Having just experienced the wondrous Angkor Wat and finding myself in Thailand for nearly a week with no set plans, I decided to head to the north of the country one more time to visit Sukhothai, the ruins at the heart of the ancient Siamese empire.
Being a bit off the beaten path for tourists, Sukhothai took some getting to. First I took a 6-hour train ride north from Bangkok to Phitsanulok. I rode in the fan-cooled second class car, which I actually prefer to air conditioned first class because the windows open. It’s a great way to experience the beautiful Thai countryside.
In Phitsanulok I needed to catch a bus for the hour or so ride to Sukhothai, but that proved harder than I thought it would be. I found the city bus stop and asked a man which bus went to Sukhothai, and he replied that buses #1, 2, or 8 would take me there. I found bus #1, boarded, and waited. And waited. And waited. About 45 minutes later, a driver came on board, asked my destination, and off we went. We went around the small university town of Phitsanulok, picking up other passengers. About 30 minutes later, we’d made nearly a complete circle of the small city when we pulled into a slightly larger bus depot. “Sukhothai”, the driver said, pointing out the door at the other buses. It had been an hour and a half, and I’d gone about 4 blocks!
Luckily, the next bus really *did* go to Sukhothai, and I arrived before dark. I found a guesthouse called “Old City Guesthouse” which was simple but charming with its wooden cabin exteriors. I felt like I was at a little lodge in a U.S. National Park.
The next morning, I rented a bike for $1 from the cafe/guest house/internet cafe/bike rental shop next door and set off to explore the ruins.
It was a *hot*, midweek day, and I had the place nearly to myself. Sukhothai’s ruins are famous for their giant buddhas, which sit serenely amongst the brick ruins of former temples and palaces. I spent a day and a half leisurely biking around the ruins (and ‘leisurely’ was the fastest I could possibly go… did I mention it was HOT? I couldn’t even stand still in the shade without sweat pouring off me.) Luckily there were a couple of cute cafes just outside the park entrance, so I could hang out and drink icy watermelon fruit shakes in the shade.
It had been a nice, relaxing, quiet break away from the hustle of Bangkok, but I had to return to the city for the third and final time of my trip, in order to meet up with my last group for the journey south down the Ithsmus of Kra, the Malay Peninsula, and finally on to Indonesia.
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