BANGKOK’S “ANCIENT CITY”

ROBERT STEDMAN TAKES YOU ON A STROLL THROUGH THAILAND’S HISTORY BY VISITING THE ANCIENT CITY THAT CREATES AND RE-CREATES THE KINGDOM’S HISTORIC MONUMENTS AND BUILDINGS.

The Ancient City, lies to the south of Bangkok, isn’t listed as one of the country’s top ten sites, but probably should be. To those who are spending a short time in the Kingdom and want to see as much as possible, they will find this recreated Thai city is perfect for a visit. In fact, there is no better way to see Thailand in miniature, from the ancient past to modern day. Maybe the city’s name throws people off because there is much more on display than just ancient temples and ruins.

MUANG BORAN

Names aside, travel brochures proclaim The Ancient City as the largest open-air museum in the world and when you walk around the city you’ll quickly discover why. Muang Boran, (the Thai name) covers more than 129 hectares (about 320 acres) and presents scaled-down copies of many of the Kingdom’s most famous monuments. The grounds of the City follow Thailand’s general geographical outline with monuments placed accordingly.

The main entrance is where visitors make their choice on how they wish to get around. There are electric-type golf carts that seat two, for 400- baht an hour, or you can board an electric tram. If you feel energetic you can cycle. You may also rent bicycles: one seaters, tandems and three seaters. Or you can walk. The walkways are pleasant among shade trees and along peaceful canals or klongs as they call them in Thailand.

CREATIONS & RE-CREATIONS

The entrance also marks the Ancient City’s southern tip from where you work your way to the ‘northernmost’ monuments. Sculpture gardens are everywhere. There are over 100 monuments that were collected or reproduced. Some of them are re-creations of buildings that no longer exist. Other buildings are examples of traditional Thai architecture that were scheduled to be demolished but instead were purchased by The Ancient City, dismantled and reconstructed in the park. In the City you will find excellent examples of traditional teak houses from Tak, in central Thailand, that were purchased and brought to The Ancient City and expertly reassembled.

To ensure historical accuracy the replicas were constructed with the assistance of experts from the National Museum. Outstanding works include the former Grand Palace of Ayutthaya (destroyed during the 1767 Burmese invasion), the Khmer Phimai Sanctuary in Nakhon Ratchasima, and Wat Khao Phra Viharn, another Khmer site on the Cambodian border. The Ancient City has sculptures from the Thai epic story, the Ramakien, a display of the Royal Barge procession and a model Thai village in which craftsmen produce ceramics, paper umbrellas and lacquer items.

AROMA MEMORIES

It does take the better part of a day to see the park and, of course, you will want lunch. There are many small eateries spread throughout the park. I even discovered a vendor selling coffee reminding me of the coffee they used to serve in Bangkok – pre-starbucks. Poured through a sock, its thick consistency and deep aroma brought back all the old memories. It is delicious!

The best place for lunch is in the re-creation of a Thai floating village. On the water there are a number of restaurants in various styles. Chefs prepare the food on small klong boats and you can walk around until one place strikes your fancy. The food is generally basic Thai. There are also many souvenir stands around the village where prices are ‘okay’ but can sometimes be a bit pricy.

PRESERVING THAI CULTURE

The park is truly dedicated to preserving Thai cultural heritage in the form of the many significant buildings and historical places from throughout the country. The Ancient City was founded by Lek Viriyaphant who was an eccentric Thai millionaire who loved Thai culture and the arts.

A visit to The Ancient City makes an excellent, but exhausting, full day outing from Bangkok. Be sure to start early and allow yourself the better part of a day to see everything. Bring along a hat and sunscreen. The Ancient City is in Samut Prakan, 33km from Bangkok along the Old Sukhumvit Highway. Opening hours are from 9 am to 7 pm daily and admission to the ancient theme park is 400B. Getting to the Ancient City on your own can be a bit difficult, and time consuming. It might be a good idea to book a day trip through a local tour operator. You could also try taking the Skytrain to the furthest station on the Sukhumvit Line (Bearing) and then grabbing a taxi to Ancient City.