What nots!

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I'm back in Old Sukothai and there was a spare computer at Coffee Cup, so I thought I'd take advantage as I seem to have missed a few interesting things out. I've called this blog "What nots!" as I don't know what else to call it - and also because of the name of one of the many wats I've seen today. Wat Mai. I think "mai" means "not" in Thai.

I've seen it used as a question - sabaidee means I'm fine and sabaidee mai asks if you are fine. I think it's used like "you fine, not?". Similarly chai means yes and the phrase for no is mai chai. Thais are too polite to say no, so they say "not yes" instead!

So the name of the wat could be translated as Wat Not. And that's what made me think of the blog title!

There may be even more spelling mistakes than usual in this instalment. The keyboard I'm using seems to have had a lot of use and half of the roman style characters on it are scarcely readable. In addition, several bright red insects are crawling over the keyboard!

Going back to yesterday and the tuk tuk ride to my guesthouse, there were a few interesting points about that journey.

The driver, like many Thais, was an observant Buddhist. In his case this meant that whenever we passed a Buddhist shrine on either side of the road he would take his hands from the steering wheel, turn in his seat to face the shrine and bow towards it, making the wai gesture with both hands together. Then he would turn back and drive normally again. It was clear he was used to this, so it didn't worry me.

He tried to teach me Thai numbers to pass the time as we went along, and I was soon reading out numberplates and the number of kilometres left to Sukothai as we went along. But I've already forgotten a lot after just a day.

He shared some fruit with me. I think I've seen it in England, oval shaped and small with spiky red brown skin and delicious white flesh over a black stone. But I have no idea what it's called in English or in Thai.

I have barely scratched the surface in exploring Sukothai and would like to come back here. A popular way to explore the ruins is to hire a bike for 30B a day. I was thinking of doing this even though it's been 45 years or so since I rode a bike. But I think I've done well enough. I like to explore on foot, coming across oddities every now and then. And I've pretty well covered the wats in the main centre and to the north.

I forgot to mention one of the most interesting exhibits in the museum - a replica of a stone tablet King Ramkhamhaeng had erected. The script used, of course, was that which he had just invented! It's a very rounded sort of script but there seems to have been no problem in writing it on stone. And there was I thinking cuneiform was used because you can't carve curved writing!

He boasts of his achievements and one thing he was proud of was that when a man died all of his wives became the property of his eldest son! But, joking aside, he does seem to have deserved his epithet of the Great.

Sukothai, as will have been clear, has moved several times. The northern section, beyond the old city walls where Wat Si Chum and Wat Phra Phai Luang are is thought to have been the original city. It then moved a few kilometres south and later on, after the Burmese invasion, a long way east.

I'm not sure why they moved so far away. The road between the two Sukothais appears to be fairly lined with wats, but maybe they are mostly of modern foundation.

I forgot to mention that, as I walked back from Wat Phra Phai Luang, I stopped to buy an ice lolly from a vendor. After my purchase was made I moved off but he called to me. I thought that I might have dropped something, but couldn't see anything and he pointed to a long snake coiling round his ice cream stand! I was amazed and took a photo. I wonder if it was a tame snake of his own. But anyway, not something you often see in England!

In the Coffee Cup, the menu includes 100 year old eggs! I haven't tried these yet. Everything that I have dared to eat so far in Thailand has been delicious. I'll have some supper soon.

Before I came in here, but after I got back from New Sukhothai, I walked down the road again as it was still light and yesterday it had been dark when I'd walked it. I came across a wat that still in use just over the road - Wat Traphang Thong. I walked down as far as the eastern city gate - the Kamphaeng Hak gate. There were no city walls left here.

I'll have to pack again now. Shoes are the worst, you can't roll or fold them. I have four pairs now - I picked up a pair of flipflops in Bangkok.

The bus journey to Chiang Mai apparently takes 5 1/2 hours . .

Although I slept well last night I was woken by a cock crowing loudly at half past five this morning. At least I shouldn't have a problem waking up in time.

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