After receiving a smaller version of the tourist map I already had from the owner of the guesthouse and having the most interesting places to visit marked on it by her I went sightseeing Ayutthaya.

The really worthwhile places to see are I think the site where a huge reclining Buddha (it is here I think: N14.35525 E100.55368) can be found and Wat Chaiwatthanaral (N14.34352 E100.54096). The Buddha site is not easy to find I have to say… It all looks quite easy on the map since there is a road along the channel (a river) encircling the whole historical centre, but it is actually much more complicated than the easily navigable square moat around the historical centre of Chiang Mai. It is much bigger too. Well, the advice I can give you is to take even a tiny narrow road that might lead to the site after you consulted the map, as that is probably going to be the road that will take you there. The map is really inaccurate. Anyway, the location is N14.35533 E100.55213.

“Wat Chaiwatthanaral is amazing!” That sentence pretty much describes the wat and it should not be missed. I add some photos here instead of trying to describe. This wat is the only site I paid a fee for (only 30 Baht) and it was definitely worth it.

There are many other very interesting and pretty sites to explore in Ayutthaya and I did visit a few of them as well. Ayutthaya is probably worth a few days though. Exploring it on a bicycle must be absolutely great.

Again later than planned I left the guesthouse after lubing my chain and having couple of cups of the free ice tea which is another very nice service of the PS Guesthouse offered to its visitors.

As Bangkok is only about 70 km from Ayutthaya I still managed to get there soon enough to have a few hours of daylight left to search for the famous tourist road – Khao San Road – on and around which all the guesthouses are located. It took me about 2 hours!! and liters of sweat to get there. First I followed a bus number 62 for about 45 minutes. This way was recommended to me by an older Austrian guy I talked to when I stopped to explore the map of central Bangkok I had. This bus was apparently going to lead me to the area covered by my map. The bus was stopped in traffic most of the time and so I, in my full riding gear stacked behind it, sweated more than in the Australian desert. As soon as I found myself on the map (thanks to seeing signs for some consulates [including Czech and Australian]) I parted with the bus and bought a one liter bottle of water which disappeared in me instantly. Then it took me about another hour to get to Khao San road.

The first guesthouse on Khao San road (N13.75813 E100.49885) where I enquired about price offered big hopes for accommodation price levels here. This guesthouse was not looking bad at all and was only 120 Baht a night. I would have to leave my bike on the busy street however, about which the girl from the guesthouse I was talking to expressed great concerns. So I continued looking and in a very narrow side lane I found couple of similar, although looking little worse, guesthouses. My bike would still have to stay outside though. From then on the possibilities were only getting smaller and smaller as everything seems to be very packed up here and nobody seems to have a private yard to put the bike to.  That was not good. At the end I decided to stay at a place for 200 Baht a night where they offered me to house the bike right next to the reception. They had no single rooms left so I'm staying in a double. Single room would be 150 Baht.

I went for a walk later that night and found that there is lots of things to buy (even very interesting ones sometimes) as well as lots of agencies that will arrange your visa to any of the neighboring countries and even take you there for trips. Diving and local trips are of course available too – lots of them. Calling oversees or Internet access is no problem at all either as places offering these kinds of services are offered in almost all the guesthouses and hotels as well as specialized shops. And of course I was offered a girl (or girls if you fancy) several times as I walked as you can’t escape the “hunters”.

Oh, and one pretty amazing thing: When I was still about 30km far from Bangkok an elevated road in second level (on a bridge) over my head started and was there the whole way to Bangkok. A 30 kilometer bridge!! I think that there is not many of these in the world either. Then in Bangkok you get the elevated roads almost everywhere so it doesn't seem that amazing anymore, but it really is when you think about it.

(132km)