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Asia 2006 Thailand

A Bike, A Bus, and Bangkok

I didn’t do much after I wrote last night. I took it easy and had dinner, most of which I spent talking with someone I met from Holland, and made it an early night, as I was still pretty exhausted from the bus ride the previous night.

This morning I checked out of my hotel and got some breakfast before renting a bike for the amazingly low price of 20 baht for the day. The Historic Park stretches in 5 or so kilometers in each direction outside of the city walls, and there are many sights to visit. I set off in the northern section. Once I got off the main road onto some of the lesser roads leading to the sites, it was really nice and peaceful, and I have to say that under those circumstances, I actually enjoyed bicycling. It also created a nice breeze, giving a break from the hot sun (it was around 35 Celsius these past two days).

Some of the outlying sites had some really incredible temple ruins. One of the ones I stopped at had this magnificent large sitting Buddha enclosed in a very small chamber with a small opening wide enough for it to look out at the world. As I approached I could hear monks chanting…there was some sort of Buddhist ceremony going on there, despite the fact that it’s no longer an active Wat. As it was ending somebody noticed me hanging out outside and invited me and to help myself to some fruit and fresh coconut milk, which was interesting.

After I covered the northern sites I decided to break for lunch. As I was eating, I thought about it and I still wasn’t feeling quite well (I’m sure yesterday didn’t help)), it was really hot, and I felt that a decent nights sleep was probably important to my health. So I decided to head back to Bangkok (กรุงเทพ ๆ) then instead of taking the overnight bus back.

I caught the bus back at 2:30pm and we arrived in Bangkok around 8:30pm. Along the way, we passed the Don Muang Airport, the old Bangkok International Airport. It was interesting to see, becuase the massive complex was now completely deserted, though many of the lights were still on. I believe it’s now only used for charter flights.

I’m staying once again at the hostel I stayed at last time. It really wasn’t bad at all. In walking around tonight I stumbled upon a small Soi that strongly resembled Las Vegas. I quickly realized that it was Soi Cowboy. Yes, that’s what it’s called. The name comes from the Vietnam War era when US Soldiers would come here on vacation. The street is quite the scene for prostitutes and go-go bars. It was even more colorful than Patpong!

I don’t have much on my agenda for tomorrow at all, especially seeing that I’ll be back here on Wednesday to pick up my friend Chris who is coming to visit for the weekend. I’m planning on heading back to Hua Hin (หัว หิน) in the early afternoon. I must say though, this trip to Sukhothai was totally worth it, despite the distance!

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By Aaron

Hey there! I'm Aaron and this is my travel site, where I document my adventures to all corners of the world. My love for travel started at the ripe old age of four, when a midlife crisis uprooted my family to Ecuador for five years. Since then, I've been to countries on 4 different continents. When I'm not blissfully on the road, I reside in New York City, where I become the ultimate travel junkie and spend my days dreaming up my next great adventure! Read More...

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