The Days of Yore
People come to Southeast Asia for many reasons. White beaches, tropical weather, wonderful food, friendly people and also a bit of history. We came to Thailand for different reasons but before leaving we both wanted to check out a little place that we had heard good things about for a chance to experience a bit of what the region was like hundreds of years ago. It is easy to get a bit templed out in Thailand since there are so many new and old ones in nearly every city you visit. We had both found the history and ruins of Ayutthaya interesting but were felt that a few months in between this historical park and that of Sukothai would be a good break and allow us to appreciate it even more. So with just a few days in Thailand left we decided to hit up Sukothai on our way out.
Sukhothai is known as the 'first' kingdom in Siam and was first established in the 1238. The kingdom eventually was absorbed by the Ayutthaya kingdom in the 1438 and lost much of its influence in the region. People continued to live here until the 1800's or so but much of the temples and structures were taken over by the forest and it was not until the early 1900's that the Thai government recognized the importance of the history that this region held. Many of the ancient structures were renovated and the area was eventually declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with two other nearby cities.
Today many tourists, both Thai and foreign alike come to view and wander around the pleasant surroundings that these historical parks offer. It is not as well visited as Ayutthaya since it is farther from Bangkok but in many ways the park makes for a more pleasant visit since the sun is not quite as intense, the area is much more shaded and the structures are just as fantastic. Since the area was also not attacked like Ayutthaya was by the Burmese, many of the structures are also more intact and picturesque. That being said both parks were worth a visit if just for a chance to imagine what live must have been like hundreds of years ago in these ancient kingdoms.
We only had two days to spare in our jam packed schedule and arrived early in Old Sukhothai (the nearby New Sukothai is actually a larger city where many guesthouses are located but we elected to stay closer to the sites). We checked into a room, had a quick breakfast and rented cheap bikes for the day. As we started to ride around we noticed many birds flying overhead and we discovered that this temple sightseeing excursion could also be combined with our birding interests. Since we had entered a new region of Thailand many of the birds were new ones for us so this was indeed a great discovery.
Our hours were whiled away taking in the amazing structures that had been built in a time before we could even imagine. The many different styles of the temples spoke to the different influences that had affected the people here (Khmer from Cambodia as well as Sri Lankan and Burmese influenced architecture). We biked around and enjoyed the park-like setting of Sukhothai where green lawns and lily filled ponds were interspersed with ancient laterite structures (the major stone used in building) and staring Buddha images. We seemed to have the place to ourselves (being the non-tourist season) and this made this spot even more enjoyable.
By the end of the day we had seen enough Buddhas to make our heads spin, the most impressive being a huge reconstructed image at Wat Si Chum which sits at about 12 meters high located within its own little cubicle. As to why many of the Buddhas have their own little cubicle I am not exactly sure but perhaps each Buddha image needs a bit of time to itself. We also visited a nicely put together museum with many artifacts and you guessed it: more Buddha images. I would like to hear how many Buddha images there are in Thailand. The task for that would certainly be a life long occupation for many.
By the end of the day we were pretty pooped but had successfully seen most of the 'significant' sights of Sukhothai and had bagged a number of new life birds as well. Not a bad day at all.
The next day we decided to rent a motorbike and head to another UNESCO World Heritage Site about 60 kilometers away. It too was an ancient city from the Sukhothai kingdom but we had heard that this place was a bit different and worth a look as well. After a bit longer ride than expected we arrived at another ruin strewn landscape. It was certainly different and worth the ride. The ruins were more visually striking in some respects and the whole area was interlaced with forest rather than wide grassy meadows.
We constantly asked ourselves how a place could have been a thriving population center and then abandoned for hundreds of years to be taken over by the forest. It is a bit mind boggling. Many of the structures were 'rediscovered' in the early 1900's and since then the Thai government has done their part to restore and preserve this historical area. In my mind this is quite forward thinking that began quite a long time ago.
Again these ancient ruins offered us with some amazing sights and a bit to ponder. This landscape also offered us another birding opportunity as forest near the temples was being used by thousands of waterbirds for a roosting sight. A huge area was being utilized by a number of species of huge majestic birds and this once again offered us another great diversion from temple viewing.
After our short two days of taking in the ruins we were again on our way. Our next stop would be another national park for you guessed it: more birding. We would enter northeast Thailand, the fabled Isaan, where the cooking is supposed to be fantastically spicy and the landscapes breathtaking.
