Wednesday, March 26, 2008

An ancient capital revisited.

What a difference a crowd makes. I had spent a day visiting ruins in Ayutthaya back in June; I struggled to weave between crowds of school girls for most of it. On this return trip, we found the ruins almost deserted, in the searing solitude of a hot-season day. While the sun browned our skin to the same color as the gold-leafed icons, we were able to admire the grandeur of the old temples in near seclusion.

5 comments:

Yoli said...

Xander I love, love these pictures! You are an amazing photographer. You have no idea how much my husband and I want to visit those ruins.

John said...

I'm with Yoli. That top picture is amazing. It actually took my breat away. Thank you so much for posting these.

Prêt à Voyager said...

Are those cans stuffed in the roots to the left of the face? Regardless, truly stunning once again.

Anne

a said...

Ayutthaya is truly one of my favorite places in Thailand. I was just there for something like my fifth time last week. It never fails to disappoint. The ruins, the rivers, the markets, and the relatively few other tourists make this UNESCO site a great weekend getaway. It feels like an undiscovered getaway at that. I think it must be overshadowed by other ruins in the region, and overlooked by travelers for other more well known Thailand destinations.

Unknown said...

such beauty