After finding some nice food last night at the Phitsanulok night market I got a good nights sleep. It was sooooo nice to have a cold shower and a shave. I was so sweaty and dirty after the trip up that I really needed it!
An early rise today, about 8:30 for a free breakfast and then on to a bus to Sukhathai. We bumped into Francoise and Lisa, who we met in Anathaya, this morning and agreed to go to Sukhathai with them.
Sukhathai is a historical site, about an hour away from Phitsanulok, that once served as the capital of Thailand.
We hired bikes for the day and rode around the ruins which have been well preserved. There are four main sets of ruins to see and also a big Buddha just outside to go see.
It was a gorgeous blue sky day and probably the most perfect light conditions for taking photos that I have ever seen. It was also BAKING hot. I mean HOT HOT HOT!! It is at the point of being almost unbearably hot. I don't know exactly, but I think it has to be over 100degrees now. I am currently on a bus back to Phitsanulok, sitting next to a Monk no less, where I am SO looking forward to anither cold shower. Ooh, weird, the monk just got a call on his cell phone! That reminds me.... I missed an amazing photo opportunity when I was on the boat trip in Ayathaya. An old, wrinkled Monk, sitting head down and slanted in thought.... But looking at a mobile phone! Classic and missed:(
Tonight is going to be dinner at "The Steak Cottage" restaurant and then another early night.
Tomorrow I will continue my trip up to Chiang Mai where I will spend a few days. I need to rest and sort out my visa's for Loas, Cambodia and Vietnam. A far as I can tell, I can turn up at the Loas border and get a 15 day visa, or pre-arrange a 15 or 30 day visa. I am not surre if 15 days will be enough, so i'll try to get a 30 day one. Cambodia, I believe I can get a 30 day visa at the border but Vietnam I need to pre-arrange and give them specific start and end dates. I might need to plan the next few weeks a bit!
Also in Chiang Mai you can take Thai cooking lessons and a 10 day (3nhours per day) Thai massage course. I am liking the sound of that!!