Heading North

The next day we boarded a train heading north to Phitsanulok - about 6 hours from Bangkok. As you'll see below a bit of Boston flavor can be found in even the most unexpected locations.



The train ride was fairly uneventful except that it marked the begining of the end in terms of bathroom hygiene. I could no longer rely on my cute little bathroom in the guest house in Bangkok. This bathroom, found on the train, pretty much summed up the worst of it to date. It was very cramped - I wont even tell you what I had to stand on to take this picture. Plus, no ambience, which I suppose is not suprising. On the plus side there were well placed railings to help one keep their balance and a good supply of toilet paper. On the con side, the rocking train and the fear that the door wasn't really locked.



Upon arriving in Phitsanulok we made our way to the local Youth Hostel, this funny out of the way place that was fairly overgrown and ratty. Outside our door was a lovely collection of about 30 empty beer bottles and a few whiskey bottles - they love whiskey here. In the room the bed (which was hard as a rock like all the beds in Thailand) had only a top sheet. We were given some pieces of cloth when we checked in but honestly couldn't discern what was a sheet, a "towel" (and I use that term loosly), and a blanket. Let's just say we made some educated guesses and plowed ahead.

Phitsanulok served as the jumping off point to get to Sukhothai, the original capital of the first Thai kingdom from the mid-13th to late 14th centuries. We arrived after a 2 hour bus ride with some friends we had met at the hostel - there were 8 of us total. To get around Sukhothai you rent bikes and spend the day exploring at your own pace.

The scenery was absolutely amazing - one of the most beautiful and peaceful places I've ever seen.









Touring by bicycle is quite civilized. I tried to capture with video the whole bikeriding experience.