DAY CRUISE (2)
Bang Sai to Ayutthaya: 09:00 – 18:30
Piyavan Garden House – Bang Sai Arts & Crafts Village – Lunch at Ayutthaya Garden River Home – Bang Pa-in Summer Palace – Ayutthaya Elephant Kraal – Ayutthaya City
DURATION : 9 hours 30 minutes
Note: Visitors must wear modest attire at Bang Pa-in Summer Palace & at Wat Phananchoeng.
Description :
Your cruise departs from Piyawan Garden House, a small Thai style resort located in the quiet rural village of Chiang Rak Noi, near the end of the Stage II Expressway. Travel time from Central Bangkok is approximately 30 minutes and Plenty of parking is available at the resort. Boarding time is 09:00.
The rice-barge will depart for the Royal Thai Folk Arts and Craft Centre at Bang Sai. This large modern gallery hosts a wide variety of modern and traditional Thai works of art. Being under Royal patronage, no commissions are paid to tour guides, making the many beautiful craft items, for sale at the lowest prices in the Kingdom. The adjacent Traditional Thai Village displays many Thai crafts, which are undertaken in houses styled from various parts of the country. The Centre also includes the largest freshwater aquarium in Thailand and a bird enclosure displaying many stunning tropical birds, particularly various coloured peacocks and hornbills. (Note: For pay as you go option, entrance fees are applied to foreigners; 100 Baht for the centre and 20 Baht for the bird enclosure.)
Note: Only the Gallery is open on Mondays
A further hour’s cruising sees our arrival at the very charming boutique resort, Ayutthaya Garden River Home where we will stop for lunch. The food is authentic, traditional Thai style and features organic herbs and vegetables grown in the resort’s garden
After lunch, a short cruise brings us to Bang Pa-In and the unique Buddhist temple of Wat Nivet. Built by King Rama V in 1878, the temple buildings resemble a European village; the ‘Ubosot’ (Congregation Hall) resembles a gothic church, complete with spire, clock and incorporates a striking French stained-glass window depicting King Rama V.
A cable-car will carry you across the canal to the Bang Pa-in Summer Palace. The palace grounds contain a variety of beautiful buildings in European, Chinese and traditional Thai styles, including some of the best-known structures in the Kingdom.
Another hour and the appearance of the fortress ‘Pom Phet’ ushers our arrival at the ancient capital of Siam, ‘Ayutthaya’. As we approach the city, we pass the sites of the Japanese, British, Portuguese and Dutch settlements. It is here where the Dutch East India Company’s ships lay at anchor 400 years ago.
We pay a visit to the revered temple of Wat Phananchoeng, which predates the ancient capital, before continuing to a secluded spot on the Lop Buri River to see the working elephants takiny their evening bathe in the river. You can hand-feed the elephants from the front deck, but be wary, if teased these gentle, but playful, animals are not beyond occasionally squirting water the unsuspecting guests.
The barge will then return to Ayutthaya City for disembarkation at Wat Pichai Songkran, the Railway Station Jetty or a floating restaurant.
End ‘Day Cruise 2’.
SUMMARY
09:00 Arrive by road at Piyavan Garden House, board ‘Montar’ and depart for Bang Sai.
09:30 Arrive at Bang Sai, (Visit the Traditional Village and Folk Art Centre).
10:45 Depart Bang Sai for Bang Pa-in.
12:00 Arrive at Ayutthaya Garden River Home Resort for a Thai lunch.
13:00 Depart for Bang Pa-in Summer Palace.
13:20 Arrive at Wat Nivet and the Bang Pa-in Summer Palace.
15:00 Depart Bang Pa-in for Ayutthaya.
16:15 Arrive at Wat Phananchoeng to visit the temple.
17:00 Travel to the ‘Elephant Kraal’ on the Lop Buri River.
18:30 (Approx) Disembark in Ayutthaya City.
END