Sukhothai

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Sukhothai means Dawn of Happiness and we certainly had a happy time here. For about 150 years this was the capital of Thailand and the Old City has been preserved as Sukhothai Historical Park. We hired bicycles and set off exploring the ruins, enjoying the sunshine and the wee breeze on our faces. This was our second dose of temples in a week but these have undergone extensive restoration work. The ruins are dotted around the park which gives it a much more serene setting unlike the constant traffic noise you hear in Ayutthaya. Only the stone temples remain at this 13th century settlement as the secular houses were built from perishable materials such as wood. This is one of Thailand's most visited ancient sites yet we saw more cattle than people; we had most of the temples to ourselves. The huge trees gave welcome shade and as the day went on it became more and more crucial to park the bikes in shade. Vinny got yet another puncture - he seems to be jinxed when it comes to hiring bikes! Luckily it wasn't too far back to the hire shop and he was whizzing around again in no time. On the way back from the Old City we had our first journey in a songthaew which is a truck or pick-up with two facing benches. We were on a large version and it had a bench down the middle as well. The wind rushing past your face earns this public transport a thumbs up from us!

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