Monsoon, But Not

Sukothai, Thailand  February 3rd, 2012

Verily the skies did open up, and they provided another glimpse of what the monsoon season must be like.  It was wonderful, and wet, and frantic, as sheets of rain pelted everyone, bolts of lightening threatened, and the thunder rolled across the Sukothai Historical park.

It was a day of ruins, of bicycling in the laziest possible fashion, and of the camaraderie of travel and joy, even under adversity.  Especially under adversity.  Of course, even when it is pouring down rain here, it is still 75 degrees.

Yesterday was my first travel adventure of this trip.  Leaving Monkey Town, I got onto the wrong train, from the right station, leaving at the right time, and going to the right place.  The train was, indeed, going to Pitsuanlok.  The train was at the appointed platform and spot on time.  But I did not have a ticket for this train.  I had the much more, by Thai standards, expensive ticket for the air-con express.

When the conductor checked my ticket, he was perplexed, and then there was a lot of rubbing of the face and pushing the hat back on the head, a sort of universal Barney Fife kind of reaction.  I had to follow the conductor to the crew car, which was wonderful, with stools and huge open windows through which to view the countryside rattling by.  I would have been perfectly happy to stay there all day but it was not to be.

I was, very kindly, put off of the train at a rural station and some parley ensued about the friendly, but Idiotic, farang (that would be yours truly) who needed to be put onto the fancy-schmancy express train, in his proper seat, thank you very much.  And, eventually, when the tardy express train zoomed up, that is what happened.

The express is not the ordinary.  The express has no vendors.  The express does not have windows that open.  The express has attendants and farang and well-to-do Thais.  In short, the express has none of the fun things that all of the other trains have.  The only thing it has is speed.  In three hours, instead of five, I was stepping off of the train in Pitsuanlok, and forming a collectivo with some other travelers, to get a Tuk-Tuk ride to the bus station to continue on to Sukothai new town.

The bus, thankfully, was an ordinary, complete with goofy oscillating fans and lots of Thai folks.  We clattered across the country to the new town of Sukothai, the jumping off point for exploring Sukothai Historical Park, one of the main historical sites in Thailand.  It was a lovely ride, complete with, for the moment, a  traveling companion, a Dutch national living in the USA.

The bus left us at the station in Sukothai, a kilometer short of the main town.  That would translate into four kilometers and a death march according to the Tuk-tuk drivers trolling for our business.  We cheerfully ignored them and set out on the deadly trek.  A short klick later we had found, perhaps, one of the coolest and funkiest sets of bungalows in the whole of Thailand.  The cost was 200 baht per night with bathrooms!!  That is $ 6.60 more or less.  It is, truly, an amazing country.

The night market for dinner, roti for dessert, and a peaceful cigar as the critters scurried through the thatch and the water dripped into the fountains.  And then sleep, for the first time of this trip, under the mozzie nets.

Today was perfectly lazy.  Deciding to venture together, the new Dutch-American travel team, we caught a slow bus to the Historical Park, drank coffees, rented goofy bicycles and then pedaled ever so slowly around the acres and acres of amazing ruins set amongst lush green grounds.  There were pond upon pond to keep the breeze cool, enough ruins to stun an archaeologist, and very few other people.  We crossed paths with a few of the people on our previous train and shared the customary travelers comments.  We lunched on the special Sukothai noodles, which are a little different I guess, and then, at the slightest patter of rain in the afternoon, rode back to the stable.

As we waited for the return bus, the tuk-tuk drivers, and the weather, threatened.  We were able to ward off the drivers but not the impending storm.  First the patter previously mentioned, then the thunder and amazing bolts of lightening, and, finally, wind-blown sheets of sideways rain which had everyone giggling and racing around for cover.  We took refuge in the silly little tourist tram (my idea) which offered the slightest modicum of cover until the bus pulled into view.  We fled to the bus, an open sided affair, as the driver furiously tried to unfurl the sidecovers.

Pictures will have to wait until I find some Wi-fi as I am logged on in an internet cafe and without a USB cord.  The guest house is, thankfully, without Wi-fi so I am safe from my own electronic devices.

The weather has passed, for now, and looks to be better and better as I get north, heading toward Laos.  I may stay another day here in Sukothai or I may head north for Lamphun.  As I am a traveler blessed with immense luck, either choice will do nicely.  I have been, and am, a failure at many things in this life, but one thing I am not a failure at is as a traveler.  The journey comes naturally and easily to me and I rejoice in it.  I count this as one of the most precious of blessings possible.