ThailandBangkokKhlong SanKhlong Wat Thong Pleng13°43’19” N 100°30’19” E March 4, 2018 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C
So our final day is here. We plan to finish our shopping in the MBK centre and then chill out before a log day flying tomorrow.
When we wake up it is already nearly 10 o clock. We jump onto the skytrain and head to the end of line and the mall. We walk in and enjoy a day inside in the air conditioning. We eat our dinner in the huge food court, where I have a lovely chicken kebab, and we finally get all our presents brought (and do a little more for ourselves). After a good few hours we head back to the room and prepare for tomorrow.
Somehow the multitude of clothes and all the new stuff that are sprawled out all over the room fit into our bags. It is a struggle, but we have over six months of experience at packing bags now so we somehow manage.
We have our taxi booked for 4.30, and it is all very real now. The prospect of all the home comforts that are soon to be ours is very exciting. We are trading hot weather for snow, but the idea of sitting on a sofa watching sky tv with a cup of tea makes up for that.
For tea we just go down the road to the van and have some noodle soup. We did want to go somewhere nicer for our final meal but it is all so far away, and it kind of feels right that we are eating noodles at the side of the road, just like we did the first night in Hanoi.
We finish off in bed with strawberries and ice cream before I watch the football and Amy goes to sleep. It has been a great trip, and I hope one day these posts will be great to look back on. For now though, it is time to get back to Hull, and even though we love the countries out here, it certainly feels good to be going home!Read more
ThailandBangkokKhlong SanKhlong Wat Thong Pleng13°43’19” N 100°30’19” E
March 3, 2018 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C
So this is the day that I have been dreading. I aren't a huge fan of markets as they are often far too busy and far too hot, but the opprtunity to go to the Chatuchak market is one that we can't pass up on. It is one of the biggest markets in the World and sells everything you could ever want to buy.
We jump on the skytrain at around 10 to 9 (it opens at 9) and we manage to get a seat on the pretty empty carriage which is a surprise. When we arrive at the market, which is the same spot we jumped on with our big rucksacks when we first got into Bangkok, we make our way towards the entrance. As we get closer to the gate, you can already sense the scenario you are walking into. A large crowd moves forward and some stalls are already up outside as people try and sell some stuff while shoppers minds are still eager to buy and wallets are still full.
The first section we find ourselves in is the used clothes bit. It is packed with stalls selling levis of all shapes, sizes and colours. There are stalls for jumpers, shoes, coats, everything. As it is so early we have a bit of room to look around and buy some things that we want before it gets to crazy.
Amy finally gets hold of some coconut ice cream. It is something she has been hunting ever since arriving in Bangkok, and it doesn't dissapoint. She has to eat it quickly though as the heat soon turns it into a gooey puddle inside half a coconut shell.
We spend five long hours getting lost in the maze that is Chatuchak market. It is truly huge. There is a huge section for handicrafts that have been handmade, and a large plants bit. We try to avoid the pets and accessories bit but stumble into it a few times as we don't have a clue where we are going. We do have a map but it is almost impossible to work out what bit is where and which way to head. It is one of them places where you leave a stall and walk for ten minutes only to find that you are back at the same place you started. In 33 degrees heat it soon gets rather stressful.
The clothes section is cool. When we leave the used clothes and head into the new, we find ourselves outside and walking past stalls run by local designers. Some of the stuff is really nice and for about 3 or 4 quid a top, it is a shoppers dream. As the day goes on the heat ramps up and the alleyways get more and more busy. We deicde to call it a day at around half 2 as our legs are aching and our backpacks are full.
We hop back onto the skytrain which is a complete opposite to the way in. It is packed out to the point that we could barely squeeze one more person on. As we go through the stations it feels just as hot and sweaty as the market, and it is a big relief when we get to Krong Thonburi and jump off.
We rest our tired legs and chill out in the coolness of the room for a bit. It has been a very long day and is very hard to drag ourselves up to get food. We are back on the skytrain again, heading to Saphan Taksin which is only one stop away, and the scene of the 500 baht ferry ride yesterday. We head back to the food court and eat.
