Days 45,46: 1/2,3/24 - Sukhothai!
1/2/24 - Travel day to Sukhothai
Having booked the later bus (11:30) we had ample time to relax during breakfast and pack in the morning, not realizing we had a 6.5 hour bus transit ahead of us (including an unexpected lunch break at a random bus stop?). By the time we arrived at our hotel, we were unexpectedly exhausted, and had a quick dinner at the closest restaurant we could find.
Uncertain about bus stop noodles
Very certain about curry in coconut
1/3/24 - A perfect day in Sukhothai (feat. more Wats)
We woke up on the morning of January 3rd, neither of us having slept well (despite the Thai Thai Sukhothai bed being one of the most comfortable we've experienced on our trip thus far) probably due to sitting on our behinds all day during our long bus ride from Ayutthaya the previous day. We enjoyed breakfast at the hotel and headed out to start our walking tour Isaac had designed for us the previous evening (that's right, it's your favorite guest writer, back again for another stream of consciousness post!)
We took a Grab to our starting Wat, Wat Si Chum, we were the first ones there and had the most beautiful walk capped off by the reveal of the large, seated Buddha through a narrow doorway. Definitely not to be missed! (Wat to be missed?)
Our walk from Wat Si Chum to the central area of Sukhothai Park was beautiful. The park itself was much less busy than Ayutthaya, likely due to the further distance from Bangkok, so we felt like we had the place to ourselves. Large seemingly manmade ponds were host to myriad birds and several LARGE monitor lizards. The rest of the ruined temples were very beautiful but this particular blog post has held up the blog updating process for over a month so I'm just going to give some bullet points on each.
Wat Phrapai Luang
-Large complex, very quiet, mostly just the foundation remains.
Wat Sa Si
-Small, but pretty temple on an island (on a lake surrounded by HUNDREDS of birds pooping in trees)
Wat Traphang Ngoen
-Well-preserved temple with medium sized outdoor Buddhas
Wat Si Sawai
-European castle fans, this one is for you, interior walled courtyards, exterior walls leading to gardens, spires, the Italian couple we met in Ayutthaya suddenly showing up on bikes, you know, all the classics.
Wat Mahathat
- The largest, and best preserved temple in the park. Home to over a hundred Buddha statues
We almost didn't make it to lunch, despite it feeling much cooler today than our time in Ayutthaya, the midday sun had caught up with us and we sat in the shade on the steps of the Ramkhamhaeng National Museum for quite some time, gathering our strength to walk the very short distance down the street to Bai Tong for lunch. We walked past Wat Thraphang Thong, caught a glimpse from the road, and promptly checked it off of our list. We made it to lunch, panting, not unlike the great number of street dogs who roam freely in Sukhothai, and most of Thailand.
Sitting Buddha at Wat Si Chum.
Sukhothai was more spread out, but far better shaded and much less crowded than Ayutthaya.
Wat Sa Si is Wat Sa Get. I'll see myself out. (The wat is actually called Wat Sa Si)
Sometimes it's nice to be writing these blogs so far in the future (one month, almost exactly (or two)) because we can write about our time in the Thai Thai Sukhothai pool without fear of what looked like chicken pox spreading from the young Swede in the pool with his family and instead just reminisce on how relaxing the cool water was after a day in the field (a la Dr. Indiana Jones). Frankly, the rash was ALARMING and I couldn't help but notice that we were the only other party who actually entered the pool, though every lounge chair surrounding the pool was occupied. Anyway, we never caught the rash (although Isaac's bug bites in Can Tho, Vietnam rivaled it, but more on that in a month or so) After our dip in the pool we showered and dressed, preparing for our scheduled in-room Thai massages. Our masseuse arrived, but only one, surprising all three of us as she hadn't been informed we were both expecting massages. I went first, laying down on the blanket she provided on top of the bed and trying to relax into the intense Thai massage. While a Thai massage is never particularly relaxing this one was particularly notable as she worked with one hand while speaking on the phone in Thai, presumably to a second masseuse, as one showed up about 20 minutes into my massage. Isaac was instructed to climb onto the bed beside me and his masseuse got to work, one of my favorite things about a Thai massage is getting to stay fully clothed, so modesty was no issue in this cramped couples massage situation. The massages were great, although I did sustain an Achilles injury that would plague me for the next 4 weeks, but an in-room Thai massage felt like the thing to do in the place to do it, so no regrets. That evening, rather than returning to the nearby hotel restaurant, we ventured out into the town and ended up at PhumPhor, a coffee shop that also happened to be a hopping spot for dinner and birthday parties! The restaurant was so busy we were given several free courses while we waited, but our favorite memory is the VERY large cocktail Isaac ordered. Essentially it was a margarita with a Corona Beer tipped over inside the glass, and then they turned to me to ask if I also would be getting a drink. We assured them it was enough for both of us but couldn't help but feel like this was an indication of the typical behavior of Westerners visiting Thailand. We sauntered back, reveling in our successful day and pleased with our itinerary thus far! Overall, it was a perfect day in Sukhothai, our new favorite city in Thailand!
Replica of the King Ramkhamhaeng Stele: one of the earliest examples of Thai script, it gives a brief biography of the eponymous king and a description of the wonderful kingdom he ruled over.
The "Sukhothai" Buddha pose is the walking Buddha, with left hand (not shown here) held up in greeting.
Refueling after a long day of sights at the sites. We shared this, but after I ordered it, they had the audacity to turn to Kaia and ask if she wanted anything to drink.