Khlong Mae Ramphan

I loved Sukhothai. My stay was only five days long, but I liked it so much I promised everyone that I’d return for the lovely Loy Grathom Festival in mid-November. Why did I like this city? Because it was small (37,000 people) compact, had fairly clean air, and was extremely friendly. My Airbnb property was a giant room that was very dark, cool and restful at night, and liveable outside in the patio by day. My hosts lived about three blocks away, and I hung out with them most evenings. A very sweet couple. There was no wifi or kitchen in my place—somehow I’d overlooked that—but my “in” with the neighborhood overruled such inconveniences.

Of course, Sukhothai’s real draw is it’s ruins: it was the first capital of Siam, in the 13th and 14th centuries. To reach them you have to get on a little shuttle bus for a 12-kilometer ride. The grounds are massive, and I confess that I only made the trip there one day, where I saw the National Museum and one enormous temple. I found that I’m not so fond of seeing temples in 96-degree weather (see the last post) and I’m very sorry to confess that I’m not a great fan of ruins. Historical fiction will do the trick for me if it’s good. But don’t pay any attention to me. Here’s a wonderful write-up about Sukhothai from the UNESCO site:
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/574

What I really liked was hanging out in the neighborhood—without the company of French, Dutch, German, Chinese, Spanish, Latin American and American tourists. Just me, alone with my 5-month-old Thai, having an excellent time with all I talked to. I went to a beauty parlor for the first pedicure of my life, and ended up getting my hair washed, blow-dried and trimmed as well, because the atmosphere was so chatty and fun. Two cousins of my host ran a “som dtam” stand—a kind of spicy papaya salad—and I became addicted to the salad AND the sisters who made it every evening. I also went to a “breakfast street-food buffet” at the urging of a very nice woman who sat on a table the rest of the day preparing vegetables. Her English was excellent. At breakfast, there were ten separate large containers of food to choose from, plus rice, and to my great surprise, each dish was more delicious than the other! How did she do it?

Anyway, even in only five days, I felt that I “lived” in Sukhothai, and that is my overall goal of my international adventure as well.

Please enjoy the photos and “skill” video.Read more