When you last left our intrepid explorers they were just venturing north of Bangkok to the two ancient capitals of Ayuthaya and Sukothai...
Two days of cycling on bikes made for 12 year olds later and we have seen some amazing sights, the ancient ruins were quite spectacular, as we hope the pictures will convey in some small way. We can only think that Ankor Wat will be amazing after what we have seen so far.
We stayed in a sweaty box room akin to a sauna in Ayuthaya, it was the last room at the inn and we might as well have been out in the stable with the animals. Nicola has decided that in addition to our weight loss program in the jungle, we could also offer the couple of nights in a sweat box or cycling around ancient ruins options for those looking for a little variety. Christopher is down to 60kg's already (well maybe not but he has lost his puppy fat!).
A couple of things that have struck us about Thailand is the reverence to the King, whose image is absolutely everywhere, it is hard to imagine living in NZ/UK and to be constantly confronted by images of Queen Lizzy everywhere. Images can be found in both places of business and people's homes. In addition to the affection/reverence for the royal family, it is a country shrowded in religious icons. There is a plethora of Buddhist temples and many private residences appear to have small shrines in the front/back yard.
We are also well and truly on the tourist trail, it is striking how many western tourists, families as well as young backpackers are around. It is nice to be in Lampang for a couple of nights as it doesn't seem to be as well visited as the stops we have made so far. After several days on the go we had a lie in this morning and a leisurly stroll around the city, the iced latte's here are amazing (probably something to do with the 36 degree temps and 80% humidity).
The bus ride from Sukothai to Lampang was a noisy affair as the driver showed a movie,that was extremely violent and in Thai...
Gotta run, about to run out of time on the net... more later.
