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Published: February 10th 2007
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A brief comment about Thai transport. The rail network is not extensive and is slow. There is a national bus network (also not exactly rapid) serving many destinations, but within towns and in more rural districts this is supplemented by fleets of songthaews (pronounced "song tao"). Though these come in different sizes, the standard one consists of 2 facing benches in the back of a vehicle (the name means something like "2 rows"). Some ply fixed routes, but most operate on the principles of i) picking up people going roughly in the same direction, and ii) not going anywhere until a financially viable number of passengers has clambered in.
I took my first songthaew to Ayutthaya bus station in order to catch a bus to Sukhothai. In hindsight, I think the driver kicked out his existing passenger so he could take my fare as a private charter. Certainly a short conversation in Thai took place between them after I'd said I wanted to go to the bus station, and the passenger got out with a face like thunder.
My first Thai bus experience was a positive one. I'd been expecting an Indian-style crush but that was stupid thinking -
Thai transport
For monied (and lazy) dog with the population here only slightly greater than the UK, there's nothing like the same density of people as on the subcontinent. The air-conditioned bus was only about a quarter full and was comfy enough, and a mere ~$6 for a 6.5 hour journey.
Sukhothai was the capital of Thailand before Ayutthaya, but lasted in that position for not even 150 years. It was founded in the 13th century when the existing Khmer rulers were ousted by 2 Thai generals, and a kingdom was established whose boundaries were much the same as those of modern Thailand. Unfortunately the brilliance of the early kings, who amongst other things introduced a Thai alphabet, was not continued by their successors and Sukhothai was eventually swallowed up by the Ayutthaya empire.
The ruins at Sukhothai are considerably more extensive and impressive than those at Ayutthaya and, due to the distance from Bangkok, they're pretty much free of tour groups. The flat terrain and spread-out nature of the old city make cycling a perfect way to get around. Together with Anja, a German woman I'd met on the way to the ruins, we hired bikes and set off to explore. It was a
very relaxing location and, with several lakes in the complex, would have been ideal for a lazy picnic.
We caught a songthaew back from the ruins but unfortunately left just as the schools were finishing. This meant that the driver stopped outside a school and waited until the vehicle was full. And I mean full. Amusingly, the driver had to force the kids to move up the benches and sit next to us, which produced expressions on their faces as though they were being asked to sit next to a couple of steaming turds.
There seems to be something of liking for public exercise sessions in Thailand. I'd seen a small one in Ayutthaya, with the group leader on a stage facing a motley collection of fitness enthusiasts, but the one I saw in Sukhothai must have been close to 100 people, busting out moves to some cheesy techno.
I had an improbable meeting-up with a guy I'd known in Tokyo and New York. He'd read my blog, noticed we'd both been in Bangkok at the same time, and had mailed me to say it was a shame we hadn't realised. When I'd mailed him back, it
turned out we'd have a second chance as he and his wife were going to be in Sukhothai too. We spent half a day wandering around the new city, catching up on news from the last couple of years, and I was left to reflect on just what a small world it is. We also saw a man with a basket full of pigs' heads, so however small the world might be, it's also a diverse place.
I've met quite a few other travellers on this trip so far, and from this sample I would say that the nationalities I'm meeting are very similar to those I met in Australia, i.e. predominantly European. The difference is that the average age is over 30 rather than around 20. It'll be interesting to see if that average is maintained when I come up through the beach-laden south later in the year.
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