When asked about Thailand's historical cities, many people would immediately think of Ayutthaya. However, when Sukhothai is mentioned, everyone would say, "Oh, yeah, that's right." As a child, I was quite interested in history and enjoyed visiting museums to learn about the past. Today, I had the opportunity to visit the ancient city of Sukhothai, and I was very excited because I had never been there before. This is my first time.

Travel options to Sukhothai are limited. Public transportation is restricted to buses and airplanes. To reach the old city, take a bus to Mueang Kao district. The historical park is located directly in front of it.

We arrived in Sukhothai around noon, so we decided to check into our hotel first. This time, we chose to stay at The Legendha Sukhothai because of its convenient location near the historical park and Wat Chang Lom. This makes it easy for those without a car to visit the park.

The room we got today is a Deluxe Room. The Legendha is currently renovating its rooms, and we were lucky enough to get a room that was just finished.

We were impressed by the meticulous attention to detail throughout the establishment. From the moment we entered, the staff at the front desk and within the room itself demonstrated a remarkable commitment to detail. For instance, the foot towels were wrapped in banana leaves, and the welcome snacks consisted of locally sourced bananas and "krayasart" sweets, a specialty of Sukhothai. (Unfortunately, we were unable to enjoy the snacks due to braces, haha!)

Before venturing out to explore the old town, we took a short walk around our accommodation. Interestingly, Wat Chang Lom is located just a stone's throw away from our hotel.

And then it was time. We asked the hotel to arrange a tuk-tuk to take us on a tour of the old town. The hotel also asked us if we wanted to try riding a cart, a cart pulled by a cow. Hey, we came all the way here, so we said yes. The hotel arranged for a cart for us, and the tuk-tuk will drop us off near the tourist service center. Then the cart will take us to Wat Sri Chum.

The two horses that took us on the tour were named Kam-Muang. They were huge! The cart they pulled was a real cart, with wooden wheels. As we rode, we felt a sense of the past.

The uncle presented me with a gift of dried fish, a local delicacy, as a souvenir.

We arrived at Wat Si Chum, the entrance fee was only 20 baht. Unfortunately, it rained before we arrived, so the ground was a bit soggy. When we visited, there were hardly any people around, it was very quiet.

The enormous Phra Achana statue at Wat Si Chum boasts stunning architecture. According to historical records, King Naresuan led his army to Wat Si Chum before attacking the city of Sawankhalok (formerly known as Mueang Chaliang) during the reign of King Naresuan. Due to the conflict being between fellow Thais, the soldiers lacked fighting spirit. King Naresuan devised a strategy by having his soldiers speak from behind the statue, giving rise to the legend of the talking Buddha at Wat Si Chum. King Naresuan also performed the water-drinking ceremony at this temple.

After finishing taking photos at Wat Sri Chum, the uncle picked us up to take us to the Ramkhamhaeng National Museum.

While the Chao Sam Phraya Museum in Ayutthaya offers a comprehensive overview of the historical period, the Sukhothai Historical Park presents a more focused experience centered on Buddhist sculptures and Sangkhalok ceramics unearthed from various temple sites. Notably, the original Srivijayan inscription discovered at the location is now housed at the National Museum in Bangkok. The Sukhothai museum instead displays a 1:1 replica of the inscription.

We arrived at the museum just before closing time. The ticket seller even told us, "You only have 40 minutes, kiddo!" with a laugh. After that, we had our uncle pick us up and take us back to our accommodation, as we had no idea what to do next. We'll figure it out tomorrow morning.

After resting, we went down to the hotel's restaurant. There is also a market in the old town, next to Wat Traphang Thong, but we were feeling lazy, so we decided to eat something simple at the hotel. In fact, Sukhothai is not a full-fledged northern region. It is the lower north, where the food is more similar to central Thailand.

While I was having dinner, the staff came around to give everyone a garland. They were made of jasmine flowers woven into the shape of a rice stalk, with a woven silver barb fish at the end. I asked the staff if I could have a go at making one myself, as they were about to pack away. They said they would put one aside for me, and then brought me a whole basket of jasmine flowers! I took them back to my room to have a go at making my own garland. I loved it! Thank you so much!

That evening, we sat and talked with the staff at the hotel, casually asking about the history of Sukhothai. They suggested a program for us: "Would you like to try printing amulets? There's a local expert who does it. If you're interested, we can go tomorrow morning." We immediately agreed. The next morning, we met with Poo, who took us to Kob's house, the Sukhothai amulet printing expert.

Upon arrival, we were greeted with a refreshing welcome drink: pandan leaves infused with palm sugar, offering a subtle sweetness and a delightful aroma.

In addition to listening to Brother Kob talk about Buddha statues, we also enjoyed listening to the history of Sukhothai for a long time. Two hours were not enough. We printed Buddha statues and listened to history. It was so much fun and we got a lot of ideas for living our lives. We also learned something new: in the past, villagers printed Buddha statues to offer to temples, but nowadays, temples print Buddha statues to give to their followers.

My first visit to Sukhothai was truly remarkable. The people were incredibly kind, despite their occasional bluntness, which is typical of Sukhothai's culture. The city's tranquility and lack of hustle and bustle were refreshing. If I ever have the opportunity to return, Sukhothai will undoubtedly be at the top of my list.

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