Bird’s Nest Bevarage – 25% bird’s nest

From one temple-studded city in Thailand to the next – Sukhothai. This time via VIP bus.

Sukhothai is a small, provincial town of 30,000 where tourism has not forced daily life into the backseat. The market, for example, still served the local population. No fake Thai memorabilia, no counterfeit shoes or bags. Baskets of fresh and dried fish, salted meats, whole chickens and squashed pig’s heads lined the streets. Old women with red teeth sat cross-legged on the road behind banana leaves covered in bright red tomatoes, pink dragon-fruit, yellow pears, mounds of cocunuts, bunches of bok choi and other veg. Other women ground pungent herbs and spices into curry pastes in huge pestle and mortars ready for those making their way home from work. Flowers on ribbons, to protect against spirits or danger are equally not standard backpacker ‘fare’.

Even walking the streets i was reminded that few backpackers bother to stay in new sukhothai and prefer to take a day trip from nearby Phitsanulok. Middle-aged women would giggle and whisper and then call out “hi”, laughing excitedly like a schoolgirl who thinks they have just been particularly naughty.

The ‘wai’, a traditional thai greeting (hands are placed in front of your chest, palsm touching each other, and the head is bowed slightly – so civilized!) is also more common here. Generally the people seemed friendlier, no doubt because the rampant tourism afflicting the south, with too many culturally insensitive travellers, has not penetrated here (no beaches!). At present I can say a few words in thai: hello, goodbye, chicken, chicken soup with cocunut milk, delicious, not delicious, very delicious, diamond (will explain in my next post), spicy, not spicy and a few more. Here i found if i spoke any of these the population were very appreciative, the only trouble being they then proceed to speak only in thai…

But onto the reason for my visit – the temples. Listed by UNESCO in 1991. The Khmer empire (forerunner of modern day Cambodia) was a dominant force in south-east asia during its golden age. Its power and reach extended far into the contemporary borders of Thailand before a rival emerged in 1257, chipping away at the Khmer frontier. This rival power, the first Thai state, established its capital in Sukhothai (Rising Happiness). Militarily and culturally successful, its achievements ranged from expansive conquests into naighbouring states, the development of a uniquely Thai alphabet and experimentation with distinct and beautiful art and architecture; the reason for my visit. After 150 years the state and city were superseded by Ayutthaya (see previous post). Lonely Planet suggests if you have time for only one of the two cities/ruins Sukhothai should be your choice. I disagree. Ayutthaya’s temples were the more impressive – though Sukhothai had much to offer.

After a good nights sleep, now defined as lacking bed bugs, i got a ‘two bench’ (an apt name for transport involving two benches on the back of a truck) to Old Sukhothai where the temple ruins are situated. Like a recaltriant donkey refusing to budge the vehicle remained stationary for half an hour, slowly but steadily filling up. The pace of life in provincial Thailand is a relaxed, sedate affair unhurried by the dictates of package tourists and tourism. The population is moved by slower rhythms that can’t be rushed. Fine by me. Travel is so much more than the simple act of changing geographical locations.

The main difference distinguishing Sukhothai’s ruins from Ayutthaya’s is their location and surroundings. The latter are urbane, part of and intimately mixed up with the new city. Round a bland, concrete monolithed street corner and i would suddenyl stumble on a crumbling chedi! The latter, or at least the central parts are in a designated park, 10km or so from ‘new’ sukhothai. Few cars, lots of trees and numerous ponds and lakes providing a tranquil, complimentary backdrop to the ruins. Wats were located down small, leafy lanes, surrounded by lotus covered ponds or amongst wide fields full of grand old trees.

Got to ticket booth where i soon discovered the park seemed full of forgetful workers.

“Sawadee Khap (hello), one special ticket please”

“We don’t do one”

“But it says here on the board…” pointing to the ‘Special ticket’ sign in front of me. This seemed to jog his memory.

“Oh yes!”

“One special ticket then please”

“We don’t do them here, you need to go elsewhere.”

“Do you have a map?”

“No”

“What’s that behind you?” pointing to the pile of maps.

For the rest of this post please go here.

Ayutthaya was the ancient capital city of Siam for 417 years. The city is an island formed by the convergence of three rivers in a fierce race to reach the Gulf of Thailand. Due to this easily defended strategic position the city remained the centre of trade, commerce, culture and politics of the nascent Thai nation until the Burmese invasion of 1767.

