It was our last day in Ayutthaya and I went wandering the streets on my own while Tom recuperated from the heat. Along a shady area between wats, I found a little food stand and sat down to a simplet yet fabulous lunch of braised chicken with preserved salted vegetables, lots of herbs and incredible chilli sauce. Of course, all the ordering was done in sign language and it helped that I peeked at what other people were having before sitting down. There is nothing like street food for tasting what the locals eat and nothing like street food to have the true taste of a country.
I wandered past the temples again, this time slowing down to take in the views.
Outside one of the bigger temples, I spied a group of elephants from afar. The getup of the elephants was supremely touristy but somehow apt and nicely atmospheric for this city.
The elephants looked so grand in their brocade and tassels.
The mahouts perched on the elephants’ heads wore matching red costumes.
And the tourists (Japanese?) posed cheerfully for my shots.
They formed a very grand retinue, such a lovely sight all together.
Soon, they ambled off as a group and it was time for me to go. I approached a nearby motorcycle-taxi driver, negotiated my price, and off I went back to the guest house to meet Tom and get to our next destination.
eat. drink. cook. travel. 