We took a cushy five-hour bus ride from
Ayutthaya to Sukhothai on the morning of the 22nd. The historical park is a
little ways out of the main city, so we had to take an open-air bus for about half
an hour (30B). We got dropped off right in the heart of the old town, just a
couple blocks from our guest house, which turned out to be adorable.
The little town is full of places to rent all kinds of modes of transportation. We indulged a little and got a kind of electric-powered tuk-tuk to putz around the more outlying temples (quite pricey at 200B/hr). We took turns driving (maxing out at about 48kph), constantly reminding each other to stay left, and spent a really enjoyable couple hours cruising around the lovely countryside and stopping at a handful of historical sites. The sun was just setting by the time we returned the vehicle to the guy who rented it to us.
We took his dinner recommendation and had two really good plates of noodles, some of our best food in Thailand so far. Afterwards, we cruised through a small night market on our way back to the hotel, trying several small market snacks that we hadn't yet had the opportunity to try: fried shrimp cake, strongly-flavored spicy sausage balls, and some savory fried dough balls with a variety of mystery fillings. After eating our goodies, we walked across a small bridge to the beautifully-lit Wat Traphang Thong, in the middle of a man-made pond. It was really a pretty magical scene that is apparently also the site of a famous Phra Ruang legend.
The next morning, we only had a couple hours to spend in the main central temple complex right across the street from our guesthouse. We rented bikes (20B each for a full day) and cruised around the quiet, treed promenades with ruins, pools, and ancient dykes scattered all around us. We wrapped up our ride just in time to pack and catch the local bus back to Sukhothai new city and get the bus north to Chiang Mai. That's next time!
Our kinda ride
View from the back seat
Very large Buddha at Wat Si Chum
Ancient staircase at Wat Saphan Hin
Wat Traphang Thong
Central section of historical park, Wat Mahathat
More from the central historical park
Your travels sound fantastic and we envy you both. However we are also hearing a lot about the flu in China. Is it going to affect your plans? What are you hearing there about concern and preparations for the Chinese Corona virus flu?
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot of talk about the coronavirus here too. There haven't been very many cases in Southeast Asia yet. The governments here are certainly taking precautionary steps, but it's mostly dealing with people arriving from China. Since we are not traveling to China at all, I don't think we are likely to be exposed to it or to have any trouble moving between countries (i.e., quarantined). From what I've read, it seems to mainly pose a threat to children, the elderly, and people with preexisting conditions. For healthy young adults, it doesn't seem to be very dangerous, even if it is highly contagious. That said, we're keeping an eye on the situation and are ready to make any changes necessary if things take a radical turn for the worse.
DeleteWe're really enjoying hearing all about your travels! It all sounds like so much fun. Making me hungry too :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Dana! We really appreciate that.
DeleteAda loves the pictures of Michelle on the rocks!
ReplyDelete