After spending four days in Ayutthia, one and a half of them being as sick as can be and two and a half exploring the ruins, it was time to move on to Sukhothai.

Bright and early on October 8 we boarded a plane the likes of which I didn’t realize were still being used. 🙂 This was definitely a ‘puddle jumper’.

After a short flight we arrived in Sukhothai (meaning Dawn of Happiness).

The airport was tiny but beautiful.

Sukhothai is located 427 kilometers (265 miles) north of Bangkok. It was founded in the 13th century sometime between 1238 and 1257.  It was the first independent Thai (Siamese) Kingdom established after defeating the Khmer.

We settled into our rooms at the Thai Thai Sukhothai Guesthouse (highly recommend it if you are in the neighborhood), in the historic old town.

Then, we rented some bikes and set out to explore.

Our first stop was at Wat Traphang Thong, a current temple that was built in the late 1300’s.

Then we headed on to the historical park