Sukhothai and Lampang

After Ayutthaya, Richard and I headed to Sukhothai, which was the capital of the Sukhothai kingdom when it ruled Thailand in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The Sukhothai era is sometimes seen as the golden age of Thailand, a time of peace and prosperity. We rented bikes and pedaled around the ruins. While the Ayutthaya ruins tower over the modern city of Ayutthaya, the Sukhothai ruins are located in a park. It's a little less awe-inspiring, but more peaceful.

These little kids are kneeling in front of a statue of Ramkamhaeng, the most famous king of Sukhothai. I feel like he's regarded a little bit like we regard George Washington. He united a lot of Thailand under Sukhothai rule, promoted the arts, and created the first version of the Thai alphabet. The kids, barely more than toddlers, ran up, took their shoes off, carefully climbed up the stairs, and gave their offerings.

Old ruins are cool and all, but after two days of them, Richard and I started to get a little goofy.

After Sukhothai, we took the bus to Lampang, a town that's a little farther off the tourist path. Its mascot is a chicken, so there are statues of chickens all over the place. We were pretty excited to find little shops selling local artwork and crafts near our guest house, instead of the usual knick-knack junk vendors. It was very refreshing. I also got a lovely hour-long, three-dollar massage that hurt much less than the one I got in Chiang Mai. We rented a motorbike, and had fun riding around the city and to the sites a little ways out of town. We visited the Wat Phra Tat Lampang Luang, which is possibly the oldest wooden building in Thailand. Here's a picture, featuring the famous Lampang horse-drawn carriages.

We got some delicious food at a restaurant called Aroy One Baht (Delicious One Baht) which was delicious and cheap, living up to its name. And then we stumbled across a bar with a weirdly awesome dinosaur theme.

This morning, we went to the Thai Elephant Conservation Center, which has an elephant hospital and provides free medical care to ailing elephants. We wanted to ride an elephant while supporting a worthwhile organization, and I think we succeeded. There's a lot of space, the elephants seem to be well treated, and the hospital is definitely providing a good service. The elephant ride was great!

We're tempted to stay a little longer in Lampang, but Chiang Rai calls.