The Ayutthaya Night Market

Staying overnight in Ayutthaya gave us the chance to explore the parts of the city which are often overlooked on a day trip. For example, after checking into our bungalow and settling down after a long, tired, busy week, we decided to take a walk to hunt down some dinner at the nearby Ayutthaya Night Market, which opened up every night at 4:30pm along Naresuan Road.

the Ayutthaya Night Market

We picked up small portions of lots of different things to snack on, so that we could try all the flavors of Ayutthaya!

We started with some old-style Thai rice crackers. The rice is boiled in watermelon juice, then fried in oil to make it crispy. This gives it a natural sweet flavor. After that, it's drizzled with some palm sugar on top.

rice crackers

We also had some deep-fried crispy mixed vegetables - it's a great snack and pretty healthy (well, except for the fried part).

https://www.theworldofstreetfood.com/2022/06/crispy-fried-veggetables-ayutthaya.html

crispy deep-fried vegetables

For just 40 baht, you can get a bag of whichever veggies you want (or a mix)!

Unlike Japanese tempura, which uses a thick batter to fully coat the vegetables, the Thai crispy vegetables are only very lightly battered before being submerged in hot oil to be quickly deep fried. The result is more veggie than breading, and every bite is super light and crispy. It was served with a little bag of Thai sweet chili sauce (not spicy!) to dip the veggies in.

Next up... durian!

But not just any durian. This was durian and sticky rice!

Khao niaow durian is a uniquely Thai dessert. Like it's more famous cousin, mango sticky rice, durian and sticky rice consists of fresh pieces of fruit served over a small portion of sweetened sticky rice. The sticky rice, or glutinous rice, itself is cooked with coconut milk, and has an inherent sweetness, and the entire dish is topped with a light drizzle of sweet and aromatic coconut cream.

durian and sticky rice

https://www.theworldofstreetfood.com/2022/06/khao-niaow-durian-or-durian-and-sticky.html

After you've had durian a few times, it really does grow on you. I promise!

The main course was hoy tod, or a Thai oyster omelet. Cooked over a griddle, this dish, made with eggs, flour, and of course lots of fresh oysters, is usually served on a bed of bean sprouts and drizzled with sweet chili sauce.

hoy tod

It's actually one of my favorite Thai dishes, although I don't get to have it very often. A crispy omelet of egg, batter and sweet juicy oysters is fried up in a cast-iron pan and arrives sizzling and steaming hot and fresh in front of you. Hoy tod is often served at pad Thai restaurants, and is a classic dish from Bangkok / central Thai cuisine.

It's also fun to watch it being made!

I truly believe that Thai fried chicken is the best in the world!

Thai chicken is prepared in a marinade of fish sauce, coriander root, garlic, and palm sugar (as well as each shops individual secret ingredients). It's the fish sauce that gives the chicken its signature salty and umami flavor. The chicken is very lightly battered, then deep fried in oil until the skin is crunchy and crispy. It is always served with a packet of Thai sticky rice to offset some of the rich oiliness of the chicken, and is usually topped with optional crispy fried shallots, which contribute an important element to the overall taste of the chicken.

https://www.theworldofstreetfood.com/2022/06/what-makes-thai-fried-chicken-best-in.html

Thai fried chicken

After all that food, we still wanted something sweet. Dessert (well, besides the small portion of durian and sticky rice) was fruit! Specifically, passionfruit - a sweet, sour, and tart fruit served with an optional chili sugar sprinkle (I passed on this, as I thought the fresh passionfruit was delicious as-is).

fresh passionfruit

All in all, a wonderful feast.

After all, eating well is one of my favorite things to do while traveling. It never gets old trying the amazing local cuisine in Thailand and around the world!

Read more: https://www.theworldofstreetfood.com/

A Short Getaway in Ayutthaya

I've been to Ayutthaya, the ancient capital of Thailand, a bunch of times... but only ever as a day trip. I had never stayed overnight before. Last week, my wife and I took a very short two-night getaway to explore the old city. We were going not to tour the ancient ruins, which we've done plenty of times before, but to see all the other awesome stuff that we hadn't experienced before. It's a cool little city with a lot to see and do, but since it's so close to Bangkok, most people usually just go to tour the ruins as a day trip. Staying overnight gave us time to explore the cool, off-the-beaten-trail stuff that we otherwise would have overlooked.

