A Day Trip to Ayutthaya By Motorcycle
A few weekends ago, we took a little day trip from Bangkok to Ayutthaya on our motorcycle . We left early in the morning, packing our ponchos, and an extra change of clothes in case we got caught in the rain . It is rainy season after all!
Even though our end goal was to see the ruins, we ended up taking two detours at the Bang Pa In Royal Palace and the Japanese Village Museum. They were on the way and well-worth the visit!
Save this map below if you want to do the same journey!
Our first stop was the Bang Pa In Royal Palace. The Royal Palace is also known as the ‘Bang Pa In Summer Palace’. It’s worth visiting for the stunning architecture and well-manicured garden grounds. It’s a relaxing walk, although you can rent golf carts to get around easier! Much to my husband’s dismay, we did not rent golf carts because I wanted to walk and get some exercise in . Gotta get those steps, #amiright ladies?
A few tips: When you plan your visit to Bang Pa In Royal Palace or any of the temples in Ayutthaya, make sure you don’t wear any short skirts, short pants, sleeveless shirts, or tight fitting clothing . Dress to impress! I made the mistake of wearing my favorite black yoga pants and had to buy a long skirt to put on top of it! Admission is relatively inexpensive to the temples and royal palace, but they are cash-only. I would recommend having baht on hand .
After visiting the Royal Summer Palace, we hopped on the bike to head up to the Ayutthaya and we passed the Japanese Museum Village on our left. We’d never heard of it before, and it looked interesting to we decided to stop and check it out!
I actually learned quite a bit of history from visiting the Japanese Village! For example, I had no idea that the Japanese and the Portuguese had settlements in Thailand in the late 16th century. Shout out to my Portuguese ancestors for traveling so far from home! Maybe that’s where my inner fire for adventure and exploration comes from…it’s in my blood!
The other thing that I learned was some food history – my favorite kind of history! Thong Yod, which roughly translates to “Golden Drops”, is a traditional Thai dessert that you often see at markets, festivals, and weddings. I was so surprised to learn that the dessert was actually created by an early half-Japanese-half-Portuguese settler who adapted western style desserts to flavors that were local to the region. The Portuguese use a lot of egg yolk in their desserts, so I wasn’t shocked to learn that this dessert, which is essentially all egg yolk and sugar, came from the Portuguese. Shout out again to my Portuguese ancestors in not just exploring new places, but also for assimilating and completely embracing the local culture. I love how Thong Yod is a blend between Western and Asian flavors. You’ll usually taste jasmine or elderflower water in the Thong Yod. So yummy!
Here’s me sitting with Thong Yod in an earlier blog post If you’re planning a trip to Thailand, make sure you plan to try this dessert while you’re here!
The Japanese Museum Village has no dress code and is only 50 baht to get in! The other fun and quirky thing about this place is that they have a mobile app that you can download that will act like your virtual tour guide. I was skeptical at first, but I downloaded it and it was helpful while walking around!
The Japanese Village Museum didn’t take very long to get through, but it was a nice break before making the final leg of the journey. By then, our stomachs were growling, and it was time for lunch!
We stopped at a cute little cafe called Latte Bear!
Latte Bear has an extensive list of delicious ice coffees and an entire page dedicated to vegetarian options – yummo! It’s ironic that I stopped eating meat in a country whose cuisine isn’t quite vegetarian friendly, haha. Whenever we find a restaurant that has more than one or two vegetarian options, it’s like winning the lottery .
After making our stomachs happy with Latte Bear, it was time to head up to the historic city of Ayutthaya!
Some quick history: Ayutthaya was founded in 1350 and was the second capital of the Siamese Kingdom. It flourished from the 14th to the 18th centuries and became the largest trading port in South East Asia at the time. It was often referred to as the Venice of the East. In 1767, during the Burmese–Siamese War, the city was burned to the ground by the Burmese army. Today, the historic city of Ayutthaya is well-preserved and considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Unfortunately, time didn’t allow for us to see everything in the historic city of Ayutthaya. Although we started early, we took a lot of pit stops to explore things along the way. We made the tough decision to head back so we wouldn’t be driving back to Bangkok in the dark. It’s all about the journey, right? We’ll definitely have to go back and see the rest of it someday! ♥
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Have you visited Ayutthaya? What was your favorite part? Leave me a comment in the section below!
PS. If you’d like to see more, watch my vlog about our trip to Ayutthaya: