Schedules suck! But now that we have made up our minds not to extend our 14-day Thai visas we have to keep moving to squeeze in everything. Sunday afternoon, our day last in Chiang Mai, we visited two more wats and got foot massages at the Sunday Walking Market where we ran into several people we had traveled with on the Mekong, a sure sign we have been in town too long. Every Sunday afternoon a few main roads are blocked off where vendors set up their displays and every courtyard and wat has food stalls. If you can’t find it here you don’t need it!
Sukhothai is only a five hour bus ride from Chiang Mai yet it feels more like a town in Central America. The streets are dusty and lined with food stalls. Stray dogs wander about and the side streets are even drearier. But the J&J Guesthouse is an oasis amidst the clutter. It has more the feel of a villa and we are in one of the “mansion rooms,” no air-con or TV but who needs it?
The main attraction here is the Sukhothai Historical Park, yet another World Heritage Site – this must be our 50th one. It is 12 km from town so we rented a motorbike for the day for less than the cost of a video rental. Thais ride on the left so I still haven’t driven a motorcycle on the right-hand side of the road. Sukhothai was the first capital of Siam way back in the 12th century until it was eventually absorbed by Ayuthaya. The stupas, referred to here as “chedi,” are in the shape of a lotus bud, giving Sukhothai a much different look than Angkor. Many are surrounded by ponds or moats making for some interesting photos. There are 21 sites within the park proper and another 70 within a five-mile radius but we limited ourselves to the main part. Surprisingly it wasn’t crowded and Connie had time to looks for birds.
