Bangkok & Sukhothai
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Buddha statues in a prayer hall beside Wat
Arun |
It's been four years since I last visited the Thai capital, Bangkok. But some things just don't change. The noise, the heat, the pollution. However, you can't help but be caught up in the hustle and bustle, the crowds and congestion of the city. Somehow, this city has a buzz that you'll be hard pressed to find elsewhere.
Guoquan, Wan Churn and I touched down at the Don Muang International Airport shortly after the sun set. This could possibly be the last time that I land in this airport. The long-delayed Suvarnabhumi International Airport is expected to take over from Don Muang in 2006. After passing through immigration, we decided to take a cab to Khao San Road, where we'll be staying for the next two nights.
The taxi stand is outside the terminal building. After paying for the ride (I don't remember how much, though it's not too expensive), we set off for Khao San Road.
Khao San Road hasn't changed much in four years. Formerly a major rice market for Bangkok (I don't know how long ago), Khao San Road is now packed with cheap guesthouses, street cafes, and stalls selling cheap Thai knock-offs of everything from jeans to footwear. The area also has many street carts that sell a wide variety of food, from phat thai to fried quail eggs to banana pancakes and even to bugs. If I must pinpoint a difference, I would say that the area seems to have gone slightly more upmarket. For example, international outlets like Burger King and Starbucks have moved in, and you'll also see some trendy bars around.
After enquiring at a few guesthouses, we finally settled on Top Guest House (126/1 Khao San Road), which offered us a double bed room with fans and attached toilet for 350 baht. After putting down our stuff, we got out to grab some food before Raudaa and the rest arrived in Bangkok.
After dinner, we decided to walk around Khao San Road. After strolling up and down the streets a couple of times, I finally decided to try some of the bugs/insects on sale. Eventually I settled on bamboo worms after deliberating between that or a scorpion. Well, for the record, it doesn't taste as disgusting as it looks. In fact, I couldn't really taste it as the only thing I could taste is the seasoning they used, which is salty. Because it's crunchy, it feels almost like you're eating potato chips.
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Khao San Road |
After I had my worms, we continued walking down Khao San Road. Just then I saw a television crew from Singapore's Channel U. They were filming a travelogue on nightlife in foreign cities. Since it's so coincidental that we bumped into them, we decided to take a picture with the presenters. After we took the picture, the producers requested for an interview since we spoke Mandarin and before we knew it, Wan Churn and I were interviewed on camera about nightlife in Bangkok.
After the interview, we wandered around some more while waiting for the rest to arrive. Soon, we ended up near the Democracy Monument which is just a stone's throw away. The monument, which is designed by an Italian artist, was erected in 1932 to commemorate Thailand's momentous transformation from absolute to constitutional monarchy. An interesting point to note is that this artist designed monuments for Italian dictator Benito Mussolini before immigrating to Thailand. Anyway, the large, art deco monument has four highly stylized angel wings arranged in a circle in the middle of the road. At night, the four wings are illuminated and it looks pretty nice. However, if you want to cross over to the monument, do watch out for traffic. For some reason (or maybe we missed it), we couldn't find any traffic crossing to the monument so we had to jaywalk. After snapping our pictures, my mobile phone rang. The others had arrived. Therefore, we made our way back to Khao San Road.
Back at Khao San Road, Raudaa, and Limei and her friends were there. We brought them back to the guesthouse. After they put down their stuff, it was back to pounding the streets of Khao San. At around midnight, suddenly we saw policemen telling the vendors and stall-owners to pack up. Apparently, Thailand shuts down after midnight. This seems to be part of a series of measures introduced by Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to curb juvenile crime and drug abuse. In 2004, he introduced a midnight curfew on bars and clubs. This was later extended to 1am (I don't know whether there's been any changes since). Anyway, what a bummer. With nothing much else left to see and do, we retired back to our guesthouses.
The next morning, we rose early to set off for the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market which is in Ratchaburi Province. From Khao San Road, we hailed two cabs to bring us over to the Southern Bus Terminal, Limei and her friends in one cab, and the rest of us in another. When we arrived at the Southern Bus Terminal, we couldn't find Limei and her pals, despite them having set off earlier. After waiting for some time, we decided to board the bus towards the floating market.
