Bangkok: Ancient City aka Murang Boran

One of Bangkoks' under-rated tourist attractions is Ancient City. We took a local bus out to the edge of Bangkok, then swapped on to a taxi-ute. As we didn't really know where we were, the locals on the bus were kind enough to look out for the signs for us. At the appropriate point on the size of a huge dusty highway, we were dropped off and waved to go across a big bridge to find the entrance.

Which we did. Easy to find, no problems! We wandered in and picked up a tandem push bike to see the park. Now what is this park, you might ask? Well its a park that is in the geographical shape of Thailand, and in the correct locations, are mini replicas of Thailand's temples and shrines and the like.



Unfortunately, we haven't seen many of these in the flesh, so comparisons can't be made. But these are still beautiful structures, and most are large enough to walk around in! Notice anything odd in this picture above...?



The kitty faction of the legion of stray animals finds comfortable and warm spots...



Here you can see Toolman looking around. Shoes off, as per Thai ettiquite. The insides were as ornate as the outside, with full Buddha statues and meditation mats in front.



The intricacy of the finishings is amazing, even in this supposedly "small scale" replica. I doubt the full size one could be any more intricate! This one above was set on a lake with lily leafs floating, making it look even more grand.



We wonder what the full size version of this was like, as this is an entire island, with a Wat you can walk inside, and a eel/snake/shark thing wrapped all the way around. It had satellite islands with other animals - I'm unsure of the exact symbolism, but it was impressive anyway.



Heres' Toolman seeking counsel from a group of sage-looking fellows..



Again, we were staggered by this apparently scale model. This seemed as big as a regular Wat, so the real item must be big. Again, the intricacy is amazing.



Unfortunately, we don't know the names of most of these structures. The park is quite large, and would take all day to walk around (and tire you out no doubt), but cycling was pretty gentle. Lucky, because its so hot!



Another beautiful, but unnamed, Wat.





This is a wax model of a structure. It was so large, that we didn't believe it could have a full scale counterpart until we saw the pictures. Wow!

Toolman found a model that was set on a hill and wanted to climb it - Madeline wanted a rest so Toolman braved it on is own up the stairs...



Up the stairs were about 5 levels of courtyard, this being the top one.



As you looked out from the top, you could see all around including Bangkok in the distance. Well worth the walk!



This was an impressive statue, laced with symbolism (that was lost on us...), but cool none-the-less.



And a Buddha tower...



This was a great way to look at Thai styles, as there were at least 100 models of the various monuments. The most obvious feature is the pointy, almost koru-like, edges of roofs etc. Really enjoyed it.

Having looked around all day, we headed back to the highway, to try and flag down a taxi-ute for a lift back to the bus. No problems... but where do we get off? The bus had stopped at some random road and we didn't think to try and remember where it was. We had to guess the distance, get off and wander around looking sheepish until someone spoke enough english to point us to the the right bus stop. Thankfully, a guy working at a 7-11 (thats a Dairy for you kiwis...) got us back on track, and we headed back to Bangkok right for rush hour. A slow ride! But at least we made it there and back within our budget.