#Tag 28: Sukhothai

Since yesterday we are in Sukhothai. But unfortunately, the journey here did not go smoothly...

In Ayutthaya, we thought of treating ourselves and booked a first-class bus to Sukhothai. The advantage of this was that there were snacks and lunch, all for just an additional 100 Baht. After lunch, the bus suddenly stopped on a highway... After a while, we noticed that the bus drivers were fiddling with the engine. But we didn't receive any information about what exactly was going on. After asking another passenger who had checked, we found out that a fan belt had broken. Due to the increasing heat in the bus, all passengers gradually left the bus and stood in a crowd in the shade. Once the fan belt was replaced, the men just had to push the bus as it didn't start by itself.

Finally, we continued. But it didn't take long until we stopped again. This time, we also didn't find out what was happening. But suddenly, a Thai passenger ran back into the bus in panic and shouted 'quick quick quick' and something in Thai to his family. Then, the Thais panicked, grabbed their things, and ran out of the bus, signaling us to do the same. Eventually, I realized, due to a certain smell, that the engine was smoking and the Thais were afraid that the bus would catch fire. Of course, it didn't, but it was clear that we couldn't continue the journey with this bus anymore.

After about half an hour, a replacement bus arrived and the journey could be continued without any further problems.

Today, we visited Old Sukhothai. This cityscape, like Ayutthaya, is characterized by ancient temples (Wats) and has a rectangular footprint surrounded by a river system. However, Old Sukhothai is smaller and the historical part is designed like a park. It is crisscrossed with small paths and ponds. We spent half the day walking through this 'park' and visited the various Wats. Compared to those in Ayutthaya, these Wats are very well-preserved, not overrun by tourists, and all Buddha statues still have their heads 😊

Tomorrow, we will continue to Chiang Mai. We are very excited about this bus ride.