Ayutthaya on New Year's

I was disappointed when I found out we were going to be in Ayutthaya for New Year's Eve/Day instead of Bangkok, but once again, it turned out to be a pleasant surprise. One of the pros to Ayutthaya was that our hotel offered free wifi in the lobby! It was such a pain having to pay for limited internet in Bangkok. The part of the city where we stay was relatively new and still pretty rural. Our group was a little worried about how our New Year's Eve plans were going to play out, but with 22 college students studying abroad in Thailand... we can always make some fun. Needless to say we rang in the new year with a bang.

Most of the group after dinner on NYE

New Year's Day is a national holiday in Thailand, many Buddhists spend all day at temples paying homage to the Buddha in hopes of having a happy and lucky new year. We visited the Bang Pa-In Palace, a royal palace complex first constructed in the 1600s. It was later reconstructed in the 1800s by King Rama IV. He also ordered to add more buildings and monuments. Most of those standing today were built in the late 1800s. 

For all the temples and palaces we've visited so far, conservative dress was required. Knees and shoulders had to be covered for religious purposes and shows respect. At some places, more conservative can be "rented" such as shirts, pants, and long sarongs/skirts. This portrays the importance of respect for authority figures and most importantly, purity. Shoes had to taken off before entering temples. Shoes and the bottom of feet are seen as dirty or impure, so it is a serious offense to point the bottoms of feet at any Buddha statues. While at Wat Tham Krabok, Reed got yelled at by a monk because of this very offense. Needless to say, we all learned that lesson very quickly and it has not happened since. 

I guess our leggings were not as modest as we thought they would be... Emily, Erin and I had to wear the rental skirts while touring the palace

Specific guidelines to follow while entering temples

There is a lot of respect for the the King here in Thailand. Currently reigning is Rama IX, pictures of him are on every street, it is very hard to miss. He is seen as head of the state, however, he is just a symbolic leader and has limited power, much like the Queen of England. The people still see very highly of him and it is very offensive to bad-mouth the King and Royal family. The clothing guidelines illustrate the power King Rama IX holds over the Thai people and how the people are loyal to their leader. 

After the palace tour, we took a boat ride along the river. I noticed a very clear power struggle within the city. There were shanties next to larger mansion-like residences next to temples. There were no clear-cut neighborhoods dividing rich and poor and it seemed to be that people built where ever they could find land. The newer, better buildings keep on developing, while there are still older, more run down residences. 

Power struggles are still very apparent in Thai society today and are portrayed in our studies in the drug history of the Golden Triangle....which we are visiting tomorrow... so until next time!