Sukhothai - Old Royal City

We took a VIP (aircon and toilet on board) bus from Bangkok to Sukhothai, which is a 7 hour journey into Northern Thailand. We were staying in a lovely room (with hot water and TV!) in a beautiful lush green courtyard by the Dream Cafe where we had the best meal that we've had yet in Thailand (with some pretty gross red wine though).

Sukhothai is the place of the old royal city dating back to the 13th and 14th centuries. Much of it is in ruins and has undergone restoration, but the place is truly amazing. There are hundreds of temples, in various states of repair, and many beautiful buddha statues, and chedis in both hindu and buddhist style. We hired bikes to cycle around the city which was really pleasant as it was a very hot day. We decided to stay to see sunset which was absolutely stunning, and then having revitalized ourselves with a beer, we came back again to see it after dark lit up. Unfortunately, the promised light show failed to materialize, and since we were the only people wondering around the ruins in pitch black (with a few flood lights) it was all quite spooky!

We were staying in the New Town, 12km away from the old city and as luck would have it, we missed the bus back, but the kind local policemen flagged down a passing long distance bus for us, and got us safely onboard back to the bus station, followed by a tuk tuk ride with the flower delivery driver to our chosen restaurant for dinner: The Poo Restaurant. As recommended by lonely planet, I'm glad to report that it did not live up to its name!