The bus must have gone on a circuitous route. The journey to Damnoen Saduak which is about 80 to 100km away from Bangkok depending on where you get your information from, took about 2 hours. Finally the bus dropped us off at a bus terminal near the floating market. Somehow we think that's where they deposit gullible tourists because the locals had all alighted the stop before. Right after we got off the bus, we were accosted by a couple of people wanting us to go on a boat ride in the canal. Since we wanted to wait for Limei and her pals as we couldn't contact them (somehow the global roaming service failed then), we declined the offer to go on the boat ride. When they saw that we weren't about to go on the boat ride, they started getting more and more pushy until finally they got the message that we wanted to wait for our friends to arrive before going on the boat ride.
Now, this particular bus terminal is just a dusty clearing with nothing much around it, except for a small kiosk selling food and beverage and of course, boat trips to the floating market. Therefore, to pass time, we started playing some hand games. After waiting for more than an hour, during which no other buses came in (which reinforced our view that this particular bus terminal is where they bring gullible tourists), we decided to take up the offer of the boat ride to the floating market.
The four of us got in a motorised river-taxi and started cruising along the canals. Along the way, the boat slowed down beside every single souvenir stall lining the sides of the canal. However, we didn't buy anything and upon sensing that we weren't really keen on souvenirs, our boat guide decided to move along faster. Soon we arrived at the main floating market area (see picture below). As we had arrived past noon, there weren't much people around. There were only a few vendor boats, mostly paddled by women in Thai-style hats. These people sell almost everything from vegetable and fruits to kitchen gadgets and freshly cooked food. As I've been here before, I know that the area is much more charming in the early morning where you'll see much more boats crowding the water surface. You'll also be able to see the trading that goes on between boats. Though the market is somewhat commercialized and touristy, it'll still be able to offer you a glimpse into what Bangkok was like in the past.
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Damnoen Saduak Floating Market |
Anyway, there were permanent stalls set up on the side, selling clothes, food, and more souvenirs. As we haven't had lunch, we decided to get off the boat to walk along the sides of the canal and grab some food. There are some chairs and tables beside the canal. However, you still got to get your food from the vendors who cook it on their boats. We got some noodle soup and coconut pancakes. Yummy, though the portions are really small. While we're having lunch, a group of Thai students came up to us. They were accompanied by their teachers and basically they're just trying to improve their English. So they asked us a few simple questions like what do we like to eat and where are we going in Thailand and so on, which they dutifully recorded in their worksheets.
Soon, we decided to head back to our boat guide as it was getting late. He brought us through a couple of residential canals before finally dropping us off at a pier close to the bus station. The residential canals are pretty interesting, though we zipped through so fast that I didn't really have a good look at it. Anyway you'll see the houses (mostly wooden shacks) with steps leading right to the water edge. We also saw someone doing her laundry beside the water.
From the pier, we walked over to the bus station. After a short walk around town looking for a toilet (there's really nothing much in town except for a market), we boarded the bus back to Bangkok.
Back at the Southern Bus Terminal in Bangkok, we decided to head over to the Hualamphong Train Station to book our tickets to Phitsanulok. So we took a taxi to the train station, which is at the southeastern edge of Chinatown. The train station, which was built by Dutch architects and engineers, just before WWI, is one of Bangkok's earliest and best examples of the movement towards Thai Art Deco. Anyway, at the train station, we got down to our task of getting a ticket to Phitsanulok. At the ticketing booth, a friendly English--speaking staff came forward to help us out and after telling her what we wanted, she got the tickets for us. We got a second class sleeper without air-con for 339 baht. An interesting point to note is that the upper deck and lower deck of the sleeper cost a different price, with the lower deck being slightly more expensive.
After we got the tickets, the staff led us up to the second level of the train station, to a travel agent. Either she thought we needed some help planning our itinerary, or there must be some kickbacks at work here. You draw your own conclusions. Anyway, we soon got ourselves out of the travel office and we decided to head on to the Erawan Shrine near the Central World Plaza (formerly the World Trade Centre). So we took the subway from Hualamphong Station over to a station near the shrine. First, some history about the shrine. It was built in 1956 to ward off bad luck during the construction of the first Erawan Hotel. Basically, a series of mishaps had delayed the construction of the hotel. Thus, an astrologer was brought in to identify the cause, and provide the solution. Hence, the shrine was built. Eventually, the hotel was torn down to make way for the Grand Hyatt Erawan some years ago.
