THAILAND - Bangkok & Sukhothai Historical Park (16th - 20th June)

No one could be quite certain how long the bus from Khao Sok to Surat Thani would be, we were told anything from 1 1/2 hours to 4. Hmmm so we picked a time somewhere in the middle and still arrived with 6 hours to kill before our train to Bangkok. We passed it merrily enough by finding something that most resembled a bar and settling in. The our over-night train, with its dubious smells, and extremely welcome dining car, brought us into Bangkok where we dusted ourselves off, had breakfast and then left Kao San to the hippies and set off to see some more of the city, showing each other parts that the other hadn't explored yet. I showed Charley the spectacle of Lumpini Park at dusk, when they offer free aerobics classes to anyone and everyone. People come straight from work, solemnly set down their hand bags and proceed to have a coordinated seisure while trying to keep up with the lithe young instructor bouncing around on the stage. Cruelly we sat giggling by the sidelines taking photos.
By this time we had wandered, half intentionally, into Silom and towards Patpong, the famous Red Light District. It was time for a drink so we took a plunge, each of us emboldened by having the other as a body guard (Charley's need for one outweighing mine considerably). So in we went and did not re-emerge until we'd witnessed bored-looking girls doing rather alarming things with various props, had in-depth chats with pretty girls in bikinis with numbers stuck on their chest (I had a nice little dance with them) and it was 3am and enough was quite clearly enough. So we hailed an over-priced tuk-tuk and scampered back to the safety of Kao San content that we had 'done' that side of the Bangkok 'experience'.

By then we both felt that we'd exhausted Bangkok's attractions, I still had a few days before my flight to Sydney and so we decided to head up north to Sukhothai Historical Park, Central Thailand. A 7 hour bus journey through flat landscape and paddy fields and we were in the friendly but rather plain town of Sukhothai where we checked into a pretty little bungalow (Charley was relieved to find that the prices take a dramatic nose dive as you head up north).
Sukhothai was recognized as the first Thai kingdom and gained prominence and independence in 1238. Today all that remains of the city are the crumbling Wats and Buddhas that survived the fire that the Burmese used to destroy it. Now it is a picturesque woodland through which paths wind around trees and alongside lakes and moats with cows grazing around the ruins. Rather sad but very beautiful. We hired bikes and pottered around in the dripping heat trying to take interesting photos which did the old city justice.
Another night in our laid-back guesthouse and it was time to bid farewell to Charley as he took a bus up north to Chang Mai and I headed back down south to Bangkok and Kao San Road, for the last time, in readiness for my flight the following day to Sydney.
Farewell Asia! Rather sad to leave, it is the most crazy, beautiful, smelly, exhasperating, bewitching place and I have had an amazing 4 months.
Onwards now to the controlled order of Australia and a considerable drop in temperature...