Feb. 14, Lampang - Sukhothai (by bus): Si Satchanalai? You can't get there from here - Cycling in Thailand North to South

February 14, 2010

Feb. 14, Lampang - Sukhothai (by bus): Si Satchanalai? You can't get there from here

Our idea is to take a bus to Si Satchanalai, which lies about 60 km north of Sukhothai and on the map it looks like it must be on the bus route. But they assure us at the station that no buses go there from here. In Asia and with a language barrier, you sometimes just have to give up having any control over the situation and go along with the flow. With no information on bus routes and schedules we have no choice but to go where the station master or ticket man decides we should go. Our bus follows the main highway, a round about route via Tak, to Sukhothai which we have accepted as our destination. Our bikes need only to be folded partially to fit into the luggage compartment.

After a four-hour ride our bus stops first in Old Sukhothai, where we get off, before it continues the last 11 km to New Sukhothai. We're on our bikes in a jiffy and ride to the Orchid and Hibiscus Guesthouse that we know from three years ago. Since then the owner, Paolo from Italy, has opened a second guesthouse, Pin Pao Guesthouse, which we decide suits us even better. It's little closer to the Historical Park of Sukhothai, is a bit cheaper and since there are no other guests, we have the swimming pool to ourselves. The place is decorated in a riot of bright and cheerful colors and we settle in for several days of visiting the temples with our bikes and cameras.

Breakfast at the Pin Pao Guesthouse includes a honeycomb from wild bees.

Last petals of the lotus blossom - pond at the guesthouse

I think I already mentioned that Janos and I have both invested in better cameras for this trip. We seem to be conforming to the trend because a few years ago I only saw people running around with tiny digital cameras that they could slip into their shirt pockets. Now I see lots of tourists toting digital SLR cameras and so-called bridge cameras, almost as good as SLR's (but better because they're lighter, smaller and have more zoom - that's what I have). Janos went for the SLR, a Canon EOS 500D. And why am I telling you all this?

On our first outing to the temples we have a little mishap, or Janos has a mishap, but I feel just as shattered as he does. As he bends over to lock his bike, the camera falls out of its case and the lens ring (or whatever it's called) gets bent. Which basically means kaputt. No more pictures. Now he can twiddle his thumbs while I climb around the ruins looking for interesting shots? Not a very interesting prospect.

That evening - and every evening after that - we console ourselves at a little Thai restaurant where we are surprised to discover they sell a decent Italian white wine. We also come up with some ideas, like looking for a Canon dealer in New Sukhothai.

Who needs a bicycle? Who even needs a camera?

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