Endearing Encounters at Sukhothai Historical Park.

Endearing Encounters at Sukhothai Historical Park.

May 2015.

At the end of May I decided it was time to say goodbye to the south of Thailand. Having re-entered the country for another thirty days following my adventures in Singapore and Malaysia, I had intended on spending a few more weeks island hopping.

But all it took was a disappointing stay on Ko Tao for me to change my mind. A stay informed by ubiquitous construction, a persistent stomach bug and an increasing sense of apathy. In fact, the whole experience left me so cold I haven’t even bothered to write Ko Tao up on these pages of mine. Not enough photos, not enough tales. Just meh.

As beautiful as the south of Thailand is with its gorgeous beaches, stunning rock formations and delicious sea views, I realised that I had much preferred exploring the country’s rich and varied north. Thus I packed myself up and boarded an overnight bus back to Bangkok. After a few days chilling at The Heritage Hotel I set off on what would be the final leg of my Thai exploits.

My first stop was the city of Sukhothai, capital of The Siam Empire back in the 13th century. The bus journey should’ve taken around six hours. But, as was so often the case, Thailand had other plans. Three hours into the journey the bus broke down and the driver ordered myself and all the other passengers out onto the side of the highway in the heart of god-knows-where.

Endearing Encounters at Sukhothai Historical Park.

It was not a fun day. Following an hour hiding from the fierce sun in a patch of shade, we were told to board a passing bus bound for Chiang Mai. On that bus I had to stand for 45 minutes until the driver ejected us in a city called Nakhon Sawan. From there another tedious hour passed. After which, much to my surprise, our original bus showed up with a “fixed engine”. Or so the ticket lady said.

By the time we rolled up in Sukhothai it was early evening and I only just made it to my hotel, Hang Jeng Guesthouse, before nightfall. The digs were ok, nothing to write home about. Perfectly serviceable though for putting my head down at the end of a long day’s exploring for each of my two nights in the town.

I should probably come clean at this point and admit that I had initially decided to skip Sukhothai. You see, back in April I’d spent several days exploring the breathtaking Ayutthaya Historical Park. Situated five hours south of Sukhothai, the park displays the ruins of Ayutthaya, Siam’s second capital city from 1351 to 1767.

A Tale of Two Siamese Capitals.

Sukhothai, founded in 1238, had actually been Siam’s first capital. After I’d visited Ayutthaya my thinking had been: Hm, do I really need to see the ruins of ‘both’ ancient capitals? Nah.

However, one month later I found myself doing a complete u-turn. First, I remembered how much I’d loved the Ayutthaya ruins. Moreover, Sukhothai felt like the perfect opportunity to break up what would’ve been an extremely long journey to Chiang Mai.

I set off the next morning on foot with a spring in my step, excited by the prospect of the day ahead. Declared a World Heritage site by my old friend UNESCO, the remains of old Sukhothai sit in a walled compound. The park runs for around 2 kilometres, east to west, roughly 1.6 kilometres north to south.

Packed with just under 200 ruinous structures, there is much to see. On my visit to Ayutthaya I’d been intent on crossing off every single site. In contrast, this time I felt much calmer about the whole thing. I was just going to stroll, enjoy the greenery and stop at those specific sites that truly piqued my interest.

Endearing Encounters at Sukhothai Historical Park.

The park was absolutely beautiful, with spotless lawns, all manner of exotic trees and scattered lilypad-clad ponds. In front of one such pond I hit a bench and sucked up some Sukhothai history on my phone. Its story was a typically topsy turvy one. According to those in the know, the city was first called Sukhodaya, a sizeable settlement of the Khmer Empire.

Later, in around 1180, it fell into the hands of The Mons, an ethnic group of Lower Myanmar. Their rule lasted until 1239 when a group of Thai noblemen and generals, including a warrior called Pha Mueang, successfully invaded. This new kingdom, christened Sukhothai, rapidly expanded, sparking what many Thai historians believe was “the birth of the Thai nation”. 

With this dramatic imagery in mind, I came across my first ruin of the day. And it just happened to be the park’s dazzling centrepiece, Wat Mahathat. Constructed between 1292 and 1357, this was the Sukhothai Kingdom’s largest and most impressive temple.

Wat Mahathat.

Designed to represent the universe, the compound’s name roughly translates as Temple of the Great Relic. A reference to the fact that one of its stupas once housed a number of Buddha relics. I thought that the name sounded familiar and, after a quick look through my phone, realised that I also visited a Wat Mahathat in Ayutthaya Historical Park. Small world and all that.

Apparently there would have been between 300-400 Buddha sculptures in and around the temple back in the day. Today that number hovers around the 170 mark. Many sit with their eyes closed, their hands clasped together in meditation. Others, like this guy pictured below, present a raised hand called Abhaya Mudra. It symbolises benevolence, peace and an absence of fear.

