we had a van and a driver for the day, though he speaks no English so communicating with him was a bit of a challenge. Everything we asked or said, he said "yes" or "same same". Did we go to XYZ temple today? Yes. Did we go to the moon today? Yes. Which did we go to first? Same same. I actually felt really badly because he was forced to take 2 tourists around all day on a Sunday (which should be his day off since he's also the driver for our crew during the week). I bought him a nice little thank-you gift though I'm sure he still would've rather had the day off.

We started the day with great enthusiasm. Our first stop was Wat Yai Chaimongkol, which had tons of buddhas (even a reclining one), a lovely temple and quite a few monks walking around tending to the grounds. The first thing we noticed was how HOT it was (this will be a recurring theme). We've been hot and sticky every day on set but this was different because there was no shade and no fans. It was also really crowded. But absolutely stunning nonetheless. Yasha and I took about a gazillion pictures until I realized that all the pictures were looking alike. Here are a few highlights:

The Temple



Buddhas, buddhas everywhere. Hundreds of them, all a little different.



Baby Buddha, Yasha Buddha and Mama Buddha




Offerings for reclining buddha

 

We thought we were done with this temple but we weren't sure (the grounds were huge and there were no signs in English) so we walked to the other side of the parking lot and lo and behold we found the strangest sight of all time. There were literally THOUSANDS of rooster statues, in all shapes, sizes and colors. I have no idea why. I did a quick internet search when I got home last night and it is still unclear what the significance is of these creatures. Either it is a religious symbol or it is a symbol of one of the former Kings who likes to cockfight.

Second stop was The Ayuthaya historical park and Wat Mahathat. This is a giant archeological site of ruins of the old city of Ayuthaya. We walked around these amazing ruins for quite a while and just as I thought I had enough, we found the head of a buddha with a bodhi tree growing around it, which was quite beautiful.



Even buddhas need to do their laundry



 

There were a couple of gifts that I wanted to buy at one of the little tourist shops, and when the store owner quoted me $350 Baht, I thought to myself, well that seems fair, OK. Luckily, Yasha stepped in and did some heavy duty negotiating (she is from India and does this on a daily basis). I ended up getting TWO of what I wanted for $400. Yay for Yasha!

After this we were starving (we hadn't had breakfast) so we stopped at a restaurant for some Thai foood. After lunch, we hit up Wat Chai Wattanaram, which is another huge temple. As soon as we walked into this one, I realized that my Eastern European body is simply not meant for this weather, and I was starting to really fade and get cranky (anyone who has traveled with me before knows that I can get cranky!). The temple was astoundingly beautiful, though, and there were cool dragonflies everywhere! So I still enjoyed it.

Once we got back in the van, I was DONE. I think Yasha could have kept going but I told her that I couldn't even get out of the van anymore. We did drive through the city and past some other temples and ruins, and through some settlements including the old Portugese settlement.

We hit major traffic going home but I didn't care because I took a much needed nap.

After we got back I got a 2nd wind and rented a bicycle with our special effects guy Jerami, and he showed me around the huge grounds of the Pine resort. This place, though run down and quite rustic, has a very summer-camp feel. It's got rope courses, lakes, canoes, rock climbing walls, ATV courses, bike rentals, tennis courts and ziplines. For group activities it really does have everything. Before I arrived I really wanted to do some of the adventures but seeing as the lake has a thick green coating and the obstacle courses are in complete disrepair, I think I'll skip most of that stuff after all. Even the bikes we rented yesterday had no working breaks. It was still fun, though!

After that adventure I went for a Thai massage. The cost was 200 Baht (around $6) but I gave a $100 baht tip, but that's still only $10. This was NOT a spa, I'll say that much. It was a tiny room with 3 cots used as massage tables and one lady who spoke no English. She kept trying to talk to me but I didn't understand anything. I have learned a few phrases but certainly not enough to have any meaningful conversation. The massage was great though (WAY better than the one I had last week in Bangkok) and I left happy.

By this time it was around 7pm and I was ready to pack it in for the night. I went back to my room and watched a thai movie and got really into it, even though I didn't understand a word. It was a romantic comedy so between the music, camera movements and facial expressions I was able to follow along just fine. I kind of have a crush on this male actor who has played the lead in 2 movies that I watched this week. What is happening to me?! I am here 3 weeks and already addicted to Thai soap operas. My high school girlfriends would be proud :-)

Lost in Ayutthaya.  There's a lot less English signs outside of Bangkok

So that's my day off. Today it's back to work. I did get to Facetime today with my Dad and Diggie, which was really cool. Diggie didn't seem to know that I was talking to him. He seems happy and they say he is being "semi" good which probably means not very good at all but hopefully he's being good enough!

I've been here exactly 3 weeks today and today is the first day that my tummy doesn't feel quite right. I've been super careful about only drinking bottled water but it's harder to manage the food because we're being served on set and I don't really know how it's being prepared. I'm definitely being very careful so hopefully this stomache ache is just for today.

Today we're in Bangkok shooting at a bar. Hoping for a smooth and fun week ahead.