Sukhothai, Thailand

Ayuthaya may be more visited but the ruins in Sukhothai are better preserved. I wanted a stopping point in between Chiang Mai and Bangkok to avoid the exceedingly long bus ride and to actually experience some culture in Thailand I thought would be a good idea.

I am not an expert by an stretch of the imagination in ruins, history, or any of that stuff that I generally skated through during school but the ruins in Sukhothai are pretty cool and the area is very nice. The cost of admission is kind of outrageous by Thai standards, but I suppose if you are Thai you are not paying the foreigner entrance fee. The ruins are divided into five areas, each with the own entrance fee. I decided to forgo four of the sites as most and the best ruins are in the central region.

I rented a bicycle to explore and to help provide a little wind in the heat. This was a good call. I was able to see more and just riding makes going about more enjoyable. And, of course, the breeze was nice. The main part in the central region of the ruins is surrounded by a moat that was function back in the day and I guess still kind of is in that it prevents people from sneaking in without paying admission (I tried). However, it is now also used for kids to jump in and swim. I saw some kids climbing a tree and jumping in about 10 feet up. Not too high. Of course, I did the same. The water was gross and only a few feet deep but I managed to not injury myself or get sick from the water and was pleasantly cooled off.

I ended up only spending a single night in Sukhothai because I found a night bus to Bangkok. So I was effectively able to spend two days there and save the cost of a night's accommodation by taking the night bus. I would have been happy to spend a couple more days in the town though there is not much to do there but it would have been a nice place to just chill for a bit, at least partially because my room was cheap, spotless, free wifi, and cheap, good food. Alas, it was not to be and I boarded the 11PM, 2nd class bus to Bangkok, due to arrive at 5-6AM to couchsurf for the second time.