As a visceral experience this felt like Ayutthaya Historical Park mark II. Or mark I even, as the history goes. But already at that first temple I realised that Sukhothai’s collection of ruins were no less impressive. And how it was astounding that these sculptures had survived the centuries.

Next, I came across a monument in tribute to King Ramkhamhaeng The Great. With a reign that lasted nineteen years (1279-1298) this guy wasn’t just any old king. Because it was he who, experts say, created the Thai alphabet and established Theravada Buddhism as the kingdom’s religion. Not a bad shift I’d say.

Endearing Encounters at Sukhothai Historical Park.

Nearby, I stopped for a quick look in another temple ruin, Wat Sa Si. Accessed via a short wooden bridge spanning a lovely lotus pond, it practically begged me to go in and explore.

So far I had encountered not a single soul throughout the park. And Wat Sa Si proved no different as I moved quietly between the stupas, Buddhas and sections of crumbly walls. The temple sprang up sometime in the late 14th century.

Historians reckon King Maha Thammaracha I ordered its creation as his final resting place. His reign played out from 1347 until his death in 1368. As the grandson of King Ramkhamhaeng (alphabet creator), he became the first Buddhist philosopher to write important national texts in the newly laid out Thai language.

One of my favourite enclosures was Wat Si Sawai, a late 12th century temple that stands as one of the park’s oldest ruins. As a result, the remains themselves are a bit sparse. But boy oh boy were there some absolutely stupendous trees to enjoy. Take this lush beauty, for example, pictured below.

Wat Si Sawai.

Or these mesmerising strangler fig trees with their twisted roots.

Oozing a fairytale charm, local monks and domestic tourists decorate the roots with little Buddha statuettes. They sit quite delicately, balanced on flat slabs of stone and rock. Their presence channels a sense of positive energy, peace and prosperity.

Another distinct ruin was that of Wat Sorasak, a small temple with a chedi guarded by elephants. This one dates back to 1412, with both the chedi and its beasts made of brick and stucco. There are 24 of the trunked protectors around the tower. White elephants were (and indeed are) rare, so any specimens discovered usually ended up as gifts to the king.

By mid afternoon I’d stumbled upon what was clearly a modern structure near the park’s northern gate. Its name (and brace yourself here) is Pra Phutta Siwi Manrawichai. Try saying that with a mouthful of noodles. Despite plenty of digging around online, I couldn’t find any info about it at all.

Endearing Encounters at Sukhothai Historical Park.

Inside, I found a shiny new prayer hall with a simple shrine and gorgeous paintings from Buddhist mythology. It was perfectly empty, the sound of my own footsteps echoing around me as sunshine poured in through the open doors and windows.

If the day had ended there I’d have had no complaints. However, little did I know that the most memorable part of my Sukhothai experience was about to begin. You see, as I slowly made my way towards an exit gate, I found myself caught up in a delightful series of endearing encounters.

It started with a giant school group who’d come to the park on a field trip. Suddenly, one of the teachers called me over and asked if I would address the kids. Basically say a few words about why I was in Thailand and what I thought of Sukhothai.

Unsure as to what was needed, I reeled off a few complimentary sentences. Happily I received a solid round of applause, embellished by a few whoops. After, around a dozen kids ran over to greet me. Some shook my hands and asked my name. Others pulled on my sleeves and, clearly bewildered by me, even stroked the hairs on my arms!

A short while later I was back on my merry way, but it wasn’t long before my next endearing encounter. Quite unexpectedly, seemingly from nowhere, a parade of school kids came hurtling towards me on their bicycles.

Endearing Encounters at Sukhothai Historical Park.

A bunch of the boys skidded to a halt to say hi. “You are English teacher, yes?” asked one. “British or American?” enquired another, before adding: “Michael Jordan cool! You play the basketball?” They were all so utterly elated to speak with me that it was impossible not to smile myself in The Land of Smiles.

I was closing in on the exit gate when I spotted a group of older teenagers playing football on a stone 5-a side court. I have never been able to pass a game of football without stopping, and that afternoon was no different.

“Hey! You wanna play?” called one of them, beckoning me over. So over I went to join the team that was losing 1-0. The opposing gang were not happy with this development, crying foul play. However, the wild swing in fortunes that they were clearly predicting never quite materialised. Finally, the game finished 4-4 and everybody shook hands with more signature Thai smiles. And of course we crowned the occasion with a group photo.

A Memorable Afternoon.

The next morning I checked out of the guesthouse and headed out into town for some breakfast. My bus to Chiang Mai was leaving in just a few hours, so it was definitely time to fill my stomach. Searching for a good place for chow and coffee, I stopped in my tracks and had a good laugh when I came across an eatery called Poo Restaurant.

Needless to say the name did not inspire much confidence. Nevertheless, I decided to give Poo a go, just because of the amusement factor. Much to my relief, I could have no complaints about my breakfast. Indeed I devoured my banana, bowl of muesli, creamy cappuccino and strawberry cream pancakes. No, nothing tasted like shit.

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