Cycling Southeast Asia : 4

Replica of the Ramkhamhaeng Stele, with the King himself behind.

I consider spending one day wandering around the old city of Sukhothai, and one looking at the sights of the modern town - but it turns out there's really nothing to see in the new city so two days of old ruins it is then.  There are certainly enough of them, the place is similar in scale to Angkor Wat, though it has to be said the architecture is not nearly as impressive.  Still, there are very many old chedis, the gold leaf and stucco long gone, revealing the brick structure beneath.  I walk through forests of laterite columns, and marvel at giant Buddha statues, some of them in pretty good shape - recently restored I suspect.  Many of the temples are surrounded by substantial lakes, attracting plenty of hungry birds, it is all very tranquil, and there's a good sized museum too, with many articles recovered from the site - why yes, most of them are indeed Buddha images.

Wat Mahathat.

There's more the same on my second day in Sukhothai - I feed massive catfish by Wat Traphang Thong, then cycle or wander on foot, looking at ruined temples built in various styles, some like Angkor Wat built from solid stone blocks, others more typically Thai, and constructed from layers of brick.  As with the chedis, the remains of massive Buddha statues reveal the brick interior, cunningly shaped so that with a coating of stucco the result is a human form.  I must admit though, I am getting a little bit tired of the Buddha, though the massive one at Wat Si Chum is impressive for sure.  Still, I miss the cartoon animals and superheroes of the modern temples... never mind, there is something different around the corner, I find a substantial ancient industrial site, in the process of investigation and conservation by archaeologists.  Some fifty pottery kilns  have been unearthed, and fragments of centuries old plates litter the ground, all very cool.

Wat Si Chum.

Photos to go with this post can be found here.