We didn't get any sleep on the train ride to Phitsanulok because we had to get off at 3 in the morning and we didn't want to miss our stop. But of course, the train people were there to wake us up so all that worrying for nothing. TYPICAL! But we found a pretty nice hotel to check in at that ungodly hour so it was all gravy. We did, however, get followed by some young punk kids begging for change. We got lucky with a television that had cable and got to watch our first, FIRST football game. By the way, Mel slept with the remote in her hand like it was Keio.
Besides going to another temple there's really not much to see or do here, just a pit stop on our way to Sukhothai. This ancient city charmed the pants off of us. Meaning "Rising Happiness" it's the original capital of the first Thai kingdom that is surrounded by three concentric ramparts and two moats bridged by four gateways. There are still remains of 21 historical sites, including some original Buddha imgaes, old architecture and ruins....okay, I have to stop now..I feel like I'm writing a history paper...yikes! We rented some bicycles to ride in and around the old city walls. It felt good to get some excercise.
We stayed in a pretty bungalow for one night and strolled around town. We stopped at 7 Eleven (Yes, that's what we have contributed to this country) to get some ice cream and I saw what looked to be a temple down the road. As we made our way there, several buses with school children greeted us with big smiles and friendly hellos. It turned out to be a school, as well as a temple where the monks live and teach. As I was taking pictures, a monk came up to us and told us to check out the temple. Then proceeded to take us under his wing for the next few hours. We got to see how they live and work on the farm with chickens, ducks, a million cats and dogs, one big pot belly pig and each other. It was definitely the simple way of life. They were happy and content and we enjoyed getting to know them. The monk kept buying us drinks (water and coffee) and feeding us bananas from their garden. There was a bit of a language berrier and after awhile he started to repeat himself over and over again. We don't know if it was lack of communication or Altheimer's, but it was starting to weigh us down and we were getting hungry. It's funny how that happens because I was telling Mel the night before that we should talk to the locals a little more. Too bad we didn't know what the hell he was saying, though.
Fast fact: Mel loves eating those crispy critters!
