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Sukothai Historical Park

Posted by Stuart at 06:28 PM on August 06, 2006

I have been wanting to visit the ancient city of Sukhothai for a long time, and today I finally had my chance. All in all, I was really glad that I went, but at first the people of Sukhothai gave me a bad impression. Since Sukhothai is a major tourist destination, the people there are much more willing to inflate prices and to take as much money from the tourists as possible. After having very relaxed visits to off-the-beaten-track places like Phitsanulok and Mae Sot, being seen as a walking ATM in Sukhothai came as an unpleasant surprise.

So please allow me to just get this off my chest first. Here are the ways in which I felt like I was being taken advantage of:

* I was the only farang to get out of the minivan at the bus station outside of town, and a songtaew driver insisted on charging 60 baht to take me into town. Compare that to the 10 baht I paid in Mae Sot for a greater distance just a few hours before.

* I wanted to rent a motorcycle. The hotel said that the cost was 300 baht per day. Ok, that's not too bad. But when the motorcycle showed up and the paperwork appeared, it was 300 baht for 6 hours. Not only is that price outrageous, but as I learned in Thai class last week, neung wan mee yi-sip see chuamong. (One day has twenty-four hours.)

* I was going to tour the ruins during the day so I wanted a late check-out. But even if I checked out at 3:00 PM, I would be charged for a full night's stay. As a point of comparison, in Phitsanulok last week I checked out of my hotel at 6:00 PM and was only charged a half-day, which is absolutely reasonable.

So I unfortunately headed to the ruins this morning in somewhat of a funk. But once I got there (12 KM ride for 20 baht, by the way) my stress melted away. I rented a small bicycle for 20 baht for the day and set off for a tour of the ruins.

Comparisons between Sukhothai and Ayutthaya are inevitable. At first glance they are similar: red brick ruins of temples and palaces, with stone Buddha images here and there. But the Sukhothai ruins are 200-300 years older than the ones in Ayutthaya. And the setting in Sukhothai is much more peaceful than in Ayutthaya, for it's away from "New Sukhothai" and is more like a countryside garden than say, a public park in the middle of a city.

So I ended up having a wonderful time biking around and enjoying the peace and quiet and the beauty of the ruins. It's a highly recommended trip. Just watch your wallet when you go!