What a lot of Wats

We've now moved on to Ayutthaya a UNESCO World Heritage Centre. It was a very rich Siamese kingdom for a little over 400 years, ending with the Burmese ransacking and looting the kingdom in 1767. Its wealth having been deemed to be on a par with Paris by Louis XIV.

Digs are the Chantana Guest House with a lovely balcony that catches the afternoon and early evening sunshine. 

The main focus here is Wats, temple ruins and lots of them. It's not on the scale of Angkor but some of them are a similar style. The town is like an island surrounded by 3 rivers, it flooded quite badly in 2011 and late 2013 seriously affecting the ruins.

It is possible to travel between Wats on elephant back. Never wholly sure of the welfare of these animals I prefer to buy some food and feed a little lady hempant, we form a strong bond until she's finished lunch and then basically I'm dumped. Talking of dumps, Adrian has a strange fascination for standing on the piles of elephant pooh in the street.

Our days are simple, out about 8.30am to find breakfast, sightseeing and walking until 3ish with maybe a spot of lunch sometime, back to the drum for a shower and late sun on the balcony. Then head out for beer and backgammon and dinner. It's hard work you know.

A few words about the weather, it's hot.