4. On the way to Ayutthaya The guide is taking a group of tourists to Ayutthaya by coach. On the way the guide gives a general background of Ayutthaya to the tourists.

5. Guide : It takes about two hours from Bangkok to Ayutthaya as it is only 82 kilometers from Bangkok by road. Tourist : Is there another means of transport to Ayutthaya?

6. Guide : Yes, of course. Ayutthaya can also be reached by boat and by train. Before we arrive in Ayutthaya, let me tellyou about this old capital city of Thailand. It was founded in 1350 A.D. by King U-thong, the first reign of theAyutthaya period.

7. Ayutthaya was ruled by 34 kings before it fell under the Burmese invasion in 1767 A.D. Therefore Ayutthaya lasted 417 years, longer than any capital of Thailand.

8. Tourist : I thought Bangkok is the only capital of the country. How long ago was Bangkok Founded? Guide : Bangkok was founded in1782 A.D. so up till now, Bangkok is a little over 200 years old. Now you can see that Ayutthaya is much older than Bangkok. Tourist : Why did Ayutthaya last so long?

9. Guide : There are several factors that contributed to its long life. First, Ayutthaya is surrounded by three rivers; the Chao Phraya River in the west and south, the Pasak River in the east and the old Lop Buri River in the north.

10. Also the old city was protected by strong city walls, 20 meters high and 5 meters thick. Ayutthaya was located on the low- lying land in the river basin which suffered seasonal floods, which made it difficult for the enemies to lay siege to the city for a long time.

11. Tourist : In other words, Ayutthaya was on a well- chosen site. Guide : That’s right.

13. Exercise 1 Answer the following question based on the dialogues you have just read. 1. Tourist : How far is it from Bangkok to Ayutthaya? Guide : 2.Tourist : How long does it take to get there? Guide :

14. 3.Tourist : How can I get to this ancient city? Guide : 4.Tourist : What was the importance of Ayutthaya in the past? Guide :

15. 5.Tourist : When was Ayutthaya founded? Guide : 6.Tourist : How long was it the capital of Thailand? Guide :

16. Exercise 2 Give three reasons why Ayutthaya remained the capital for so long 1. 2.2. 3.