Bangkok Bus Terminal (Chatuchak)

We had to leave after my wife finished her night shift at the hospital, and wanted to get to Ayutthaya as quickly as we could, so we set off for the Bangkok Bus Terminal just past Chatuchak Park in Bangkok. We booked two chap tickets on a short-distance minibus, and were soon off on the hourlong trip from the new capital to the old.

inside the bus terminal

We didn't do much that first day. Both of us had been working extremely hard since arriving back in Thailand after last summer's visit to the US, and neither one of us had taken a day off in months. We needed some time to rest and relax before setting out to explore on our one full day in the city.

our hotel

The hotel was fantastic! We booked a bungalow in a beautiful, quiet garden right in the middle of Ayutthaya island (the old capital was built on a well-defended island surrounded by the Chaophraya River) near some of the old ruins. Even though Thailand's borders have opened again and tourism is slowly returning, it's still possible to find very good deals on hotels and accomodations.

bungalows in Ayutthaya, Thailand

We went to the Ayutthaya Night Market that first night, and had such amazing food, that it deserves to have its own post (coming soon!). 

It was nice to get away for a few days.

the Ayutthaya Night Market

The Ajarn's Studio: Sacred Sak Yant Tattoos

On a recent walk with the National Museum, we stopped in at a traditional Thai tattoo studio tucked away at a hidden corner of an ancient temple. Years ago, the "Ajarn" (the same honorific granted to teachers of prestigious institutions in Thailand), or Master, had consulted the local monks regarding the lottery. After receiving a winning number in a prediction from one of the temple's monks, the ajarn donated his winnings to the temple, in exchange for being allowed to open up a small studio on the property.

the ajarn's studio

In Thailand, and throughout much of Asia, tattoos are not cosmetic. Instead, they are  considered to be sacred symbols utilizing an ancient magical and shamanistic practice. To receive a Sak Yant (sacred tattoo), one cannot just go to any old tattoo parlor; they must consult with a tattoo ajarn who has been specially trained in the art.

inside the studio

During our visit, we got to learn quite a bit about the sacred art of Thai tattoos. Sak Yant must be administered by a certified and trained master in a holy and blessed studio. When you consult a mater, they will listen to your life story and prescribe a certain tattoo for you.

it was a spooky sort of place

It can be a little bit frustrating for foreigners or tourists who want to get a tattoo. In the West, you typically get to pick and request the tattoo that you want. Here in Thailand, tattooing is a sacred art (not a cosmetic one), and the master will prescribe you a particular pattern in accordance with your horoscope and life situation. Tattoos are meant to provide special blessings or protection upon the recipient.

wall hangings at the studio

If you are not comfortable receiving a tattoo - or if you have a job that does not permit a visible tattoo - the modern tattoo ajarn would also offer something referred to as "invisible tattoos". Rather than dipping their needle in ink, the master will use a well of holy oil to create his intricate marks upon the back or neck of the recipient. After the inflammation had gone away, the tattoo marked in oil is invisible to the eye - but it is said that the powers conferred upon the recipient remain indefinitely.

various sacred masks

Did you know that even Angelina Jolie has a Sak Yant tattoo?

https://www.alldaytattoo.com/what-are-angelina-jolie-tattoos/

She received it a few years ago when filming the Tomb Raider movie (she also received Cambodian citizenship at the time, in honor of her raising awareness to Cambodian issues).

the masks are used in the ceremony

If you receive a Sak Yant tattoo, there are several rules to which you must abide:

1. Do not kill another living creature (so far, so good)

2. Do not steal or lie (I do my best!)

3. Do not be ungainful to your partner (as good as done)

4. Do not become intoxicated (well...)

5. Do not speak ill of your family (no worries there... my family is awesome!)

6. Do not allow the feet of another to pass above your tattoo (hmm... I don't think I've broken this one... but I don't care as much about feet as Thai Buddhists might...)

There may be others, but breaking these commandments will strip the power away from your tattoos, rendering them impotent.

Hindu statues

I was actually in Laos several years back. On that trip, I had booked a ticket on a double-decker bus to take me from the ancient holy city Luang Prabang back to the capital of Vientiane. There was a bit of a kerfuffle before our bus could depart. The driver was refusing to take his seat in the bus so long as there was somebody sitting in the seat above him. He was angry; insisting that taking that seat would break one of the rules of his tattoos (the passenger's feet would have been above his head). In the end, the bus attendants had to ask the confused tourist sitting in the front seat of the upper level of the bus to move to another seat. People take it very, very seriously.