After eating we take a walk around a small market that is up as it is a Saturday, but we see nothing that catches our eyes and so we head back and get some rest. It is odd to know this is our last full sleep. Tomorrow night we are up at around 3AM to go to the airport. It is our last lie in of the journey and we plan to make the most of it.Read more
ThailandBangkokKhlong SanKhlong Wat Thong Pleng13°43’19” N 100°30’19” E
March 2, 2018 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C
Today we plan to explore the famous Chinatown. We aren't sure what to expect but we have heard the street food is pretty awesome so bypass breakfast. The best way we find to get there is on the same ferry we used to get to the Grand Palace. I pay the 40 baht fee with what I thought was a 50. In Thai baht, 500 baht looks a lot like 50 baht. I imagine you can see where this is going. When we get 460 baht change I tell her we only paid with a 50, to which she scoops the change back up. I then realise we are a 500 down so go back. Of course, she tells me I paid with a 50 and moves me along very quickly. It's rather annoying because it's my fault, and doesn't put us in the best frame of mind for the madness of where we are heading.
Anyway, the ferry trip is very short and soon we are in Chinatown. It is small, cramped, and very hot. We walk through the alleyways that are selling loads of stuff like toys, handbags, watches and more. We don't hang around long as it looks similar to most of the stuff in all the other markets, and we really came here for the food. What we find when we get to the main street is rather dissapointing. Either we have missed a smaller street selling great food, or it is because it is nearer midday then midnight, but there aren't many stalls. The stalls we do find are mostly selling durian fruit (the smelly one) and shark fin which is scarily big. If the fin is that big how big is the shark?!
We head back on the ferry hot and disgruntled. We chill out in the room and escape from the heat for a few hours. It is days like this when you realise you can have too much Bangkok. Four of five days in the hectic heat that hangs around this place with the smog leaves you needing a breather.
We are having one of them days, which is why we end up buying some beer from the 7/11 nearby and havie a few drinks in the room. We order a couple of pizzas (2 for the price of 1) and pop down to the bar next door for a quick Chang before it arrives. It is very nice to not head out into the heat again and chill in the room, and is the perfect preparation for what will be a crazy day at Chatuchak market tomorrow.Read more
ThailandBangkokKhlong SanKhlong Wat Thong Pleng13°43’20” N 100°30’19” E
March 1, 2018 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
This hotel room is hard to get up in. That is one of the main problems when staying in a nice place. In a ten pound a night room with no natural light and nothing but a fan to keep you cool, it is a lot easier to be out and about in the cool of the morning. We end up surfacing at around 11, and hop onto the skytrain heading for Siam.
In Siam we plan to walk around the markets, but there doesn't seem to be much there. We eat dinner in a nive vegetarian restaurant served by a waitress who barely acknowleges us as she slams our plates down on the table, and head to the Platinum fashion mall. The mall is air conditioned which is nice, but it is the kind of cramped and chaotic place that fills me with dread. The clothes don't seem too great, so I leave Amy to wander on her own for a bit and sit and wait. After around about an hour we leave and head back onto the skytrain and back to the hotel. It is hard to not spend all day exploring, especially when there is not long left, but the heat is just unbearable. We chill out for a few hours and enjoy a break.
After the mid-afternoon hours have passed and it isn't quite so hot, we head back onto the skytrain and aim for Lumphini park. The park is a beautiful, peaceful place, and is also famous for the massive monitor lizards that roam the grounds. We see plenty of them, either wandering on the grass verge or slowly gliding through the water, and a rather curious turtle who keeps popping his head off and looking at the bread that we feed the fish with. The views are incredible as we enjoy another amazing Bangkok sunset for the second day in a row. It would be a lovely opportunity for a beer but today is a Buddhist holiday and therefore no alcohol is sold or drunk right through the country.
We spend a while walking around the park and watching the hundreds of runner sweating away as they circle the many lakes. There is also a very energetic instructor showing a huge crowd what to do as they bounce and kick along to some bass heavy pop song. Every night this happens I guess, as people congregate to exercise together as the sun goes down. It looks fun but we don't join in as it is still too hot for anything more then a slow walk.
It is time to eat. We walk for what feels like ages trying to find some grub but all the restaurants are incredibly expensive. We pass bars that look rather too raunchy for our taste, and walk through a very busy market before we jump back on the skytrain and head to the pier we got the ferry from yesterday. We are starting to get desparate when we find a huge food centre with loads of different stalls. The food is great, the sweet and sour especially, and very cheap. The fact that this is only a minute on the skytrain away is good news!
