Nepal 1 - Thailand 2
Trip Start
Mar 11, 2008
1
13
38
Trip End
Ongoing
Ayutthaya,
Thailand
Sunday, April 27, 2008
I think I can say I have comprehensively 'done' Ayutthaya today. After a quick trip to the station this morning to book my train ticket for tonight, I rented a bike from the guesthouse (30Bht for a full day - I love this country!) and have spent the day happily pottering between Wats in various states of delapidation, palaces, museums and street markets. [I'm endlessly fascinated by the food markets here and can happily spend hours wandering round trying to identify what everything is.]
Bike is definitely the way to get around here- I've relished the freedom of being able to do my own thing instead of being herded onto a bus after an alloted stop time and ferried between sites as many people seem to opt to do
Ayutthaya_1
. It also means you can get off the beaten trail a bit more and see some of the smaller temples that aren't on the main circuit. Somewhat surprisingly my less-than-pleasant experience of today happened at the Grand Palace which is one of the busiest tourist sites: strolling round some of the outer reaches of the grounds I was just thinking how nice it was to have managed to escape the crowds and find a more peaceful spot, when I was approached by a guy asking where I was headed and what I was looking for. Assuming he was just a tuk tuk driver or guide touting for business I laughed him off and told him I was fine walking thanks, at which point he made a lunge to grab my breast and started making that universal hand gesture that many a solo female traveller will be familiar with. Needless to say I clouted him and told him in my most eloquent English to 'get the fcuk off me' which thankfully he did. My second groping of the day was even more random- an arse pinch by a passing motorcyclist whilst pedalling along the main street in town! I'm thinking of starting a tally of unsolicited gropings in each country I visit. Thailand currently has the lead with 2 (to date) to Nepal's 1. The joys of being female..!
