Our next destination was Phitsanulok from where we could easily reach the ancient city of Sukothai. To get there we had to find Bangkok’s North East bus station. We negotiated our way northwards across Bangkok with relative ease, thanks to the efficiency of the new Skytrain. On jumping off at the relevant stop for the bus terminal and ignoring persistent offers of tuk tuk and taxi transfers between the Skytrain and the bus station (we so don’t fall for this little trick any more!) we proceeded to get horrifically lost in some landscaped gardens, in the sweltering 40 degree heat for at least an hour, backpacks in tow, in our vain attempts to follow the path between the two. Maybe this is what bad karma is all about?!!After a relatively short bus ride of around 4 hours we arrived in the transport hub of Phitsanulok and checked into some dubious hotel just outside the bus station. Our suspicions on how we were the only guests and why the owner had looked so surprised at our checking in were confirmed a little later when paying the Seven-Eleven a visit. Lets just say the neighbouring Karaoke bars were staffed by many more scantily clad young girls than they were budding X-Factor contestants… Ady was keen to flex his vocals but Sam persuaded him that it would cost more than the price of a drink if he entered!
Sukothai was established in the 13th century and subsequently became the centre of rule for more than 150 years. It was the first independent kingdom of Siam.
Bicycles at the ready, we set off to explore. After 2 minutes Ady had broken quite a sweat as his bike wasn’t built for a 13 stone westerner! The chain guard scraped and the brakes jammed on making it harder work than normal. Nevertheless, the sights more than made up for the dodgy equipment. The photos here tell the story, with added captions where we can remember what it was we had taken!
Later in the day we were back on the road – next destination and Thailand’s second largest city, Chiang Mai
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