We head back after eating and get some rest. It has been another long day and we are both pretty knackered so it won't take us long to get to sleep.Read more
ThailandBangkokKhlong SanKhlong Wat Thong Pleng13°43’19” N 100°30’19” E
February 28, 2018 in Thailand ⋅ 🌙 26 °C
Today the plan is to do some sightseeing. We feel it would be wrong to visit Bangkok and not see some pf the major temples so we plan to pay them a visit today. Unfortunately, as it is boiling hot (feels like 38) this means I have to wear long trousers. I reluctantly pull them on and we head out.
Our first stop is Wat Arun. To get there we take the skytrain for one stop and walk to the pier. The plan is to take a boat down the river which drops us off right outside the temple. We are looking for the orange flag boat, and there is 20 minutes of intense sweating until a huge crowd of us shuffle onto the small boat. The water is very choppy but the views are great as we chug our way through Bangkok. There is also a breeze which is delightful.
We soon see Wat Arun looming in the distance, and we hop off the boat and buy some tickets before heading in. The temple is very impressive from a distance, but even more so when you get up close and see the intricate paintings and carvinga that cover it from the floor right to the incredibly high top. There are four smaller monuments surrounding the one massive one, and we spend around half an housr wandering around the temple and taking a good look. We try and sit but as soon as you stop moving the heat surrounds you, so we have to keep walking to try and create some breeze. All I can think of is the shorts in my bag that are going on as soon as we leave the next temple.
That temple is the grand palace. We hop onto a small boat that takes us across the river and we head inside the walls. This is the second time we have been here. The first was when Helen and me got in but Amy's long shorts were deemed too shorts. This time we have taken no chances and walk in with no problem. Just like last time it is packed full with people, and we soon decide the 500 baht entrance fee isn't worth it to walk around some temples with hundreds of other people. We leave the Grand Palace for the second time on this trip without seeing one temple. I find a toilet and take off my chinos. It is lovely to get some breeze onto my legs, and we celebrate with a lovely pad thai and a beer by the river.
After eating we head for the Golden mount. This is a temple we saw on a show called 'somebody feed phil' and apparently offers great sunset views over Bangkok. The walk is around 45 minutes, and we stop for half an hour on the way in a lovely park that we find. A man is feeding squirrels and he goves Amy a nut that is soon nibbled from her fingers. He seems to be some kind of squirrel whisperer as he makes noises and they all run over. We sit in the shade and drink some water to make up for the gallons of sweat we have lost in the ridiculous heat.
We head off again, walking past the giant swing. It is a big red swing that is unfortunately lacking a seat to swing on. I'm not really sure the purpose of it but it is something cool to see on the journey. When we reach the Golden mount we realise we are really early for the sunset so we sit for a coffee under two fans. It is great to relax as we both feel pretty drained, and when we are ready to go, we feel revitalised and ready to climb the steps to the top.
There is around 400 steps but they go really quickly as there are lots of cool places on the way up. People bang big gongs, ring rows of bells, and stare out as we get higher and higher and the views over Bangkok get further and further. We reach the top in no time and we can see right over Bangkok. It is amazing to see this crazy city from above, with the skyscrapers looking down on the temples and shops. The buildings go for as far as we can see, with only a few bits of green sticking through. We find a spot of shade and sit. There is a very large Golden stupor on the middle of the roof and people walk round it praying. A Polish guy named Dan talks to us as he flies his drone over the city, before being told rather assertively to stop as it is against the law to fly one within 5 miles of the Grand Palace.
We sit on top of the mount until the sun sets. The view just gets better and better as the sun gets lower and a red tint forms over the building. We waited on the roof for two hours, and right now it feels very justified. We head down at 6.30 and try and find a way home. We aren't near a skytrain station, and the ferries have stopped, so we are slighlty worried, until we manage to find a cheap uber.
After a very tiring day, we are starving. We stop off at a cool bar called the 14th barrel that is next door to our hotel. We have a couple and try and find a takeaway but we are unsuccesful (I hate trying to spell that word) so end up eating a surprisingly tasty meal on the side of the road from a van.
It has been over 30 degrees all day, and we left the room at 11am. It is now nearly 10pm, and we are exhausted and ready to make the most of the air con and comfort our room offers. We get in and finally relax, chuffed that all the sights we wanted to see have been covered, and well aware we are both falling in love with this mad city.Read more
ThailandBangkokKhlong SanKhlong Wat Thong Pleng13°43’19” N 100°30’20” E
February 28, 2018 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
After a long day yesterday we make the most of he nice room we have and enjoy a nice lie in. One of the main reasons we have come to Bangkok is because of the shopping, and we plan to have full bags when we go home, so today will be devoted to that. When we finally rise we get ready and jump on the skytrain. Yesterday hasn't put us off, and we feel we just got on at a very bad time as the train now isn't too busy at all.
