Sukhothai'si ancient temples

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It took seven hours on the bus to get from Bangkok to Sukhothai. In reality it wasnt a bad journey but we were quite pleased to get there. At the bus staton all the foreigners were squeezed onto a local bus rather like a mini cattle truck. Luckily our hotel was the first stop and soon we were freshening up in our room ready to investigate the nightlife!

We were staying in New Sukhothaui, some 11km from the ruins of the ancient capital. It is by no means a large town, nor is there really a lot to do within the town itself. To get to our hotel we had to walk through the market and thankfully the pungent smell from the fish sellers didn't drift too far down the road. There are a handful of restaurants and bars geared towards the backpacker community. Poo (yes,really!) served up some good Thai food but the red curry in Chopper Bar just down the road was better by a distance. Pai had an excellent breakfast with ham and eggs, plus a plate of fresh fruit. Over the river and closer to the centre, Fong Bear was the place to head to for a drink rubbing shoulders with the local population. There was no chance of a conversation though as every last customer was busy surfing the Internet on their smartphones!!

Close to our hotel was a Buddhist temple. It wasn't really much different to any other but it was clean and bright. It was tinged with an air of sadness though as just over a month ago one of the buildings was destroyed by a fire. Seeing a monk in his saffron robes clearing the charred remains by hand makes you realise the life of servitude they have chosen.

The main reason for our visit was to spend a day cycling around the ancient site of the old Thai capital. Buses run regularly throughout the day in both directions and we were dropped off right outside the ticket office of the Sukhothai Historical Park. Directly opposite are few places to hire bikes. They were not top quality but what can you expect for 30 THB (70p) per day?

To our amazement it turned out that entry to the park was free as they are currently celebrating the 25th anniversary of their inclusion on UNESCO'S World Heritage list. We had to pay 10 THB for each of the bikes though. This has also been marked by a photograph and art exhibition which was superb.

We went around in an anticlockwise direction stopping first to admire the Wat Mahathat complex. From the very first glimpse everything was extraordinary. Giant buddhas sit in contemplation and there are towers and inscriptions all around.

Next up was Wat Si Sawai which was reminiscent of some of the temples at Angkor Wat in neighbouring Cambodia. It was fascinating seeing some of the ornate carvings close up.

Then we cycled on to Wat Thapangngorn on the other side of the lake. Not too far away was Wat Sarah Si with its numerous columns and another seated Buddha. From there we grabbed a refreshing iced coffee which saved us from wilting in the high humidity.

We paid our respects at the King Ramkhamheng monument before leaving the park and venturing out onto the open road to see some of the outlying temples. They were also free which spurred us on to explore further.

Wat Sorasak was a real favourite of ours. Elephants are depicted all the way around the base and thousands of dragonflies filled the skies. A herd of very skinny cows grazed along the track and Russ had the briefest of chats with a fisherman tending his nets. The language barrier was insurmountable!

Outside the ancient city walls we had a quick look at Wat Phra Phai Luang which had not stood the test of time as well as some of the others. A little further on was the star of the show - Wat Si Chum. It's well worth the effort of going the extra mile to see the enormous statue of Buddha hidden behind walls with a very narrow aperture giving you but a glimpse until you venture inside. Buddha's right hand is resplendent in gold leaf which worshipers press on in hope of answered prayers. This statue is, we would say, unmissable.

On the other side of the river is another temple. Externally this one features hundreds of small status in tiny niches. Internally the doors are so narrow that you have to move about sideways but the reward is a collection of statues ranging from modem to a thousand years old, in all sorts of sizes and colours.

It had been a pretty exhausting day so we decided we had seen enough and returned the bikes before grabbing some lunch. Russ says that if you have never had a simple omelette laced with fiery green chillies, you have never lived! The cold coconut juice and the mango smoothie were most welcome after that!!

So, on we go now, with our next port of call being the backpacker haven of Chiang Mai.

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Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Thailand
Nice view