In the last post I told you about the mystery place I found while waiting for my departure time to Ayutthaya.

After leaving the mystery place, I walked further down the street and there was another Wat . There is a sign with a dog and cat on it, but it is all in Thai, so I don't know what it says. There are dogs wandering around all through the area. I always watch their reaction, but they have all so far seemed very docile and don't care you are there. I see a lot of kids sitting in an area near a large Buddha, taking Buddha lessons, I am sure. I stay far enough away from them not to disturb them, but take a picture from a distance. The one advantage to finding a place like this is that it is not crowded with other tourists. You can take plenty of pictures without jousting for picture taking positions.

It takes the mini-bus 2 1/2 hours to get to Ayutthaya. The driver picks me up at the hostel. I am the first one on board. He has me sit in the passenger seat in the front. Only thing is, I am on the drivers' side. At least in the States I would be. It seems so strange not to have a steering wheel in front of me.

I open the ipad and work on the blog as we travel . I can't talk to the other passengers as they are all behind me. The driver doesn't speak enough english to want to talk.

We make a stop along the way and I chat to two guys from England, Andrew and Cullum, for about 10 minutes, until it is time to load up again.

I get off when they get to their hostel. Hostels seem to be grouped in an area, so this should be a good place to look for one. I did not make a reservation for a place to stay in this town. Some backpackers just go to a place and take their chances. It's sometimes difficult to find a place like this, but the upside to not having a reserved place is that you can look at it first before committing. Also, you don't have to look up an address once you get to town, just find one and stop.

I walk across the street with Andrew and Cullum to see if there is a room available for me. No room for me tonight.. We shake hands as we may not see each other again, and I start walking and looking for a place for tonight .

I check a number of places and have no luck. All full. Maybe this is not the best idea after all. But, eventually I end up in Chantana Guest House. It is very nice and the most upscale guesthouse I have stayed in yet. Beautiful tile (ceramic or something) floors and woodwork on the walls. It is a private room and bath. Leave shoes at the door when entering the building. Very nice place here.

There are two problems, though. The two women do not speak any english, and there is no common area to mingle with other travelers.

(I took some pictures of this pretty guesthouse, but am not able to find them on my camera. I will post them later if they show up.)

After checking in, I go out to explore the town. Every town is a little different and I want to see how this one is laid out and get an idea of my plans for tomorrow. The nights here are just wonderful . Perfect weather. By now it is nearly dark. The street side cafe's and bars are busy. I see another backpacker or two just getting into town, walking, looking for a place. Hope they find one soon. I know how it is to walk around town with your backpack late in the day looking for a place to sleep.

Just up from my hostel, I am slowly walking and looking at things on both sides of the street. I'm in no hurry to eat and am just strolling along.

Then, I hear my name called. It is a little strange to hear your name called when you are 10,000 miles from home.

  "Larry", I hear. I look around and there I see Andrew and Cullum sitting at a roadside cafe, eating dinner.

I stop for a minute and we chat. They want to know where I am staying. The woman at their hostel (the P.U. Hostel) said she might have a place for me tomorrow. I will check in with her tomorrow, then . I leave them to their meal and continue my walk around town.

After walking to the river and back, as I get close to the hostel, I see the boys are still there. I stop and they ask me to sit a while. 

 The owner is a big cut-up and likes to show off his card tricks and stump people with his mind games. He gives us a couple of puzzles he has written on paper to work on. All together we just figure a little of it out. Then he starts with his cards tricks. He really is good and his tricks are impressive. Callum wants to know how they are done, but, of course, the man is not going to tell. We get milkshakes and talk and watch card tricks and other little amusing things he does. 

 The night has slipped away and we are all ready for bed. We shake hands goodbye again and go our separate ways. It was a fun night with these two Brits, but we may not cross paths again.

Today was like two in one. The one in Kanchanaburi was really something and then the last part of the day in Ayutthaya has really been a good ending to the day, but a start to a new adventure.

It was my first try at just going to a place and taking my luck at finding my housing when I got there.