Ayuttaya, Thailand

Thailand Again? Fine, Twist My Arm.

During a trip to Thailand marking the 20th anniversary of the Indian Ocean Tsunami, my girlfriend, who was born here, decided she wanted to reestablish her citizenship in case she ever wanted to move back and buy property.

Fast forward a year, and we planned an April trip timed to meet friends for Songkran (Thai New Year). Based on everything we’d read, she needed to go to the province where she was born, roughly three hours north of Bangkok. That meant passing right by Ayutthaya, the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Siam, founded in 1350 and capital for over 400 years. Neither of us had been, and we were eager to finally see it.

The original plan was simple: rent a car, drive north to Ayutthaya, continue on to Uthai Thani (her birth province to handle the ID process), then head to Chiang Mai to meet friends for Songkran. I’ll skip the suspense… Those plans unraveled completely after Uthai Thani. That’s a story for another post.

After Apple Maps confidently delivered us to a tiny village nowhere near Ayutthaya, we switched to Google Maps, which returned us to civilization. We checked into a neat little hotel property called Ayutthaya Retreat, a cluster of restored monk living quarters on stilts, likely dating back to the 1700s. The rooms were built in the traditional Central Ruan Thai style, with old teak woodwork throughout. Behind the living quarters sat a common area with a restaurant, massage space, pool, and fish pond—a surprisingly great place to socialize and attempt survival in the 108°F heat.

Of course first thing’s first: Beer and WiFi.

We quickly became friends with Tony, who ran the retreat, and he arranged a private boat tour of the old capital ruins. Our driver showed up in a bright pink songthaew, a far cry from the ones you’d typically see in Bangkok.

Normally, I’d bring my full camera setup: Fuji X-T3, multiple lenses, tripod, maybe even a drone. But after nearly breaking my back hauling all that gear through Thailand and Japan on my last trip, I left it at home and stuck with my iPhone.

I also ditched the backpack for a roller bag. I’m turning 50 this year, and I’m done hauling gear between non-air-conditioned buses and the back of pickup trucks from Khao San Road to remote mountain villages. My spine hasn’t complained much so far.

I was genuinely surprised by how well the iPhone 16e held up. It’s not a replacement for a dedicated camera, but for something always in your pocket, it captured more than enough. It’s made me rethink how I approach travel photography—and how much gear I actually need.

The Sony RX100 VII gets a lot of praise as a middle ground between portability and performance. I’m tempted to pick one up, or at least rent one, for a future trip. But for this one, the iPhone did the job just fine.

Our captain gave us a peaceful tour of river life around Ayutthaya, with a stop at Wat Chaiwatthanaram. We got out and explored, but even an hour before sunset, the heat was brutal. While Anchalee and I walked around in shorts and light shirts, Thai couples were renting traditional Ayutthaya-era royal clothing for photos. I can’t imagine how they weren’t melting in that afternoon heat.

We only had a couple of days in Ayutthaya, which wasn’t nearly enough. For someone who loves history and architecture, it felt rushed. We’ll be back—preferably when it’s not trying to cook us alive. And next time, we might even join in and get our own “royal” portraits done.