3 J Guesthouse, Kamphaeng Phet, Day 2

Our second day in Kamphaeng Phet is all about the historical park. The one in Sukhothai gave us a lovely day out so we are hoping this one will be the same. We rent a couple of bikes (better ones then the rubbish we had yesterday) and head off.
The problem with places like this, that aren't exactly aimed at tourism, is finding food. We bike for a bit looking for somewhere to eat, in the end settling for a restaurant where the only recognisable words the chef knows is 'pad thai'. It is a good one to be fair, and it gives us the energy to bike to the park.
It is an unbelievably hot day again (phone says highs of 33 but feels like 37). The bike there isn't very enjoyable. We do the thing we do every time and head the wrong way, ultimately resulting in the journey being twice as long. When we finally arrive we have already drank nearly three bottles of water, and we are already exhausted.
The main difference between this park and Sukhothai is that this is more like a forest. A nice road goes inbetween the trees, and the shade they provide is just what we need. The ruins are cool, but most are crumbled to the point that only the bases remain. When they do remain mostly intact (or have been restored) they look very cool. There are two or three that are still large structures, and with the aid of the pictures provided, you can really see how they would have looked when just built. There are also a few large Buddha statues that look very cool and almost eery when surrounded by trees.
We spend a few hours biking along the path alongside the ruins and it is very nice to feel the breeze as we go. The great thing about this park is it feels like we are the only people there. Apart from a couple of the main temples we hardly see anyone at all. One person we do see has a rather severely popped tyre on his car. The noise it makes as he continues driving on it makes us both wince. He is still there as we leave, sat staring at his knackered tyre and wondering what to do (I would have offered to help if I was manly enough to know how).
When we leave the park we aim for the smaller park that is around a mile away. Our ticket covers both, and after a brief stop for some dinner (prawn omelette and rice was the only affordable thing in this posh restaurant) we head there. We drive past the entrance once before turning back and going on. There is a large pillar shrine that many locals are praying at. Praying is usually a silent affair, but the peaceful ambience is rather spoilt by the fact every car going past beeps his horn a few times in recognition of the famous town monument. It is rather odd and must be offputting for the people praying, but is also pretty cool that everyone pays homage in this way.
The second park is much smaller and we leave the bikes outside. The fact we leave them unlocked tells you all you need to know about this place. It is one of the friendliest places we have been, and the locals all smile and nod as we pass them.
This park is great. It only takes around 20 minutes to walk round and only consists of what used to be one large temple complex, but what's left is very cool. There are three statues stood together as if in a gang, and a large stupor made of brick. After a slow wander round, we get back on the bikes to head back to the room and get out of this incredible heat.
We stay in for a few hours before heading out for some food. Again, it is rather troublesome to find somewhere and we end up pointing at pictures on an advertising board. A surprisingly miserable woman serves us some food and we eat up and leave. It is a shame we had to end our trip here with someone like that as everyone else has been wonderful.
It is cup final day so we buy some snacks and settle in for the night. Kamphaeng Phet has had good sides and bad sides. It is a place where two nights would be the maximum stay, as there really isn't much to attract tourists apart from the historical park, but also is an incredibly warm and welcoming town with a very homely charm. Tomorrow we leave though, and it is time for our final bus journey of the trip. A 5 hour trip to Bangkok and we are done. It's going to be emotional!Meer informatie