Beautiful Ruins

December 22, 2016




We left the Dusit D2 after breakfast, grabbing a photo to remember Tim's favorite security team, although there was a heftier guy who was sitting on this wall every other time we came and went.  Ready to jump into action at a moment's notice!



Today's destination - Sukhothai in central Thailand.  Many see the kingdom of Sukhothai, ("place of happiness,") as the birthplace of modern Thailand.  It was the capital city of the Sukhothai kingdom when many neighboring northern kingdoms united against the Khmer empire to form one nation in 1238 AD, and continued as such for two hundred years.

The drive was pleasant, and we drove straight to the historical park with the sun blazing overhead.  Many bicycles were available for rent, a common way to tour the park.  It was not very clear where we should go, or if an entrance fee was involved.  The few official-looking people didn't volunteer much info, but we finally figured out we could drive through the park.  We opted for the cooler, air-conditioned transport, happily paying the fifty-baht car entrance fee ($1.40 US).





The Sukhothai Historical Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with 193 ruins on seventy square kilometers, which include the remains of the royal palace and twenty-six temples.  Several of these are within the old city wall, with several more on the outside perimeter.

Our last stop inside the wall was the King Ramkhamhaeng Monument, honoring the leader of the late 13th century.  He was considered the greatest ruler of the time, and is credited with creating the Thai alphabet, as well as establishing Theravada Buddhism as the state religion.  An image of this monument is on the back of many twenty-baht notes.

After touring inside the wall, we went in search of Wat Si Chum, just to the north.  Mick said the site was well-known in Thailand, appearing in movies and such.  It was lucky we had Thais in the car, because it wasn't easy to find, and had to ask for directions more than once.  Wat Si Chum has a huge Mandapa, or pillared pavilion, housing a seated Buddha image 15 meters tall.  From Wikipedia:

There is a legend that to boost morale of the ancient soldiers and people, the kings went through the hidden passageway and addressed the people through a hole, making them believed the voice they were hearing was actually the Buddha's. 

The trees inside and outside the park were quite remarkable.  I was quite surprised when June pointed out a mango tree; it was a huge, shade tree like an elm, not at all tropical-looking.

Thai beehive

the canopy of the mango tree

We spent quite a lot of time driving from one end of Sukhothai city to the other, looking for a hotel. We finally found our way to the Ruean Thai hotel, a little budget hotel tucked away down an alley - I'd remembered reading favorable reviews of this place.  They gave us two rooms at the far end of the pool.  We relaxed for a bit in our little twin beds, then had dinner at the hotel restaurant.  There was only one other table of diners, but the service was slow, and orders were forgotten.  Finally went back to our room, only to be blasted by the screams of some very loud French children just outside our room at the pool.  The thin walls and ill-fitting windows did little to keep out the noise or the mosquitoes.  We literally had to shout to each other to be heard.  C'est la vie!

beautiful orchid in our room

The next morning we were fed and on the road, stopping only for coffee and "benzene," and arriving back in Pattaya by two p.m.  It was a fine trip, and Chiang Mai is definitely a city I would love to revisit.  A big thanks to Mick and June for being willing to make the road trip with us.