Rattanakosin Buddha; Lacquer Shan Buddha, 17th century;
Silver Goose Box from Cambodia, early twentieth century
views but I had no appreciation of their art which was
beyond description. It seemed to be overtly garish, lacked
sophistication, and projected an unbelievable magical
quality.
The following day we traveled by private coach to the
ruins of Ayutthya, the former Thai capital destroyed by the
Burmese in 1767. The temples, while greatly decayed,
exhibited subdued elegance and a muted reverence I
had never experienced. I began looking more closely at
the broken sculptures and noticed marked differences
from those I had seen at the Royal Palace.
A luxurious river boat returned us to Bangkok after a
two hour cruise. The thick tropical jungle along the
riverbank was punctuated every mile or so by brilliant
HYLAND
