On my way to Sukhothai (20th November 2011)

LThis morning I’m on my way to Sukhothai to see the ancient ruins that are, apparently, one of Thailand’s most impressive World Heritage Sites.

First though I have to get there.

Yesterday I bought my train ticket so that’s all in place and I know the train doesn’t go directly to Sukhothai itself but I’m pretty sure there’s a way of getting there without too much problem. So just a six hour train journey to go.

I arrived at the station half hour early as required, found my seat and awaited the off, which impressively was on time.

Now my reasoning for travelling by train and not by bus is as follows –

· Apparently it’s a really good, pretty, train journey - although better done as an overnighter from Bangkok to Chiang Mai (not that you would then see the sights though!)

· It’ll make Mick happy ;-)

· It means I can get up and wander around as I like

· And I absolutely HATE long bus journeys

The downside of all of this is that the journey takes considerably longer by train than by bus and, as I found out later, it costs more!

But, in the end, more ridiculously than that was the fact that even though I was on the train for what ended up being 7 hours in the end, apart from a couple of visits to the loo, I stayed put in my seat! I could have been on a bus not moving about!

I was thinking about all of this on the journey down and wondering how it seems that I don’t really mind a train journey but really hate buses and I actually think it’s the perception of space that I like on a train rather than the actual space! On a train I have the opportunity and the chance to wander around if I so desired, the fact that I don’t isn’t really that relevant it’s just that I could if I wanted to. It’s the same as being a passenger on a plane, I could wander around and stretch my legs but I never do. As well as that though it’s also the fact that buses are always going around corners, breaking, speeding up, swerving etc whereas trains seem to be more constant and of course more in a noticeable straight line!

So that’s how I managed to be on a train today instead of a bus and on it a few more hours than a bus would have taken. The bus, you see, would have gone straight to Sukhothai from Chiang Mai, whereas the train went to Phitsanulok where I then needed to get a tuk tuk to the bus station and then a bus to Sukhothai bus station (taking an hour) and then a tuk tuk from the bus station to the town! The entire journey took almost 9 hours, the bus would have taken 5 and a half!! But hey I got the chance to wander around the train right??!! Mmm!

In Sukhothai town I opted for the first GH I looked at which was really nice, they have little ensuite bungalows in the garden for £2 more a night than the rooms with shared bathrooms. So after travelling with Lauren and Hadleigh earlier this year I’ve now decided that although I don’t want to spend the 5* price (nor do I need to) I can certainly afford more than the cheapest and so treated myself to a garden bungalow, thanks guys – wise words. ;-)

So after a quick shower and a wander around town I actually discovered that there’s not a great deal here apart from tomorrow’s ancient ruins extravaganza! I think a couple of nights here will do it then it’s time to move on again.