After several days back at the On Nut Guesthouse in Bangkok, I decided to make a quick trip to Ayutthaya, 76 km to the North. This is the old capitol of Thailand. Taking advantage of the rivers that encircle this piece of land, essentially making it into an island, the old capitol was established. Its use, however, was discontinued when the Burmese finally penetrated its natural defenses, destroying much of the original city. I hit up the free food stalls that spanned a whole city block and consisted of perhaps more than three dozen "vendors." It was all part of the celebrations for the kings birthday the following day. On December 5th, the day of his birthday, I went back to the food area only to find all the freebies reserved for the local monks. Some of the elder monks even had helpers that carried a garbage bag for dumping the free food into when their pots got too full.
With tears in my eyes I decided to make way back to Bangkok, hoping I might find better festivities there. Ultimately I got drunk with good friends by my side and skipped the party and fireworks at Lumphini Park, but it was the right decision and I had a night that couldn't be beat.
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