Anyway, the four-headed deity at the centre of the shrine is Brahma, the Hindu god of creation. When we were there, there were lots of onlookers and people paying their respects at the shrine. You can buy some colourful flower garlands to make your offerings if you wish. At the shrine, the air was thick with the smell of incense and the smoke really got to our eyes. If you can bear with the smoke for a while, you'll see some dancers beside the shrine who are always on hand for an impromptu performance if someone wants to 'make merit' by paying them to dance. Well, apparently there were many people who wanted to 'make merit'. The dancers were practically dancing non-stop. It's definitely worth a look even though the dancer's performances aren't really coordinated.
After a while, our eyes couldn't take the smoke anymore and we decided to leave the place. Across the road is the Central World Plaza. We decided to make our way there. It seems like there's a huge party going on in front of the shopping mall. There were open air restaurants and beer gardens, and Thai singers belting it out in a couple of stages spread out right in front of the mall. And the place was jam-packed with people. Beside the road, you'll also see some street stalls selling clothes and accessories. As we walked further down the road, we came to the food area where there were many food stalls selling the same grotesque-looking barbecued fish. Despite its outward appearance, it seems like it's quite a popular dish. I wanted to try it, though the rest didn't seem too keen. Anyway, we soon found ourselves a seat and we ordered some food. Lovely, but the portions were pretty small. Thus, I suggested that we get the fish to fill our stomachs, and they agreed. Apparently, the fish (they call it the serpent head) is caked with salt and then left to grill over the embers. So how does it taste? Well, not too bad. The texture is a little chewy and firm, and there's a slight fishy smell, but the flesh has a sweet flavour.
After dinner, we walked around the front of the Central World Plaza for a while, before we decided to make our way down to Patpong. We took a cab down. Now, Patpong probably needs no introduction for most of you. That's where you can find Bangkok's infamous go-go bars. However, these days, Patpong also draws its fair share of sightseers who come for its open-air night market. I don't know how it was in the past, but it's definitely not as seedy as you think it'll be. To be sure, the night market is lined with go-go bars where you'll see scantily-clad women doing pole-dancing. You'll also see touts coming up to you offering sex shows. But by and large, the area is almost family-friendly. I said almost. There's a difference. Of course, that's provided you stay off the smaller lanes which tend to be seedier than Thanon Patpong. Anyway, the night market seems pretty good. However, it was getting pretty late and we basically just zipped through the night market before heading back to Khao San Road to rest for the night.
The next morning, we got up early to go to the Grand Palace. The last time I was in Bangkok some four years back, I didn't manage to go to the Grand Palace, so I couldn't wait. The Grand Palace's pretty near to Khao San Road so we decided to walk there. Along the way, we had to cut through Sanam Luang (Royal Field) which, as its name suggests, is a very large field just beside the Grand Palace. The field is the traditional site for royal cremations, and for the annual Ploughing Ceremony in which the King officially initiates the rice-growing season. Most of the time however, it is a recreational area and we saw people jogging around the field when we were there.
However, do watch out for the pigeon ladies when you're there because that's where we got scammed. Basically, this is what happened. We were walking through the field towards the Grand Palace when we saw some ladies feeding pigeons. When they saw us, they started walking closer and closer to us, asking us whether we wanted to feed the birds. Well, we didn't want to feed any pigeons, especially not with all that bird flu in the region, and we walked away. However, I stopped to get a drink. Bad move. It basically gave them a chance to close in on us. When I had my arms outstretched waiting to get back my change from the drink-seller, one of the ladies dropped a packet of bird seeds into my hands. And she wouldn't let me return it to her. Well, since she doesn't want it back, I walked away, and she called out to me. When I stopped, she opened up a packet of bird seeds and emptied the contents into my hands and claimed that it's free. Somehow, I was stupid enough not to walk away, and she took the chance to open up more packets to empty onto my hands. Since I didn't want the birds to flutter all around me, I threw the seeds away. Then suddenly, she showed me about ten empty packets and asked for money! The cheek! Since I didn't want to start a quarrel so early in the morning and spoil my day, I decided to pay her off.
Anyway, in case you're wondering, only Wan Churn managed to escape these pigeon ladies. Both Guoquan and Raudaa got cornered by these tricksters. Apparently this is not a new trick. As I searched the internet, I found out that it's happened to many people. Therefore, if you happen to see these people when you're there, do give them a wide berth and walk away as fast as you can. Alternatively, as someone suggested on a travel forum, don't pay them. It'll only encourage them to continue their detestable activities. It's stuff like these that gives Bangkok a bad name.
