Ayutthaya was the capital city of Siam during the years 1350 to 1767, and is about 80 km north of Bangkok. The golden age of Ayutthaya was during the 18^th century when art, literature, and learning flourished. The core of the ancient capital was a four kilometre wide island at the confluence of the Lopburi, Pasak, and Chao Phraya rivers.  The capital was once bounded by a twelve-kilometre wall. The ruins of the historic city form Ayutthaya Historical Park which has been listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. In 1767, this 400-year golden age of stability and prosperity came to an abrupt end. After over two centuries of recurring tensions, the Burmese captured and ravaged Ayutthaya, taking tens of thousands of prisoners back to Burma with them. With even the wats in ruins, the city had to be abandoned to the jungle. Ayutthaya is a promising destination for a short escape from Bangkok to enjoy the tranquil atmosphere, beautiful ancient architecture, good museums, and amazing sites. There are nearly 100 ancient sites in this old city.

Chainat is a small agriculture town in central Thailand located on the river plain where the Chao Phraya, Tha Chin, and Noi rivers meet. This fertile land was perfectly suitable for settlement. The town has a glorious past as it was an important town and strategy location before entering to Ayutthaya. Its location also placed it right at the centre of the territorial conflict as Ayutthaya challenged the power of the Sukhothai kingdom. The scenery around Chainat is typical of the central plain – lush rice fields crisscrossed by a network of canal. The town was an important trading centre in the heyday of fluvial transport for many centuries, but decline set in as roads were built. The ruins of old temples, and local archaeological remains attest to its past political importance in the rivalry between the Sukhothai and Ayutthaya kingdoms, and as a cultural and artistic centre when Dvaravati and U-Thong art as well as Sukhothai and Ayutthaya influences found in these sites. Today, Chainat is a small town and does not have many visitors. The museum presents artefacts from the Chainat region, religious art ranging from votive tablets to Buddha images in various styles, ceramics of Lopburi, Ayutthaya, Bangkok periods, and some fragments of the Wheels of the Law, stone bells found in Chainat.

Under the leadership of Khun Euayporn Kerdchouay, The Siam Society will arrange a study trip for members to visit museums and many historical sites in Chainat and Ayutthaya provinces. The group will leave The Siam Society by bus on Saturday, 8 August 2020 at 07:30 and we expect to return to the Society on Sunday, 9 August 2020 at 20:30. The group will be limited to 20 persons.

In Chainat, we will spend a night at Chaophayathara Riverside Hotel. Located on the bank of the Chao Phraya River