Last morning in Ayutthaya

Pushbikes on the ferry

We had one temple on the six-temple pass still to visit, so we made an early start on our last morning before the sun got too hot, and hired pushbikes from the guesthouse. We cycled across to the other side of the river, joining local people on the cross-river ferry (5 baht each plus 5 baht for each bike).

Curvy buildings, curvy Buddhas

We braved the 'cycle lane' (a bit of dirt along the edge) of the ring road, crossed the railway line, and came to Wat Yai Chai Mongkol, a still-functioning temple built in 1357 as a meditation centre for monks returning from study in Sri Lanka. 
The wat is surrounded by beautiful gardens scattered with fabric-draped Buddhas. 

The central curvy chedi was built in 1593 by King Naresuan to celebrate his victory over the Burmese, when he killed the Burmese crown prince in an elephant-back duel. He also constructed a huge reclining Buddha, which is draped in saffron cloth. We climbed the central chedi and were rewarded with a wonderful view. 

On our journey back towards the river, we saw interesting lamp posts adorned with elephant heads. 

The day was getting very hot and we were quite relieved to get back to the river ferry. We retraced our steps, planning to visit a small boat museum that we had read about, but found a 'closed today' sign on the gate. It was perhaps for the best as it gave us time to have iced coffee and lunch in 'Coffee Old City', before packing and checking out from Tamarind Guesthouse. 

It was time to move on to Bangkok …

Photos of Wat Yai Chai Mongkol and our last morning in Ayutthaya …