Ayutthaya, Thailand: What a lot of wats.

Having suitably immersed ourselves, and slept off the effects of, Bangkok culture, we headed to Ayutthaya, the capital of the ancient kingdom of King U-Thong, to get some real culture. Having arranged a minibus transfer there, rather than the more popular organised tour, we found ourselves co-opted onto one anyway. The bus was shared with the tour group, and instead of arriving at the city centre as promised, we found ourselves arriving at a temple, and were informed that we could either join the tour or have a very long wait while they did the sightseeing. It turned out for the best though, as it saved us from a lot of hassle arranging our own transport between Ayutthaya's many, many temples, and the tour guide was quite a character - a particularly impressive wart on his chin sprouted six-inch grey whiskers and he made all words at least three syllables. He was also chock-full of useful information. Among the most impressive sights on the tour was the first stop, Wat Phu Khao Thong, the ruins of Wat Thammikarat and the mysterious Buddha in the bodhi tree at Wat Mahathat. And an elephant playing the harmonica. Seriously.

Ayutthaya is an island formed by the meeting of three rivers. We were lucky enough to stay in a fantastic old teak house on the riverfront called Bann Kun Pra. Our room was beautiful and full of antiques and a four-poster bed. As well as a fantastic location, the hotel also boasted the best restaurant we've found in Thailand so far. My mixed-fruit green curry was particularly special.

Traditionally, the only mode of transport in Ayutthaya was the river, and it's still pretty busy today. We joined in with a longtail boat trip taking us to a few more temples and showing us the sights of the city. The views were fantastic and it was really nice to experience the city as it was meant to be.

And just to counterbalance all that culture, we took a trip to a bar showing the Liverpool v Man Utd game on a big outdoor screen. The outside seating and half the road were packed out with local Liverpool supporters. Needless to say, that was a fun night.