Moving on, we crossed the road to enter the palace grounds. We entered through the Visechaisri Gate which is at the northern side of the 1900m white wall that surrounds the palace compounds. Basically, the Grand Palace complex was established in 1782 and it houses not only the royal residence and throne halls, but also a number of government offices as well as the renowned Temple of the Emerald Buddha. After purchasing our tickets (250 baht), we headed into the Royal Thai Decorations and Coins Pavilion. As its name suggests, the two-storey building contains many Royal Thai decorations and regalia. For instance, you'll see the different forms of headgears, weapons and the Royal Paraphernalia set which are personal utensils of the royal family. It's definitely worth a look, though take note that no photography or filming is allowed. And if you want to make more sense of what you see, just hang around the many tour groups and listen to the guide's explanations.
After we left the Pavilion, we entered the Royal Monastery of the Emerald Buddha, which is adjoined to the royal residence. The entire place is exquisitely decorated with gold and glass which dazzles in the sun. In fact, there's glitter and gold everywhere you look. After gawking at the structures for a while, we started exploring the grounds.
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Phra Mondop, Grand Palace |
We turned left to walk along the Upper Terrace which is next to the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Four main monuments are found on this terrace: the dazzling golden Phra Si Ratana Chedi, enshrining a piece of the Buddha's breastbone; the repository of the canon of Buddhism; the model of Angkor Wat; and the Royal Pantheon where statues of past sovereigns of the ruling dynasty are enshrined. Scattered around these monuments are fictitious animals in mythology. These evolved out of artists' imaginations and are valued for their aesthetic inspiration. Basically we're astounded by the richness of the artwork on each and every structure. So much attention has been given to detail. It's truly a treat for the eyes.
We then moved on to the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, which is the most sacred temple in Thailand. You can't wear your shoes in, so if your shoes costs a bomb, it's probably not such a good idea to wear it to the Grand Palace. Another thing is, you can't take pictures or film within the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. However, you might want to consider bringing in a pair of binoculars. That's because it's quite hard to make out the details of the Emerald Buddha, which sits atop an ornate11-metre tall altar within the temple. Besides being so far away, the problem is compounded by the fact that the Buddha is not exactly very big. It stands about 60 to 75cm high, depending on how it's measured. The Emerald Buddha has a long and colourful history, but I shan't dwell on it. An interesting point to take note is that there are three seasonal costumes for the Emerald Buddha: the cool, hot and rainy seasons. The costumes are changed three times a year in a ceremony presided over by the Thai King. When we're there, the Emerald Buddha had on the cool and rainy seasons costume. And in case you're wondering, the Emerald Buddha is in fact carved out of a piece of green jade.
Well, even though you can't really make out the details of the Emerald Buddha, I think a visit to the Temple is still a must. In fact, it's like the Thai version of the Sistine Chapel. The walls and ceilings are painted with murals depicting various stories. If you want to know more about the history of the Temple, you can buy a book just outside the temple. The book, which is published by the Bureau of the Royal Household, costs just 20 baht and the proceeds from the sale goes towards the restoration of the Temple.
Moving on, we left the grounds of the Royal Monastery and walked along the connecting gateway to the former residence of the monarch, the Grand Palace. However, most of the buildings were clad in scaffolding and being given a fresh coat of paint, so there weren't many photo opportunities for us. As we continued walking, we saw the Wat Phra Kaeo Musuem. Again, no photography is allowed. Inside you'll find some weapons, costumes and even white elephant bones. However, I'm not terribly excited by the place, though it's probably worth a quick look if you've time to spare.
Soon after, we left the Grand Palace. Our next stop's the Wat Arun. To get there, we had to cross the Chao Phraya River and so we headed for the pier. We eventually ended up at Tha Chang, which is the wrong pier, though we didn't knew it then. Anyway, we tried to ask around for directions, but it seems like every Thai person there is connected to an elaborate scheme. Their goal? To sell us a package to Wat Arun. You might dismiss us as being too cynical, but I've taken the cross-river ferry to Wat Arun before, and I know how much it costs. The ferry ticket costs less than 10 baht, but these people were trying to sell us tickets that cost more than 100 baht. And the worst thing is, there's a tourist information counter, and they basically echoed what everyone was telling us, which is that ferry tickets to Wat Arun cost more than 100 baht. Well, I refused to believe them and I walked away. Then I saw a group of Caucasians and I asked them whether they're heading to Wat Arun, and indeed they were, so we tagged along with them. Soon, we found ourselves aboard a ferry and the ride itself costs less than 5 baht.
