Top tip 1: unexpected tours – beware them!

Considering we have four whole days in Ayutthaya to explore their 'Island' of Temples, you can imagine we were slightly confused…and then not best pleased… to find ourselves trapped on a tour with 20 other people — rather than driving straight to our hostel, which is what we’d paid for.

After pointing this out to our guide, we got "yes, go to hostel next". He lied. lol. Four temples later, and another 15 minutes of trying to stalk our van — it had driven off with our bags — while the rest of the group followed our guide into one of THE BEST temples (we point blank refused to do it ‘tour style’ and all on day one)…we found the van, made a huge fuss at the driver who didn’t speak English, who had to phone the guide…and 5 seconds later we were whisked off to our nice hostel. :) Job done.

Top tip 2: Do it on a bicycle. But don’t get squashed

It’s quite a distance between each temple, and there are quite a few. Rather than exhausting yourself walking, or being extorted by tuk tuk drivers, we paid 60B per bike (could have got them for 40B; but to get them from your guest house is more convenient). Bicycles give you the freedom to explore on your own. But watch out — pay attention to the traffic. Don’t pull a Caroline and almost get squashed between two lanes of traffic!

Top tip 3: Don’t eat in restaurants on the tourist strips; eat from street stalls

The street stalls, or night markets are cheaper and nicer. Ayutthaya has a particularly good night market — the stall with seating along the river front does particularly tasty fried fish! And is a truly family run business (aged 6-60).

Top tip 4: Again, DO talk to strangers

We met another Thai local who took a shine to us, in the national park. While taking a break — after the excursion of carrying our bycyles over a few dodgy looking bridges — we actually got a lesson in important Thai phrases:

Thao Rai (pronounced Tow – Lie): How much is it?

Korp Kun Ka/Karp: Thank you (f/m)