Attutthaya was the capital of Siam until it was destroyed by the Burmese in 1767. Now it is hauntingly beautiful as the many temples live on in a skeletal way. I only saw a handful of the temples, they are all slightly different in their focus, and some have had small repairs done to them. In the heat, they are just nice to waft around and at times just to sit and look at. Then when the sun is almost set, I also saw them from the river, which did not really work as well as it should have, as the river was low, low enough to see the rubbish all around the city rather than its former glories.
Also near Ayutthaya is the summer palace, and here the attempts by the king of Siam, to make links with Europe are clear. The story of the King and I as seen in the film is only slightly true, but the characters of the King Mongkut and Prince Chulalongkorn were real and in Bang Pa we see hints of them in this Victorian "horror".
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