Off the beaten part in Thailand

After my time in Pai, I continued my journey to the south of Thailand, to Lampang and Sukhothai. Lampang is not a place where many backpackers come but rather Lampang is one of the non-touristy places. But I really wanted to see corners of Thailand that not everyone visits.

There is also only one hostel in Lampang. However, the Hostel ratings already said that it is very quiet there and that you may be the only person in the hostel.

There was no direct bus from Pai to Lampang, which is why I first had to go back to Chiang Mai and from there on to Lampang. But everything worked without any problems. Luckily there was also Grab in Lampang, so I got to the hostel from the bus stop quite easily. The hostel seemed very cute and nice. In fact, I also met one or two backpackers. It wasn’t very busy, as I was used to in other hostels, but it wasn’t like I was alone either. Since it was already after six o’clock when I arrived in Lampang, I didn’t do anything that day.

Rainy day in Lampang

The next day I planned to visit the Sky Pagoda Wat Chaloem Phra Kiat Phrachomklao Rachanusorn. This is 65 kilometers outside of Lampang. However, it rained in the morning and the gray sky didn’t promise much. But I didn’t feel like riding the scooter for two hours in the rain. I also found out that entry for foreigners costs 400 Bath (€10.50). That’s quite a lot for Thailand.

I then had breakfast first and looked for alternatives that I could do in the area. I also asked the front desk for tips. The lady there gave me a map and showed me a few temples and museums nearby. However, these were not within walking distance, so I had to rent a scooter.

I then decided that I would rather stay near Lampang in the rain. After the free breakfast at the hostel, I rented a scooter for 300 bath. In Pai I got a scooter for half the price, so I found it quite expensive.

Since I didn’t just want to sit around in the hostel, I paid the 300 Bath. I then drove straight to the Lampang Museum. On the way I filled up the tank for only 20 Bath as I wouldn’t need much gas in the city anyway. In fact, it wasn’t as much as I initially thought, which is why I had to refuel for another 20 Bath later. It was drizzling on the way to the museum. It wasn’t too bad but a bit annoying.

Exploring Lampang

Luckily, entry to the museum was free. I actually don’t know exactly what the theme of the museum was. I think it was about the history of Lampang. It was nice to see the museum, but nothing special compared to all the exciting places I’ve seen in the last few months.

From Lampang Museum I continued to Wat Si Rongmuang. What can I say, it was just another temple among many. The entrance fee also cost 50 Bath, which is why I only took a quick look at the outside of the temple. To be honest, with the drizzle, I didn’t particularly feel like looking at one boring temple after the next. So I decided to go back to the hostel and set off again in the afternoon. In the end, I spent the whole day in the hostel and completed work that had been left behind for the last few weeks.

In the evening I went to the Night Market to have a look at it. But it wasn’t really big. Ultimately, coming to Lampang was a waste of time and money for me. If I had visited the Sky Pagoda, it would probably have been worth it. But the rain season once again threw a spanner in the works for me.

To make sure the scooter was at least somewhat worth it for me, I drove to the gym the next morning because I couldn’t get there on foot. After packing and breakfast, I checked out and ordered a Grab taxi, which took me to the bus stop.

On my way to Sukhothai

The day before, I had already booked a ticket to Sukhothai at the bus stop. Sukhothai is also one of the places that are not particularly visited by tourists. But I had heard much better things about Sukhothai than about Lampang. The attraction there is the historical park, where you can find many temples.

However, the city of Sukhothai is 14 kilometers away from the historical park. There was also a hostel there, which from the pictures didn’t look that appealing. So I decided on a guesthouse right next to the historical park. So I didn’t have to drive miles to get there.

The bus ride was relatively relaxed. In general, I have the feeling that taking a bus in Thailand isn’t as much of an adventure as it is in Laos or Cambodia. There are no overbookings and I even had a free seat next to me. In addition, everyone received a bottle of water and a small snack.

I had assumed that the bus would stop at the bus stop in Sukhothai and from there I would have to take a taxi to my accommodation. However, the bus stopped right at the historical park and let me and a few other people out there. I got off the bus and stood right in front of my accommodation. It really couldn’t have been better.

Welcome to Sukhothai

I was immediately warmly welcomed by two older women who showed me to my room. I had already read in the reviews that communication with the owners is not that good. However, one of the ladies spoke the bare minimum of English and we understood each other very well.

The room was quite simple. I had a double bed in a small room, with a tiny bathroom next door. Everything was kept very simple but clean and that’s the most important thing.

I did a little research into what I could do in Sukhothai that afternoon. Definitely I wanted to explore part of the historical park already. I then decided to explore the central part.

The historical park is divided into four zones. The north, the west, the east, the south and the center. You have to pay an entry fee of 100 Bath for each zone. If you come by bike, you have to pay an additional 10 bath for your bike.

Exploring the historical park

I rented a bike from my accommodation for 30 baht and then made my way to the entrance of the historical park. Now I was glad that I had accommodation right next to the historical park, because it was just across the street. I bought my ticket and then drove into the park. I was immediately impressed. There were many trees, palm trees, meadows around me and you could also see the temples. Everything was totally calm and beautiful.

