Okay Noodle in Walking Shoes: Phitsanulok/Sukothai

Phitsanulok had one of the best hotels that we have stayed in so far. No one ever seemed to be in the office. Instead, we were greeted by a short man who Eric believes is a mute because we never saw him speak. He did an excellent job at communicating with his hands, telling us the price of the room, how to operate the fan, and where the night market was. On our way to the hotel from the train station, we walked past a large market and returned there for food. We had been wrong about Hua Hin because everything was even cheaper and more delicious looking.
One of the more interesting foods that we tried was a plate of Sukothai sweets. The vendor spreads a white or colored liquid out onto a round cheesecloth and then covers it with a lid to steam. Balls of nutty filling are placed on the circle which is at then cut and stretched with a spatula.

Phitsanulok was a stopping place on the way to Sukothai but we still managed to see the city's main sights. First, we walked to a buddah casting foundry and then we discovered the Garden Birds of Thailand next door, a small place that had done and excellent job providing information about Thailand's birds.

We then took a saamlor to Wat Phra Si Ratana Mahathat, Eric's favorite temple, which houses a unique buddah under a flame-like halo.

The entire wat was surrounded by another endless market full of toasted spring roll wrappers and candied tamarind. If we had had more time and less fear of getting lost, we would have stayed to explore but we had to catch a bus to new Sukothai.

Old Sukothai is well known for its historic park of ruins similar to those in Ayuthaya but constructed during an earlier period. The couple who owned our guesthouse were especially nice and offered food, internet, and laundry services. We again explored the city, watched aerobics in a city park, and ate two bowls of noodles.

The next day while breaking a large bill at 7-11, we were approached by a woman who asked, "old Sukothai?" In fact, yes, that was where we were trying to go. We followed her to a large songtow filled with farang waiting for us to fill the seats. When we arrived, we rented bikes and had a great day just exploring the park. We saw families shaking down tamarind pods from the trees there and Eric was able to collect a few which made a wonderful snack. For lunch we had fried rice noodles with a tangy tamarind sauce. The rest of Sukothai is probably best explained through our photos.