However, as I've mentioned earlier, we had gone to the wrong pier, so the ferry that we're on basically transported us from Tha Chang to Tha Tien, which is just opposite the Wat Arun. At Tha Tien, we transferred to another cross-river ferry and this cost us a couple of bahts more. In all, the river crossings cost us around 10 baht per person. What a far cry from the 100 plus baht quoted to us by the tourist information booth at Tha Chang. However, in case you start thinking that all the Thais are cheats, I would like to assure you otherwise. Most of them are friendly and helpful, but I think it's best to be wary of those that hang around touristy areas.
Anyway, the ferry took less than ten minutes to transport us from one bank of the muddy-coloured Chao Phraya River, to the other bank. Over at Wat Arun, be wary of using the cutouts of Thai dancers you see for pictures. That's where we got scammed again! Basically, you'll see these cutouts on the path leading to Wat Arun, and when you stick your heads in the cutouts and take a picture, that's when you'll see someone coming up to you to ask for money. In our case, this lady came up to us and pointed at a tiny 40 baht sign pasted at the bottom of the cutout, after we took the picture. How infuriating! And it wasn't even a nice picture.
Anyway, moving on, we decided to explore the area around Wat Arun before heading in. There's a complex beside the Wat Arun where you'll see lots of Buddha statues. You can't really find much information on it but I think it's worth a look. Soon, we decided to enter the grounds of Wat Arun. There's an admission fee of 20 baht.
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Wat Arun |
The most outstanding feature of Wat Arun is its central prang (Khmer-style tower). Steep stairs reach a lookout point about halfway up the prang from where you can have a view of Thonburi and the river. The central prang is surround by 4 smaller satellite prangs. The prangs are decorated by bits of porcelain which had previously been used as ballast by boats coming to Bangkok from China, and around the base of the prangs are various figures of ancient Chinese soldiers and animals.
Anyway, it wasn't long before it started raining, so we made a beeline for the pier to board the ferry back to Tha Tien. Back at Tha Tien, we decided to head over to the Mahboonkrong (MBK) shopping centre. And so we split up into two teams and boarded the ubiquitous tuk-tuk to head over to MBK. Wan Churn and I reached MBK first, and so we looked around for a suitable meeting point. Finally we settled on McDonald's. When Guoquan and Raudaa arrived, they called me and we arranged to meet at McDonald's. However, after waiting some time, we still see no signs of them. Eventually we realised that there are actually two McDonald's outlet within the shopping mall. That's how huge the mall is. The seven-storey building is packed with stalls selling everything from clothing and leather goods to cosmetics, gift items, electrical equipment, furniture and travel and camping equipment. However, we're running out of time, and after we all met up, we decided to cross over to the Siam Centre for food. Soon we found a food court at the level just below the cineplex and had our lunch there. In all, we must have spent less than an hour in the area before we set off for the Chatuchak Weekend Market.
We took the skytrain over to the Mo Chit Station which is just a stone's throw away from the weekend market. The last time I was here, I didn't have enough time to explore the place. This time round, I had slightly more time (about one and a half hours), but it's still not enough. The market is huge. It covers over 35 acres and contains more than 15000 stalls. The market is divided into zones. For instance there's the pets section, clothing section, furniture section and so on. Without much time to spare, we decided to split up (me and Guoquan, and Raudaa and Wan Churn) to explore the place. After making a couple of twists and turns down the small passageways, Guoquan and I found ourselves at the pets section. There were all sorts of pets being sold and to give you an idea of how much it costs, a puppy would cost you around US$60, and that's before bargaining.
From the pets section, we weaved through the art section, the food stalls, and countless passageways before we finally ended up near the clock tower. And as fate would have it, we met Raudaa and Wan Churn there. How coincidental. 35 acres, 15000 stalls and we still managed to bump into each other. Anyway, we decided to explore the rest of the place together since we didn't have much time left. The girls wanted to indulge in some retail therapy and so we walked around the clothing zones for a while before we finally decided that we had to leave. What a pity. We had barely scratched the surface of what this place had to offer, but well, we had a train to catch.
