• CRUISE.Travel to the heart of Thailand on a rice boat
  • ALBUM. Ten fascinating countries to which nobody travels

Going from a whirlwind of movement to an idyllic haven of peace is something that in Thailand can take just a few minutes, the same that it takes to plunge into a futuristic scene of skyscrapers and neons to suddenly go back several centuries towards the splendor of the most influential kingdom in the east. Everything is possible in this versatile and multifaceted country that, like a pendulum, moves back and forth. A destination with a unique ability to combine contradictions until they make their own beat.

Nothing suitable for hurried people is the country of the smile, the most visited in Southeast Asia, which received a whopping 38 million tourists last year. It is hard to get out of vibrant Bangkok or not dive for days in its lush nature or idyllic beaches like the ones hidden in the Gulf of Thailand. We talk about Khanom , an area of ​​the coast in the province of Nakhon Si Tammarat.

The remains of the ancient capital of Siam.SHUTTERSTOCK

But there is another destination that should not be lost on a route through Thailand and that is Ayutthaya, the former royal capital, 86 kilometers away from the capital. An impressive enclosure that not only constitutes a history lesson but also a beautiful walk through the splendor and fall of a kingdom. Because where this Historical Park , declared a World Heritage Site, sits today, the head of an empire shone that came to dominate an area larger than France and England together.

Former merchant center

"From 1350 to 1767, Ayutthaya was much more than the capital of the country when it was called Siam : it was one of the most prosperous cities in Southeast Asia and one of the most important commercial centers of the moment," explains the historian Rittichai Saithip, for remember later with a certain resentment that unfortunate barbarism that put an end to all greatness. "Burma (now Myanmar) burned and devastated the city, decapitating its Buddhist statues."

Hall of Sala Ayutthaya, a hotel in the middle of the ruins of the city. VALLS

One of those that survived is the one that most attracts the attention of the entire monumental complex, that of the Buddha's head imprisoned between the roots of a ficus of the Wat Phra Mahathat temple. Many years later, what remains of the lavish temples and palaces that dazzled merchants today is a beautiful set of brick and stucco ruins , set at the confluence of three rivers: Chao Phraya, Lop Buri and Pasak.

There is nothing like touring Ayutthaya, whose full name means "impenetrable city" , aboard a teak boat that emulates those rice barges that once crowded the place. They are authentic floating jewels (some even have cabins) in which to taste a rich menu to the passage of the great claims: Wat Phra Si Sanphet, with its three chedis or stupas aligned; Wat Lokayasutharam, with its titanic sculpture or Wat Mahatat, which contains the most charismatic image: the head of a Buddha imprisoned by the roots of a ficus. If the walk takes place at sunset, we will have to stop at Wat Chai Watthanaram to see his silhouette cut over the bloody sky.

PRACTICAL GUIDE

Drop down

How to get. Airlines like Qatar Airways fly to Bangkok from Madrid with stopover in Doha.

Where to sleep At the Sala Ayutthaya hotel, a luxury and design resort amidst the ruins of the city. From 200 euros.

More information at www.turismotailandes.com

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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