Ayutthaya, and the spice trade routes amid wormholes in the water By Vicki J., SY Alisa B good things to others and it will return to you (an extremely simplified version for sake of Synchronicity is a curious thing. Whether Albert brevity). Hence a pronounced reduction in crime Einstein's 'Cosmic Religion' based on quantum in these areas than in Christian and Muslim physics, the belief of cause and affect to the cultures. <strong>The</strong>se people, who have little Hindu, or scientists' wormholes in the universe where light can morph to create beyond-lightcompared to our standard, will share gladly. speed-travel, allowing time travel, it seems <strong>The</strong> unexpected appearance of elephants random events can lead to a feeling of beside the river thrust me without warning into serendipity. a time when the area was thick with jungle and elephants and tigers roamed about freely. Had I After our sail in Denmark and Sweden on a stepped into a wormhole in the water when I borrowed sailing boat a couple of years back, we hadn't been looking? <strong>The</strong> image came so had decided to break our journey and travel by strongly it was as if I had suddenly materialized train from Bangkok to Laos based on many traveller's recommendations. We were 7 centuries earlier. captivated by the gentle nature of the Lao As synchronicity or wormholes would have it, people, the atmosphere beside or upon the my journey home led me to another ancient mighty Yankzy River, the gigantic limestone seaport in Borneo, Belait Bay. mountains, water caves, temples inside of caves From Wikipedia: “According to ancient Chinese, and the spices and silks originating from this region. It felt like stepping back in time. Ayutthaya, Indian and Javanese manuscripts, western coastal cities of Borneo had become trading marked in ports, part of their trade routes, since the first We heard of the decimation caused by the Vietnam War and saw how it had devastated red millennium. In Chinese manuscripts, gold, camphor, tortoise shells, hornbill ivory, their country financially as well as emotionally. rhinoceros horn, beeswax, lakawood (sweet While there, we connected with a family on the scented Liana heartwood and roots), dragonsoutskirts of the present capital Vientiane. Since blood, rattan, edible bird's nests and various then we have visited several times to watch their spices were among the most valuable items from lives transform with a chance of further Borneo. Archaeological findings in the delta river education, formally out of reach financially. of Sarawak reveal that the area was once a We've become honorary Aunty and Uncle to their thriving trading centre between India and China 2 daughters. I hope one day they see more than photos of Australia. map courtesy of Wikipedia, from the 500's until about 1300 AD.” Nord Nord West So here I am back home with part of me lost in Through synchronicity in 2011 we visited Ayutthaya (pronounced U.T.R.), the old capital one hour north of Bangkok. Between visiting our adopted family in Laos and Stef returning to Bangkok for more dental work we set out to explore an inland Island. We then discovered it was part of the ancient trade routes by ocean going vessels. Ayutthaya is an island at the junction of three rivers; the Chao Phraya, Lopburi and the Pa Sak. Founded around 1350, Ayutthaya became the second capital of Siam after Sukhothai. of 1 million inhabitants. Many international merchants set sail for this destination, from diverse regions as the Arab world, China, India, Japan, Portugal, the Netherlands and France. Merchants from Europe proclaimed Ayutthaya as the finest city they had ever seen. Dutch and French maps of the city show grandeur with gold-laden palaces, large ceremonies and a huge fleet of trading vessels from all over the world. All this came to a quick end when the Burmese invaded Ayutthaya in 1767 and almost completely burnt the city down to the ground.” a wormhole into another world, a time when ancient seafarers took to the sea in a wide variety of ships from reed boats, Viking vessels, to junks and clippers and saw the world beyond the village in which they had been raised. Sort of like the marinas of modern times; exploring the multi faceted, and unique world displayed from the vantage point of their boat on the ocean. Throughout the centuries, it became the ideal location between China, India and the Malay Archipelago and made Ayutthaya the trading capital of Asia and even the world. Less impressive than in those times it is still one of the most interesting cities, with a booming trade via the many water-ways the river systems provide. Ayutthaya still has Sources say that King Uthong, the ruler at this time was a rich merchant of Chinese origin, who moved to seek fortune in Ayothaya city. No doubt he sought safety from would be assassins and food readily available to support such a port. influences from around the world made obvious by the church, Mosque and Hindu temple on the opposite side of the river to the Buddhist temple. <strong>The</strong> river of today has barges laden with cement, rice and produce plying the waterways. This is amply provided by the rich growing plains of this area. We noticed a marked similarity of attitude with Balinese culture to this area with a belief that From Wiki Travel: “By 1700 Ayutthaya had become the largest city in the world with a total what we do now will be relived if not in this life then in the next. So the rule of thumb is do Vicki J, with a fellow traveller <strong>The</strong> name you can rely on! 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