1

Hi there,
I did this exact same trip a couple months ago. U wont have any probs getting to Sukothai. Right, 1st thing, the train station in Phitsanulok is very conveniently practically right in the town itself. As soon as you walk out there will be aload of tuk tuks parked right outside, if you are unsure of the times you would like to get the buses to Sukothai you can either get the tuk tuk driver to take you to the TAT (tourism authority thailand) office in town and get a timetable like i did or just gat him to take u direst to the nearby bus station. The buses to Sukhothai, i went as far as the historical park and back, are regular and seem to run the same everyday. The ticket is (from memory!!) around 180 to 240 baht. And it took around 40 mins to an hour. As far as i can remember the buses aren't like at home and u just get on and sit down and the conductor will come and take your fare when he feels like it! Its real easy honest!

I also spent some time in Ayuthuya and the temples littered everywhere are amazing, i can recommend a guesthouse called Tonys Place who also run a sunset temple tour and boat temple tour, there is an awesome elephant kral nearby which all the tuk tuk drivers know about and is free, there were baby elephants when i was there and u can play with them as long as you like! I would think about 2-3 days for everything there could be suficient, check out the tiny little night market too.

I rushed Chiang Mai but if you have a fair bit of time the nigt bazzar is crazy and there is alot to see, many people do hiking trips of 3 days or more but i only took a day trip organied by the very good 'Jonnada guesthouse' which included an elephant back trek,river rafting and visets to waterfalls and hill tribe villages. Only advice would be to check the malaria situation if you go further north on a longer trek because there can be a risk up there.

hope that helps, have a great time!

Kelly

2

Kelly,

Thanks so much for the info. This short trip is my first time traveling alone so I am a little nervous about making sure I know how it's all going to work :-) I went ahead and booked my flights so I'm flying into Chang Mai and then working my way down to Bangkok. One more follow-up question:

If I'm time constrained and have to decide between SukoThai and Atuthuya, which would you recommend?

Again, thanks so much for all the info.

Oh and if there is anyone out there who is thinking of taking the same trip between Nov 26th and Dec 3rd, let me know :-)

3

Isn't Loy Kratong on the 23rd or 24th? really bad to miss it in Sukhotai by a couple days if so. Imporssible to advise you which one to choose. Follow your intuition, if need be, it will be the right choice. Sukhotai ruins are bit more in a rural setting than Ayutthaya. Both deserve a visit.

4

No worries! You will have an awesome time, i went alone and cannot wait to get back in janurary..2 months to wait is too long!
Its hard to recommend the best place between sukothai and ayutthuya, i don't know anything about 'Loy Kratong' so could be worth checking up on dates for that. I didnt spend too long in sukothai and kinginexile is right in saying the ruins are more rural. But there is many more temples of many different styles in Ayuthuyya and all are relatively near each other, u could get a tuk tuk guy to take you to 4 in one day and wait, or take that Tonys place river trip which drops you off at all the riverside temples for a good explore...

So based on MY EXPERIENCE i would say all round ayuthuya is worth more time, you could visit the sukothai ruins in one day if you were pushed for time.

Hope that helps!