The early morning walk around Ayutthaya meant that our tummies were growling and our feet were aching by the time we reached Wat Chong Lom Pier in Nontaburi Province. Our original 3-storey cruise ship was switched to a 2-storey due to the flood and high water level. If the ship was too tall, it would not pass the bridges.
At the pier, there were men lugging sandbags on their shoulders and lining the fringes of the river with them. I guess they were trying to keep the water at bay. The whole week we were there, it didn’t rain heavily or anything like that, sure there were the occasional drizzles but that was it, so I didn’t understand where was all this water coming from.
There was a buffet lunch spread on the ship. Unfortunately, they served pork. So if you are a Muslim and want to opt for this cruise, make sure you pack some sandwiches for the trip. Plastic chairs were placed at the upper deck where we lounged lazily as the ship cruised down the river.
Chao Phraya River cruise
At one point, I took off my sandals and blanked out under the sun and warm breeze, then I panicked upon realizing that my sandals were missing. I had a sinking feeling that I might have accidentally kicked them off the ship! Luckily they rolled under the chair. Whew!
Houses by Chao Phraya
The high water level covered part of the houses.
Water hyacinths were brought to Thailand by the queen (don’t remember which one) because she liked them. Now, the sea plant is like weeds in the sea. They get into engines of boats and cause much nuisance. The picture below shows a heap of water hyacinths like a pile of rubbish.
Water hyacinth at Chao Phraya
The Rama Bridge, even though we have switched to a shorter ship, the top of the ship barely made it pass the bridge. The water level was really high.
Rama Bridge
This was quite a sight. We were cheering for the boats. Six tug boats appeared racing one another from a distance.
5 tug boats
As they drove past us, we could see each had a rope tied to its end.
Tug boats pulling a train of barges
They were pulling this train of barges. There were ceramics and clay pots in there.
Train of barges
Here’s a sight of beauty. The Grand Palace shone from afar. The golden pagodas glistened under the sun. It was beautiful amidst the rather sad sight of the flooded houses.
Grand Palace from Chao Phraya River
A ferry carrying passengers crossing the river. It reminded me of the ferry we used to have at Sentosa.
Ferrying passengers across Chao Phraya
Flags of Thailand and the Royal flag adorning the bridges. The colour yellow is associated with the current king, so on a certain day, it is respectful to wear yellow shirts to show love for the king.
Thai flags on the bridge
The 3-hour cruise was a good respite from all the walking we had earlier. We were chauffeured back to the hotel. I don’t know which was more tiring all the walking around Ayutthaya or sitting at the deck for 2hours or so. But we were pretty shacked. He took a nap, and I wandered at the row of shops downstairs.
Came across the charming outlet of Etude House, a Korean skincare line. It was a pretty pink shop with interesting products like baking soda facial cleanser. Here’s my loot, Buy 2-get-1-free lip glosses and hand cream. The Etude lady threw in the pink make up bag and face masque for free.
Loot from Etude House
Cute huh? Four tubs of hand cream in little animals. They were packaged like eggs in a carton.
Hand cream from Etude House
Perfect gifts for the lovely ladies back home. To read reviews on Etude House, do visit Beauty Blog Asia.
We had dinner at the hotel, the next day would be filled with museum trips.