We are heading to the MBK centre which is in the middle of the city and is hard to miss as it is the last stop on the line. We jump off and walk the 100 or so metres and we are in. Our first thought is food, and we so we head up to the sixth floor and the food court.
It is huge, with plenty of different options to choose from. I end up picking the wrong dish from the multitude available and have a pretty nasty chili sausage dish that tastes like aniseed, but Amy's green curry is amazing.
The mall is very big, and we luckily stumble upon a market that is pretty cool. It has stuff that feels much better quality then some of the stuff you would buy on markets outside, and the people on the stalls don't seem to be so insistent you buy something, apart from one woman who harrassed me with so many questions of size, colour and prize that I felt like I was being interrogated. Somehow we spend a couple of hours just wandering. I say somehow because I usually last about ten minutes in a market.
We wandered around the mall all afternoon, taking advantage of the lovely air conditioning, and only heading outside breifly. It was very hot as we expected, so we didn't hang about. When time to eat tea came round, we found a lovely Indian stall in the food court and bought a curry set each which was lovely.
Time for the skytrain again. Yesterdays ordeal took place at around 5.45, so we felt rather worried when heading to the station at 5. The rush must not hit until around 5.30 though, after everyone has finished work and made their way to the station, and we enjoyed a rather peaceful journey back to the hotel in a not too crowded train.
All the walking around the markets has taken it out of us today. Apart from one trip out for food (rice and some apparently boiled eggs that turned out to be white goo in a shell and were very promptly thrown in the bin) we just chill out and try and plan how we will spend our remaining days here. The flight home is getting closer and closer!Read more
ThailandBangkokKhlong SanKhlong Wat Thong Pleng13°43’20” N 100°30’19” E
February 26, 2018 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C
The day has come when we will finally endure our last bus journey on this trip. We have been on some lovely tripa with great views on beautiful country roads, and have sat through some rides where an hour feels like a week as someones bag crushes you on one side and a crate of chickens crushes you on the other.
We get up early and have a lovely breakfast at the hotel. The only is a friendly chap who gives us free orange juice and fruit as a gift. One of the fruits is the infamous jack fruit (also known as durian). It is widely eaten in Thailand, but not anywhere else in the world. It smells so bad that it is banned from most public transport. I try a bit as Amy has already tried some. Despite the fact she hated it, i quite liked it. It tasted like a smokey water melon. It wouldn't be my first choice, and the remaining three bits remained on the plate, but it wasn't as bad as first expected. With full bellies we wait for our lift. We are told the buses to Bangkok start at 9, so have arranged to go at half 8 to the station. Unfortunately, the owner has rather oddly decided to take a shower, which means it is nearer quarter to when his talc covered torso comes running out to settle our bill and his son picks us up in his car.
The station is rather small and despite all signs being in Thai, we manage to get tickets to Bangkok. Unfortunately due to being late we miss the 9 o clock bus and have to wait until 10.30. It is rather annoying when a half empty bus leaves at half 9, but we are just glad to be on our way. It is the final ride after all.
When the bus arrives at 10.45 it is very busy and a sleeping lady who we don't want to wake is occupying one of our seats. We end up sitting on two aisle seats, one behind the other. And we're off.
The bus journey is a long, arduous grind and apart from a brief stop where we get some dinner, it is a pretty constant slog. It is around 7 hours until we reach Bangkok. In that time I read a full Sue Grafton novel on my kindle and Amy watches the Terminal. It is hot, sweaty, and not the most fun way I can think to spend a day.
When we finally arrive in Bangkok, we are dropped at the dreaded Mo Chit bus station. I say dreades because there is always a lack of metred taxis and it always seems to be a struggle to get the 10km into town. Amazingly though, we are offered a metered taxi straight away. This seems odd, as it isn't at the official taxi rank, but we go with it and climb in. A metred taxi would probably cost around 200 baht, so when the guy turns round and tells us it isn't on je meter and will cost 1200, we quickly leave, annoyed at now being at the back of he official taxi queue. Welcome to Bangkok!
