Sukhothai - Wat's love got to do with it?

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Saturday, 31st July
Caught the bus to Sukhothai. Had to pay to get to old Sukhothai despite being told we wouldn't need to.

F**k off TAT. Rip off t*ssers.

Sunday, 1st August
Old Sukhothai is named thus so because it is old. It also happens to be the site of the National Park where most of its heritage sits. Sukhothai was also the capital at one time but a bit longer ago and when Thailand was still Siam and the Khmers (Cambodia) ruled most of the South. We're quickly discovering this country has more capitals than A. A. Milne.

We hired bikes at a reasonable £1.50 a day from our guesthouse (VITOON GUESTHOUSE). We headed towards the National Park where we realised we had become an extra from the 'there is a light that never goes out' video. Bicycles everywhere (but no Morrisey glasses). If not that then they could equally have been filming the Thai Modrophenia here. I would have definitely been a Mod not a locker. All here to see the temples.

On our tour of the central historical park (there's five in total) we saw Wat Matahat, Wat Trapang Noen, Wat Sa Si and Wat Si Sawai. At Sa Si as we sat to shelter from the heat that was boiling our blood a tree began to attack us. Hard nuts rained down and had us run for cover. You must give the temples respect. These ones were better than those at Ayutthaya mostly because they were in newer condition. Again the surrounding nature was a factor, same types of stuff but somehow more picturesque.

Since the pricing system had changed from what the Book of Lies had misinformed and bumped the cost of entrance by threefold we decided only to enter the North park afterwards. Besides after 3 full days of almost shared womb similarity in our temples we have to be careful it doesn't become like that sketch show with just women in - boring and repetitive very rapidly. Angkor Wat is still on the itinerary for September. On the North side we saw Wat Sonkao, interesting for all the elephant heads, and Wat Si Chum, essentially just a huge buddha encased with 4 walls like a prisoner of war.

In the afternoon we returned to Old Sukhothai (although technically we never left). Since it's in the park that's about all it is. There's a row of cafes and bars but the place has an eerie ghost town feel. Not sure if that's down to misinformation about how close New Sukhothai is. It's about 15km - a b*gger of a cycle or an expensive tuk-tuk. Either way we're catered for.

I woke up in the middle of the night to hear Hayley say "another sleepless night" (in reference to the boiler room we are kipping in). Not sure who she was talking to as she thought I was asleep.

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