Thailand > Cycling through old Sukhothai

The alarm goes off at half past six. After breakfast we depart towards Sukhothai. On the way we visit the Friends of the Asian Elephant hospital in Lampang. At this hospital injured elephants are cared for. Most of them were hurt after stepping on landmines. The famous elephant Motola also finds shelter here. This elephant stepped on a landmine in Burma. He regularly receives attention on Discovery Channel. We continue by minivan to Sukhothai for lunch. In a large restaurant a buffet lunch is served, accompanied by live music. Unfortunately, the singing isn’t completely in tune, but it’s well intended.

Thailand - Wat Malhatat in Sukhothai

After lunch we drive back a short distance to find Sukhothai. At the bike rental place we each pick out a suitable bicycle. We cycle into Sukhothai National Park. Sukhothai is the ancient capital of Thailand, and many ruins of chedis and temples remain intact. Toy is less skillful on her bicycle. At the first sight she rides straight into the hedge. Her brakes don’t work so well, she says. At the statue of the king you can have your future foretold. By ringing the big bell and drawing a number, your future is determined. Toy translates the slips of paper. She looks serious when reading mine: I will have to work hard, but in the end this will be rewarded. We cycle on to Wat Mahathat. This temple complex is one of the largest in the central part of Sukhothai. It contains a collection of chedis, Buddha statues, and other structures. The temples radiate peace as you wander through them. That peace, however, is soon disturbed by a Thai school class. They are practicing their English and have written down questions. Since we are the only tourists at this temple at the time, we are all subjected to a cross-examination several times over. Fortunately, not all of the Thai children dare the confrontation, and we can continue on our bikes to the other temples. Cycling through the complex, we learn there are still four more complexes to visit in the central area of Sukhothai.

Thailand - Thai schoolchildren in the photo

These, however, are less worthwhile and would take a full day to explore. We ride our bikes back to the park entrance, where our minivans are waiting. Around half past four we arrive in Phitsanulok for the overnight stay. The hotel is located a bit outside the center. We are welcomed with a drink while our suitcases are taken to our rooms. We decide to go for a swim first. There we meet the other travel companions again. In the evening we walk to the center of Phitsanulok. At the hotel we had asked for a map, but it isn’t very clear. Along the way we try to ask for directions a few times, but because of the language barrier this isn’t easy. Eventually we reach the center. By the river, Geert climbs down to one of the houseboats some ten meters lower and hands over his old T-shirts. Again, the conversation is mostly with gestures, but we do get the impression they were happy with them. We eat at a restaurant while watching the final of the Asia Cup between Thailand and Vietnam on a big screen. Thailand wins in extra time, though nobody seems very exuberant. We nearly were, when we saw two rats scurry from the back kitchen to the front kitchen underneath the screen. No one else seemed to mind. After another beer we walk back to the hotel to go to sleep.