I am definitely not into tattoos myself, but I have to admit, I find tattoos with a purpose - such as these sacred Sak Yant - to be very meaningful. It's not just a cosmetic design, but a sacred covenant with the divine; a physical mark of one's devotion in exchange for the bestowment of some specific power or protection upon the recipient.

Read more about sacred tattoos in this post:

https://michaeldesrosiers.blogspot.com/2019/10/discovering-thainess-at-museum-siam.html

several masks

Both the tattoo master and the recipient must wear sacred Thai opera masks during the ceremony, as depicted in the picture below:

Read more about Thai opera (Khon):

https://michaeldesrosiers.blogspot.com/2014/11/khon-performance.html

https://michaeldesrosiers.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-big-show.html

https://michaeldesrosiers.blogspot.com/2021/03/bangkoks-bloody-past.html

This is to ensure that the holy energy passes through the ajarn and into the tattoo recipient.

a photograph of the ceremony

Nowadays, modern tattoo ajarns utilize modern techniques of administering sacred Sak Yant tattoos. To prevent infection, the traditional bamboo needles are equipped with disposable metal tips in accordance with Western tattoo standards. This ensures that the tattoos are properly administered and are safe (even if the price for receiving such a blessed tattoo is naught but a pack of cigarettes...).

Hindu masks are an important part of the ritual

Thailand is a deeply religious country; a land in which tattoos, amulets, and magic hold a great deal of power. Visiting this Sak Yant studio was a fascinating glimpse into a deep and ancient tradition which is more deeply rooted in ancient Thai shamanistic Animism than in modern Theravada Buddhism.

both the master and the person receiving the tattoos must wear masks

I was most surprised to see the framed crucifix hanging on a wall of the studio in a place of honor. Thai Buddhism is interesting, in that it does not claim a monopoly on truth. (You can also see this reflected in the amazing churches (Holy Redeemer) and temples (Wat Niwet and Wat Atsadang Nimit) in Thailand.

I thought back to my own wedding at a Thai temple in my hometown of Arlington, Texas and the crucifix which hung on the wall there. The monk who performed my wedding ceremony had told me that there were many paths to truth.

religious syncretism: the crucifix is adorned with Sak Yant symbols

Administering a Sak Yant is a prayerful act; the ajarn must consult star charts, ancient Buddhist texts, and more to determine the proper tattoo to administer to a particular devoted visitor. Even the trained National Museum curators and myself were a bit confused by the deeply animistic studio of the tattoo ajarn. It's an ancient tradition so far from the traditions and standards of the Theravada Buddhism which we have studied academically and have trained in identifying that it is almost hard to recognize.

a view of the studio

Read more about the Bangkok National Museum:

https://michaeldesrosiers.blogspot.com/2021/03/the-legend-of-phra-puttha-sihing.html

https://michaeldesrosiers.blogspot.com/2021/03/the-legend-of-phra-puttha-sihing.html

We spent about half an hour at the master's studio. It was a fascinating glimpse at a sort of pre-Buddhist practice of ancient Thai spirituality which is still practiced today. It is a super interesting aspect of the culture that is still mostly inaccessible to outsiders.

the shaman's studio

Even if I don't know the full extent of the meaning of Thai sacred tattoos, I can at least still recognize the importance of them within the culture. It is very common to see taxi drivers, policemen, soldiers, bargirls, and others who might be in a dangerous sort of profession sporting a Sak Yant upon their back or neck.

a statue of an ancient shaman

And if I ever - unlikely as it may seem - decide to get a Sak Yant tattoo myself... I imagine that this is the place I would come. There was something comforting about this spooky little tattoo studio. 

a mask adorned with Sak Yant symbols

In the end, while I admit that I cannot completely understand the depth of the Thai sacred tattoo tradition, I can definitely respect and acknowledge the importance of it upon the modern Thai society.

I would love to learn more about this ancient art, and perhaps if some of my more tattoo-inclined friends visit me in the future, I might take them to this studio. It would be both fun and super interesting to see what the sacred tattoo ceremony is actually like!

various statues and icons within the studioi

But until that day, I will just have to imagine it and read about it online. 

a shrine to the Hindu god Ganesha at the tattoo studio