Shokhothai - Kingdom of Siam

​A bus ride is a nice thing. I was hoping to ride the rails mostly, but buses seem to be the go-to in Thailand. The ride all the more enjoyable sitting behind two women, one from England, the other German, as they chit-chatted about many things under the sun, including their aches and pains, but mostly travels. They were seasoned, for sure; the Brit saying she spends every winter in Thailand or Vietnam and, occasionally, India for good measure. I admired her pluck. She spoke of first coming in 1980, so I expect she was in her 70s. Petite as can be, well under 5’ with many purple touches: clothes, cell phone cover, streaked purple hair. And a particularly friendly smile, though unto her self setting out once we arrived.

I do glean good tips on places to go and general logistics. Travel as I learn, entertainment in and of itself!

I learned of welcoming indigenous villages to visit near the Myanmar border; how trains are the thing in Vietnam.

The sunset colors were awash as I arrived in the old city. The gravitational pull is always towards the old city for me.

I was so surprised at the compactness! A bit of confusion getting to my final resting place (😌) for two nights, a new place with a dreamy king-size bed. I may have been its first customer; the renovations were clearly still under construction.

But I had no idea where I was; it felt a long walk to town.

But not so. I recognize this first pang of concern when I arrive in a new place is Where the hell am I? And how (and why) am I here? I’m always delighted in how quickly I acclimate. I seem to have some pride in that.

Then my host, Mrs. Usa, points me in a direction with the words “7-11”. Yes. It’s true. Although “Dollar Stores” may have taken the place 7-11s in the US, it seems evident they came here to retire. Or, rather, ramp up. They are everywhere, often every few blocks. Interesting story that.

And in a now-small town in Thailand, the capital of the Kingdom of Siam in the past, you also find sites like this in the center of the city with its three restaurants, massage offerings, weed shops and guesthouses. And two 7-11s two blocks apart.


Popular posts from this blog

Amazing Graces

Image
Off to the most amazing start, finding this guesthouse and, today, meeting with Topsi, the Servas host here. She’s amazing and well-connected throughout Thailand. Was the action coordinator for Greenpeace in the early 2000s, flying a hot air balloon and unfurling banners over a coal plant that was a major polluter in Northern Thailand, and leading a flotilla to confront the first Argentinian ship bringing GMO soya into Thailand. Then coordinator for “Ecoversify” in Thailand, and now a director of “Pilgrimage Asia.” Tomorrow she’s introducing me to a monk-friend at the famed Wat Saker (Golden Mount Temple) here, and connecting me with her Chiang Mai friends, in particular the founders of Pun Pun Organic. Not bad for my first 48 hours. We lunched long with a Japanese woman-friend on the banks of the Chao Phraya river — a place a tourist would never discover on their own, called Chaopraya Antique Cafe . Amazingly, you walk a plank since the lower floor (kitchen and living room) has a foot...
Read more

Shokhothai - A Diamond Island in Town Square

Image
I’m moving north from Bangkok with several stops along the way. Perhaps no surprise, but Buddha and Buddhism is everywhere! Oh, the temples! By my reckoning, much more visible than in India and Nepal. Arriving in Sukhothai at orange-dusk last night, I was later washed-over by the brilliantly lit sight of the moated Wat/Stupa in town. You can approach it over four lantern-lit bridges coming from the four directions. It was stunning at night and, after the magic and adventure of morning and checking out tomorrow’s cute little guesthouse (with the weed store next door); and a fine latte with an oat-coca biscuit - and definitely the heat if the day - my trusty shoes walked me over the north bridge to the Stupa where I found a shaded stone bench awaiting me.. It’s a wholly holy peaceful scene. Not a soul about. I wish I had brought my inflatable meditation cushion. Around the far side, there is hubbub. It’s all quietly done, but they’re setting up for an event, rolling out tons of gold ca...
Read more

Tomorrow

​In the wee hours of the early morning a flight from Rochester to JFK then onto Bangkok. Another journey into the unknown that I sense will be familiar in enough ways to find the treasures I seek. 
Read more