After a two year siege the city fell and the invaders looted most of the architectural, cultural and religious treasures, including a 16 metre high gold buddha. Despite the rape of much of Ayuthaya’s wealth the modern city is littered with ancient and holy ruins resulting in a declaration by UNESCO that Ayutthaya is a ‘World Heritage Site’. Hence i found myself on a train hurtling from Bangkok at a frightening 30mph!

The train provided a welcome and refreshing change of transport after a multitude of long and tiring bus journeys. True the seats were all wooden benches, there was no lighting and a plump kid in front of me kept whispering “six baht” (baht is the thai currency) or standing on my foot with his pudgy feet, but none of this mattered a jot. In thailand the windows on each train slide right down and lack protective bars restricting the intellectually challenged from sticking their whole torsos out into the rushing air. So i leaned right out of the carriage along with everyone else from countries where the nanny state dominates; feeling rather than just observing the landscape. The smells, the sites, the sounds. Forget air-conditioned VIP buses, this is the more rewarding way to travel.

Past central Bangkok with its constant buzz of activity. Past the business district which resembled Canary wharf with its forest of skyscrapers. Past what can only be described as shanty towns on the outskirts of the city; ramshackle ad hoc buildings of wood, plastic and corrugated iron. Despite all the (superficial and outward) trappings of development, the plush boutiques and hotels, the flat screened internet cafes, the mobile phones stuck to every teenage ear, Thailand is still progressing along the temporal path to ‘modernity’. (Or so the dominant socio-economic narratives would have it).

Later we would pass the King. Over and over. On billboards, on advertisments, on roadside gold-framed pictures, on wide stands decorated with fairy lights and excessive bunting. Even 100ft tall, looking out on the city from the side of a building. They adore him. This year he celebrates his sixtieth year on the throne. The streets are awash with people wearing yellow shirts and polos emblazened with the royal seal as if the uniform of a communal dystopian society. Yet this is voluntary. It borders on idol worship, or at least the personality cults of various Communist states. We brits and our queen have a similar relationship don’t you think?

Arriving at the train station i was bombarded with the usual tuk tuk vultures eager for a piece of fresh, wet behind the ear backpacker meat. Luckily i am now a seasoned traveller so with a cocky smile, a deft hop into the back of a van and a five minute ride to my hostel i disembarked…and found myself ripped off to the amount of 50 baht. Live and learn, humble pie and all that.

The main city is quite dank and dirty. Most of the city conforms to two questionable architectural principles; the innate beauty of square structures and the overlooked sublime qualities of concrete. But scattered around the city, especially on the west side, where the city becomes green and pleasant rest the temples i had come to see.

I decided to stay in a guesthouse called Tony’s Place. It’s a very homely hostel, old, wooden and very welcoming. My room was nicely decorated and pleasant, but laying on the bed writing my journal i was joined by an uninvited bed-bug. Now, if you have met me since the attack of the bed bugs in Malaysia (now commonly referred to as Black Thursday – or Boring Thursday to those i’ve told the story to) you will know i’m not a big fan! Straight down stairs to complain . Luckily they got me a new room in another hostel. They really were incredibly helpful, i can’t fault them at all for their service and apologies. Some hostels just don’t want to know or insist you have brought them in, avoiding any responsibility for infestations. Not Tony’s Place. Immediately they had a spray.

Anyway the next day i woke bright and early (11 o clock) and hired a rusty hunk of metal on two wheels with a girly basket and no brakes – memories of my trusty steed in Cambridge, which also lacked the basic function to stop flooded back. I set off for a three day leisurely exploration of the city.

The Lonely Planet highly recommends a visit to the Ayutthaya Historical Study Centre to understand the religious and historical importance of the city and its ruins. The museum is architecturally modern, all clean and simple lines. It would not loook out of place on the South Bank. Likewise inside, traditional cabinet displays were interspersed with intricate models of the Grand Palace and temples, and various forms of multimedia to bring thai villages, houses, festivals, religion and trade to life – (interestingly by the sixteenth century Ayutthaya was trading regularly with the Phillipines, Malaysia, China, Japan, the Middle East and even European states. Forget the media hype, Globalisation is not a novel phenomenon).

Though impressive and informative the museum failed to provide the preliminary tutoring it was suggested i would need to explore the temples. So i settled on tackling the city without a plan.
It was impossible to see all the city had to offer so i concentrated on the main sites. From Thanon Pa Thon, the city shrine covered in hundreds of small figurines, of peple, of gods, pictures of families, relatives, of animals etc to the larger, more impressive ruins of the Grand Palace i was consistenly awed.

The main ruins are simply stunning. Majestic in size and style.
For the rest of this post, please go here.