My mom traveled to the ancient Thai capital of Arudhya (or Ayutthaya) in 1965. Her slides were labeled with the former spelling, so that’s what I’ll use here.
Here she is roughing it in Arudhya (which was founded in 1350, destroyed in 1767 by the Burmese army, and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991).
As my friend Ali pondered yesterday, how could people dress up while tromping around crumbling ruins in such high heat and humidity? I’m lucky if I can pull myself together on a mild Chicago day.
I’m also sad I never made it to Arudhya when I visited Thailand almost 20 years ago. When I couldn’t obtain a Lao visa, I headed up to the Thai-Lao border and hung out on the Thai side for a week, dreaming of Vientiane. Then my father met me in Bangkok, where we spent several days before taking a train to Chiang Mai (friends in Hong Kong said it was a must see).
If only I’d viewed these slides back then, I probably would have made time for Arudhya.
Hi,
Love your travel shots, capturing places in time. I love looking through old family albums and seeing parents in exotic and interesting places. It’s amazing to realize mom & dad had adventures too 😛
Thanks so much, Rashda! There’s something about the conditions back then that makes it even more impressive. No internet, prohibitively expensive international phone calls, grueling flights, not to mention no air-con, water shortages, and the need to dress up all the time! We have it so easy these days.