Therefore, we took a cab back to Khao San Road to wash up and pack our stuff before we headed to the Hualamphong Train Station. At the train station, we had our dinner and waited for the train to depart. The train left Bangkok at around 9.30pm.
The next day, we arrived in Phitsanulok at about 4.30am. From the train station, we took a tuk-tuk over to the bus station to board the bus to Sukhothai. The journey to Sukhothai took about an hour. At the Sukhothai bus terminal, we boarded a vehicle (I don't remember what was it) to the Banthai Guesthouse (38 Pravet Nakhorn Road) which was recommended by our guidebooks. As we're not intending to stay the night in Sukhothai, we decided to share a room for 250 baht. The guesthouse is a bit off the road, but it's very pleasant, with a nice small garden and resort-style bungalows. The only issue we had with the place is its hard beds and low entrances to the attached toilet. Remember to stoop low when entering the toilet, otherwise you'll end up walking into the doorframe.
Anyway, after taking our showers and having a short rest, we were all geared up to go to the Sukhothai Historical Park. But first, a short history about the place. The Sukhothai historical park covers the ruins of Sukhothai, which was the capital of the first Thai kingdom from the mid-13th century to the late 14th century. Today, the remains of 21 historical sites and four large ponds can be seen within the old walls, and the park is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The park is slightly more than 10km away from New Sukhothai, which is where we were. After breakfast at our guesthouse, we took a three-wheeled motorcycle taxi over to the park. Actually I'm not even sure what that vehicle is called. It looks like a modified motorcycle with the motorcycle at the back, and the seating area for passengers in front so it looks as though we're travelling in an enormous bike basket. Anyway, we've come to realise that Thailand has many unique forms of transport to get us around. At last count, we tried about 15 types of transport in our seven days in Thailand.
Anyway, it was a straight road from the new city to the old city and soon we arrived at the entrance of the park. Well, according to the guidebooks, the best way to get around the ruins is by bicycle and so we heeded their advice. We rented one each from a shop that's just outside the park entrance and we decided to explore the outer regions first before entering the city wall.
We headed east and the first major monument I saw is Wat Chang Lom. The temple consists of the main bell-shaped chedi with 32 elephant statues around its base, and an ordination hall surrounded by water. Well, since this is the first major ruin we saw in Sukhothai, naturally we were excited and we cycled around, snapping many shots. There are also some other ruins around Wat Chang Lom, but I can't seem to find them on the map.
From Wat Chang Lom, we headed north, passing out of the town wall. Along the way, we passed by many other wats as well, one of which is Wat Om Rop. It consists of a main lotus bud-shaped chedi, a vihara made of brick and 6 subordinate chedis with a moat enclosing the whole temple. Although the wats around here seem less preserved than those within the city walls, there's a kind of abandoned beauty about the place. In some respects, it might even be more charming than the area within the city walls, because fewer visitors come to this area, allowing you an almost private experience.
From Wat Om Rop, we cycled on till we arrived at Wat Si Chum (or Wat Sri Chum, there's a lot of variations in the spelling of Thai words). We had to pay an admission fee of 30baht before we could enter the site. The large impressive mondop encloses a 15m seated Buddha image, made from brick and stucco. A staircase leading to a space behind the image's head, revealing line carvings of the Jataka tales (stories of Buddha's previous life episode), has now been blocked, unfortunately. Nonetheless, this is still my favourite site within the Sukhothai Historical Park. The sheer scale of the Buddha statue is mesmerising, and the tight confines of the protective shield around it makes its size all the more overpowering. Not surprisingly, it has become one of the icons of Sukhothai. But fortunately, or unfortunately depending on who you're speaking to, Sukhothai is not exactly a tourist hotspot yet. Therefore, you don't see much tourists around. And the majority of those who come are part of tour groups, so if you've time to spare, just wait for them to snap their pictures and board the bus, and you'll have the sites all to yourself again.
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Wat Si Chum, Sukhothai |
After quietly admiring the statue at Wat Si Chum for some time, we left the place and headed towards Wat Phra Phai Luang, which is surrounded by a moat. It's a group of ancient monuments of great significance. In fact, it's second in importance only to Wat Mahathat which I'll touch on later. The buildings, which were constructed in different phases, show the evolution of art and architecture during the Sukhothai period. However, much of it is in ruins. Out of the three 12th Century Khmer-style prangs, only the northern one remains decorated with stucco figures. The southern and central ones have crumbled. There are other structures around, like the vihara and the chedi, and they're pretty much in ruins as well. However I like it because it seems unrestored. Moreover, as the area is somewhat isolated, there are few tourists, so you don't have to worry about people getting into your shots.