After waiting in the taxi queue for a while and getting nowhere, we decide to go for the sky train. It is around 5 o clock so will be busy and our big bags are going to be a nightmare, but we don't seem to have any choice. We get a tuk tuk to the station for 100 baht and climb onto a surprisingly empty carriage. Maybe it won't be so bad after all. We have to change at the central station and go on a different line, and it is clear as soon as we step out that this one won't be so kind. After not making it on the first one we are squeezed into the next. It is packed to the point not one more person can squeeze in. Amy cleverly manages to get her back against the wall so not to bang anyone, but I have to stop mine from bumping into everyone around me by holding tightly to the rail above as the train rattles on.
The stops roll by and for the first few it just keeps getting busier, but eventually it empties out slightly and after six stops we squeeze ourselves through the crowd and out into the lovely fresh air. We make the short walk to our hotel and relax. The taxi driver wanted 1200 baht, we got there for 188.
The room is amazing and just what we need. It is big, clean, and has a HDMI lead in the tele so we can plug a chromecast in. We put our bags down after the final journey. I now feel bonded to my bag, like a mountain hiker feels to his trusty pair of boots, or they way you feel to your car after a long journey. To know it has made it all the way to the final hotel makes me feel like a father watching his child graduate.
We head out for some grub and opt for a mix or pot noodle, bread, and some market food that is served to us in bags. We watch some tele before going to bed, thrilled to be in this room, and chuffed that we have no more long bus journeys left to do.Read more
ThailandChangwat Kamphaeng PhetBan Nai Mueang16°28’43” N 99°32’8” E
February 25, 2018 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
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!Read more
ThailandChangwat Kamphaeng PhetBan Nai Mueang16°28’43” N 99°32’8” E
February 24, 2018 in Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
It's another travelling day, but luckily this one is onle an hour long ride. Our initial plans were to go to Kampaeng Phet and then stop off at Lopburi (town of the stolen passport) and Ayutthaya (town of the bike ride that nearly killed Amy) but we have decided to head straight to Bangkok from Kampaeng Phet, which means only one moving day left!
We get up slowly as the buses are every hour so no need to rush. After a nice breakfast in the hostel, we say goodbye before heading to the bus station. It is only a short walk, and doesn't feel half as bad as the walk to the hostel after the long and hot bus journey we endured on the way here. We are quickly pointed onto a songthaew that is heading to Kampaeng Phet, and after around ten minutes of waiting and sweating, we are on our way.
Something we have noticed lately is the heat seems to be really ramping up. Whether the coolness of Northern Laos has changed our bodies and made us not used to it again, or if it is just getting hotter due to the time of year, we don't know, but it is definitely feeling tough to spend a full day out in the sun. He thought that we only have a week left before English weather keeps us going though.
The songthaew doesn't takes around 90 minutes and we are soon dropped off in the town centre. We haven't booked anywhere as we didn't see many hotels online. We soon realise that is because there are no hotels really. We see no tourists at all, and soon decide to not bother searching, and just to jump into a tuk tuk and head to the only place we can see in our price range on the internet. This place is Three J Guesthouse, and it is a charming place that is run by a lovely family. The rooms are nice enough considering they are rather small and dated, but they do have a tele that is showing the cup final tomorrow, so it's perfect for me!
We drop our bags off before renting a couple of bicycles and heading out to explore. It is soon plain to see why there isn't too many tourists. The historical park, which we are visiting tomorrow, is the only real tourist attraction. That isn't to say it's not a nice town though. It is a very slow, sleepy place, and there seems to be a lovely atmosphere with everyone waving and smiling as we bike past. We go past a few temples, one of which is a huge, lavish Chinese style, before getting some food, followed by a delightful milkshake.
We head back after a couple of hours. On the route home we pass a park in which it looks like a build your own kite competition is taking place. It is busy with people either flying or sticking together kites, and we watch for a bit before heading off.
We have a couple of hours rest and wait for the relentless sun to go away. We have read about a food market here that we want to check out, and it is there we head when it gets dark. We are hungry, and this is the perfect place to be when you are hugry. There are so many stalls and it is great to walk around sampling some of the tasty food. We try shrimp in a kind of coconut pancake ball, these odd crisps things filled with i don't know what, pork wrapped in what tastes like nachos, beef on a stick, and of course cheesy chips. It is crazy, packed full with people and buzzing with excitement. The smells are amazing and we could stay for hours just eating. When we head back we buy some pineapple and apple to appease our guilty consciences after all the fried and fatty food.