I decided to drive clockwise through the park, stopping at the temples along the way. The first temple was Wat Mahathat. Of all the temples in this park, this one impressed me the most. I wandered around the ancient ruins for a bit and took a few photos. In fact, I spent quite a while at this temple as I liked it so much.

From Wat Mahathat I cycled on to Wat Si Sawai. This temple was a bit smaller so it didn’t take me long to visit it. From Wat Si Sawai I continued to Wat Traphang Ngoen. This temple was also relatively small. In the meantime it started to rain, but I didn’t let the rain stop me. So I continued on to Wat Sa Si. In the meantime the dripping subsided again.

Wat Sa Si is also slightly larger and is surrounded by water. Nevertheless, I still liked Wat Mahathat, which I visited first, the most. It was now almost six o’clock and the park would be closing soon. But I still had enough time to visit the last temple, Wat Chana Songkhram. This temple was also quite small and could be explored in just a few minutes.

Now I had done a loop through the central zone of the park and seen pretty much all the interesting spots. I then left the park and drove to a nearby market to buy some fruit. Just as I was on my way home and only had a few meters to go, it started to rain. So my timing was great.

The park is not big, you don’t necessarily need a bike. If you have the time, you can also explore it on foot. But you can get from temple to temple quicker by bike.

The temples in this park all look pretty similar. However, they differ in small details, which makes each temple special. What is striking is that each temple has a large Buddha figure. Personally, the park reminds me a lot of the Angkor Wat complex in Siem Reap.

Exploring the northern zone in Sukhothai

The next morning I slept in and then got ready and packed my things for the day. At ten o’clock I rented a bike again and set off for the North Zone of the Historical Park. On the way there I passed a few temple ruins that were free to explore.

Arriving at the North Zone ticket counter, I bought a ticket there for 110 Bath. The first temple I saw was Wat Phra Phai Luang. This temple was slightly larger. I parked my bike and then explored the temple. There was nothing going on and I was all alone in the park. Only later did a few tourists arrive. The park was nice, but I had liked the Central Zone more so far.

I then rode my bike further through the park, but I couldn’t do more than circle around the Wat Phra Phai Luang temple. I was a bit confused and wondered if I had just paid 110 Bath just to see a temple. According to the map, there should be more temples in the North Zone.

Wat Si Chum in the northern zone

I then entered the name of a temple into Google Maps and drove there. But I already left the park. When I arrived at the temple, I had to show my ticket again. The northern zone was therefore divided into two parts.

The temple I then visited was Wat Si Chum. What made this temple special was the huge Buddha statue, which was surrounded by a wall. There were already a few more tourists at this temple.

From Wat Si Chum I wanted to continue to the western zone. The sky was already turning quite gray. But I didn’t want to let that stop me and started cycling. On the way to the West Zone it started to rain, so I drove back to the guesthouse. I waited there for two hours until the rain let up again and I could go again.

As I was putting my shoes on, the owner of the guesthouse asked me whether I had already booked a bus. She then explained to me that there was a bus stop 500 meters away where I could book a bus. I then drove there first and booked a bus to Bangkok for the next day.

Snakes in Sukhothai

Then I made my way to the West Zone. This was a little further out behind the Central Zone. It was 4 kilometers that I had to cycle to the ticket office. Once there I bought another ticket for 110 Bath and then followed the road through the forest. There I also saw my first snake in Southeast Asia. But it quickly disappeared into the bushes again.

A few hundred meters later I stopped at the first temple. The Wat Saphan Hin. To get there I had to climb some steps. With the thought in the back of my mind that there were snakes here too, I climbed the steps to the temple. However, the temple was just a large Buddha statue and therefore not really spectacular. So I quickly made my way back down and continued cycling.

The western zone consisted mainly of a long road through a forest. There were always small temples on the side of the road, but they weren’t really worth exploring. At the end of the street there was a small loop. There were a few more temples there and, in particular, a beautiful view of the landscape. I cycled around there a bit, but I only stopped at one temple.

More temples in Sukhothai

Then I made my way back again. The exit wasn’t far away and I was able to exit the western zone on the other side. But there was no ticket office there so theoretically you could just drive in. If I had known this earlier, I could certainly have saved the money for admission. It was now late afternoon and I drove back to the guesthouse. On the way back I stopped at Wat Traphang Thong, which was directly opposite the guesthouse. This is the only temple in the area that is still used by monks. Later I went to the market and bought fruit there.

Of the three zones I visited, I liked the Central Zone the most. This area looked more like a park and was worth the 110 Bath entrance fee. The Northern Zone was also beautiful. It was also park-like, but a little smaller. The western zone was also nice, but it was just a thoroughfare with a few small old temples on the side of the road that you don’t necessarily have to stop for. Therefore, I found that the western zone is definitely not worth the price. I didn’t see any tourists there either.

The next morning I walked 500 meters to the bus stop and took the VIP bus to Bangkok. If you would like to know what I experienced during my time in Bangkok, please read my next blog post Temples, TukTuks and great people in Bangkok – Thailand Travel Diary.