From there, we cycled back to the bicycle shop. There are some food stalls in front of it, so we settled our lunch there. After lunch, we decided to enter the central zone of the historical park. The admission fee costs us 40baht each. You can also purchase a guide book at the entrance. I can't remember how much it costs but it's titled 'Guide to Sukhothai, Si Satchanalai and Kamphaeng Phet Historical Parks'. It's quite informative. You'll get to know more about what you're seeing, and that definitely helps, because after a while, all the ruins start looking the same. But if you don't need so much information, just take the free Sukhothai Historical Park pamphlet. It covers most of the important stuff.
After entering the central zone, one of the first things we saw was Wat Mahathat. It's Sukhothai's largest, and most important temple. This vast assemblage once contained 198 chedis, as well as various chapels and sanctuaries. The tallest thing that you see in the picture below is the main chedi. It's built in the shape of a lotus bud. This chedi supposedly characterizes the art of Sukhothai. Around the base of the main chedi are stucco reliefs of Buddhist disciples walking with their hands clapped together in salutation. Great photo-taking opportunities. Unfortunately, we're there in the afternoon and as the temple is facing east, we couldn't get a frontal shot of the temple because the light is shining from the back. In fact, almost all the temples in Sukhothai face east. Therefore, visit the sites in the morning if you don't want backlit shots.
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Wat Mahathat |
From Wat Mahathat, we cycled over to Wat Sa Si. It's a classically simple Sukhothai-style wat set on an island in the middle of a large reservoir known as Tra Phang Tra Kuan. Quite nice, but at this point in time, all the wats were starting to look the same. Therefore, we just had a quick look around the area before we moved on.
After we left Wat Sa Si, we were deliberating whether we should head towards Wat Saphan Hin, which is situated on a mound 200 metres high. Apparently you'll be able to get great views of the historical park from here. However, it's about 3.5km away and we decided against it. Therefore, we cycled around the ruins in the central zone for a while more before we decided to call it a day and head back to our guesthouse.
Now for my impressions of the place. I feel that the ruins in the central zone are a little over-restored. I mean, no doubt about it. It's impressive, with lotus ponds, manicured lawns and nice little footpaths. But somehow, the wonderfully restored ruins make me feel like I'm in a museum.
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Wat Sa Si |
After leaving the park, we headed to a cybercafé near the entrance. Raudaa wanted to transfer her pictures from her digital camera onto a CD. When that was done, we got on a songthaew and headed back to our guesthouse. After a refreshing bath and a short rest, we decided to have our dinner in town rather than at the guesthouse. The town's very quiet. Nothing much seems to be open and we hardly saw anyone around. Soon we arrived at a night market which is just a short ten minutes walk away from our guesthouse. It's just beside the river. There were more people here and there were a couple of food stalls, but Raudaa didn't want to have her dinner here. She wanted to find the 'night market'. I think she was thinking of a night market like those in Bangkok. Bustling and full of life. Well, we didn't find it. I don't even know whether something like it exists here. Eventually, the rest of us decided that we were too hungry to continue walking on aimlessly. Therefore, we decided to eat at a food stall beside a road.
After a so-so dinner, we headed back to our guesthouse since everything was closed. At the guesthouse, we played cards until it was time to head back to Phitsanulok to catch our train to Chiang Mai. Earlier, we had arranged with the guesthouse for transport to Phitsanulok and sure enough, when it was time, our driver was out there waiting for us.
We arrived back at Phitsanulok at around 1 plus in the morning (I think). Since we had arrived early, we sat around the platform waiting for the train to arrive. It was dreadful. The place was infested with mosquitoes. Finally the train arrived and it couldn't have come sooner. We must have fed hundreds of mosquitoes sitting there. Anyway, when we got on the train, we were all separated since there were limited seats when we booked the tickets. I found my seat (which had already been converted to a bed) and wasted no time getting asleep.
Click to view my Bangkok pictures.
Click to view my Sukhothai pictures.
© Jeremy's Domain , travel.to/jeremyk