It is around 20 minutes to walk home, and some stray dogs obviously realise we are carrying food as they follow us very closely for a while. They soon realise we are tight with our grub though, and leave us to finish the walk home in peace.
Another good day despite not really doing much. With a week the madness of Bangkok to come, we are glad to spend these last few days in somewhere quiet and peaceful. Tomorrow we will head to the historical park, and thankfully this one is more like a forest, so hopefully there will be some shade!Read more
ThailandSukhothai ThaniKhlong Mae Ramphan17°0’33” N 99°48’37” E
February 23, 2018 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C
It felt great to sleep in an air conditioned room again, and we both wake up feeling pretty refreshed and ready for a busy day. We start with a breakfast downstairs and a few cups of caffeine, before getting ready and jumping on board one of the wooden songthaews they have around here. They are strange, rickety things, but it is actually very comfy and much larger and more spacious then your average taxi.
The journey doesn't take long and we are soon at the ticket office for the historical park. We can see some of the ruins in the distance and it looks great, so we quickly rent some bikes from a shop next door and head in.
The historical park is a bit like a scaled down version of Angkor Wat. Of course, the ruins aren't quite as spectacular, and the park is much smaller, but this gives it a certain charm that Angkor Wat didn't have. What makes it so great is that everything is close together, and biking around the ruins at your own pace is almost more fun then actually wandering into them.
The first one we see is the largest, Wat Mathathat. It is the ruins of what would have been a huge complex, with many large Buddha statues encased in stone walls staring down at you as you walk through. It is very big and very fun. There is something about ruins that I feel makes them more special then the newer temples. The run down feel and the stone and brick structures give them a much more religious and spiritual feel, as if you can see the monks of hundreds of years ago kneeling in front of the statues. They are great, and as we haven't seen anything like this for a while, we don't get bored at all.
We bike up to the next temple, which was originally a Hindu place of worship and has been very well preserved. Three pillars loom over what was once a sheltered walkway, but is now nothing but crumbling stacks of odd lengths. We sit here and relax in the shade for a bit, enjoying the peace and calm atmosphere that these historical parks have.
When we finally move we bike around more. There are lots of stupors and statues, and many lakes that give great reflections of the ruins. After around two hours though, we start to get hungry, so head outside the park for some dinner. We eat stir fried veg on rice which is cooked by a lovely woman who even gives us free bananas as a leaving present. After eating we head to the Northen park, which is famous for Wat Si Chum. It is about a mile away from the central park we first visited, but is a lovely ride. The breeze is a blessing on this boiling hot day. When we arrive and buy a ticket, the main attraction is clear to see. A huge Buddha statue stares out from its stone enclousure as we walk down a path towards what looks from the outside like a giant concrete block. Inside is a huge Buddha, who is sat down, yet is still about 15 metres high (approximately). It is an incredible sight, and something that feels very atmospheric. A monk is next to us saying his prayers, and it makes me wonder how amazing this would be for someone of this religion, and how powerful and emotive something like this would seem in the eyes of someone who is staring at their God.
We leave the statue and bike around the Northern park, which consists of a huge ruin and a newer block of small temples which contain Golden Buddhas. After this we head back to the central park, biking past a great stupor which looks like it is being held up by a row of elephants that surrounds it, and take a breather.
It is lovely to sit at the side of a lake and get out of the sun that has been beating down on us most of the day. As we sit in the calm that is even nicer now the school trips of the morning have left, we see a turtle climb onto a tree root nearby. We try to get closer but it soon jumps back into the water with a speed I didn't think his species was capable off. We take one last walk around the ruins before heading back to the bike shop and getting ready to go home.
We get back on a wooden songthaew and head back to the hotel. We have timed it just as the schools are finishing for the day, so we end up sharing the bus with a group of schoolchildren. Luckily we aren't far off where we are staying, and we soon get back and relax for a bit after what was a very tiring but very good day.
It is only now we are back that Amy's sunburn really stands out. Her neck and face are very red. She doesn't seem to be in a lot of pain though, which means it is okay to laugh about it (I think). We head out to eat at the poo restaurant again and I have Sukhothai noodles while Amy has an amazing green curry. Hopefully, after cooking one at the cooking class, she will be able to reproduce it at home. We head back for a relaxing night. Sukhothai has been a short stop, but has definitely been worth it. Tomorrow we head to Kamphaeng Phet, and the great news is the buses are every hour, so no need to get up early!Read more
