Saturday, July 16. Bangkok to Sukhothai, Thailand, via Phitsanulok

The alarm goes off at 4:45am. It had been another sleepless night with us both waking up at 2:30am, unable to fall back to sleep Stephen had read for a while and I typed up a blog entry on my blackberry.

The alarm goes off just as we were both about to doze off again. Depite our exhaustion we turn on the lights and TV and begin repacking our backpacks for the day ahead. We have to be at the Stray Travel office on the other side of town by 6:45am, so we check out of the hotel at 6am and have a taxi called.

We asked for a 'metre' taxi which arrives promptly. The driver wants 200B to get us there. I say, 'No, run the metre please'. He then says 150B. Again I say, 'No, run the metre please.'. He gives in and gets us across town quite quickly despite my initial scepticism of his chosen route. 20 min and 93B later we arrive at the Stray office in time to grab some breakfast nearby.

TRIP LESSON 3: If your Bangkok taxi driver comes down in price after your first refusal, you will still likely pay less by having them run the metre.

At the Stray office we met five other travellers and our guide, all girls and all younger than us by at least a few years. After a quick intro and filling of our water bottles at the office cooler we hopped in a caravan of taxis toward the train station, where we got coffee and boarded the 8:30am train to Phitsanulok.

We received a morning service on the train of a small flaky pastry with what I think was Guava paste on top and coffee/tea. Stephen was napping at the time, so I ate his, too. Tum. Reminded me a bit of the Cuban Guava pastries they sell in Miami.

And then later on a small meal was served consisting of rice with some sausage-like garnish and a curry disk. Most of our group received a chicken curry, but of course Steve and I received shrimp. By the time I realised ours were different, it was too late to trade anyone. Not willing to test the extent of my shrimp allergy, I nibbled a bit on the veggies but mostly left my curry uneaten.

The train has spacious seats, but are vinyl. Although the service is nice, it was spoilt a bit by the cockroach that was sitting in the space behind my tray and the baby cockroaches climbing on Stephen's tray and the wall in front of us. I promptly let my tray shut into the wall cavity and left it there for the remainder of the trip. It was only after this that I began to notice that the age of the train and its build-up of dirt in the cracks and creases. Evidently UK health and safety officials had not been on this train.....

We arrived in Phitsanulok at around 1:30pm, where we loaded ourselves into the back of a Songtaew -- think Pick-up truck crossed with a Tuk-Tuk. After a 45-min ride we reached the Old City of Sukhothai, and checked into our guest house just as a major downpoor was finishing. Most of us changed into more rain-appropriate clothing, and promptly departed for the Sukhothai Historical Park as it was already 4pm and it closes at 6pm. The park was literally across the street from our guest house.

At the welcome office we learned that as it was the Buddhist Lent holiday that weekend the admissions fee of 100B had been waived, so we decided to go for the 150B rental of the audio guide. Why not? The guide said it would take us 3 hours to tour the sites so Steve and I set out at a healthy walk across the site of historical temples. The rain had already lifted, but had cooled the day a bit. Still hot, though.

There was a mystical feel to the sites and the audio guide was really helpful for understanding the structures and the history, cultural and religious meanings behind each.

We finished the tour at 5:45, even venturing to most of the optional structures outside the main UNESCO preserved part of the site. Apparently only 3 hours are needed if you walk extremely slowly.

Returning to our room we each took a shower to cool down and wash off the day's grime and rested for a bit before joining the others for dinner at 7pm. Two more gals joined up with our tour, so Stephen remained the only guy and the oldest still in the group.

Dinner was very cheap and very good. Though portions were small by American standards, the Basil and Chili Chicken with rice was excellent, and combined with my Green Fanta (we think it was supposed to be an Apple flavour but we couldn't tell) it was all only 75B or £1.50/$2.50. Stephen had a green beef curry with rice and a large Singha beer so his meal came out to 200B.

After socialising for a while, we headed to our room. Though some of the gals bought beer to take up to their rooms, we were looking forward to getting to bed, hopeful we might get our first full night's sleep of the trip.

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