It's location proved an ideal natural barrier to invasion and a magnet for trade which secured it's success for nearly 400 years. Unfortunately, as with any successful venture, someone else will inevitably want a piece of the proverbial pie, and do what they can to take it. In this case, it took the Burmese two persistent years of war to gain control and drive the Thais south to Thonburi and subsequently establish the nearby, Bangkok, as their capital.
The Burmese pretty much F.U.B.A.R.ed everything they could, but much restoration and creative use of cement has ensured that many of the ancient ruins look like they originally did.... sort of. The main thing which we liked about this place was simply hiring some bikes and cycling around the city. As a true player of the playstation generation, I couldn't help but think I was the latest character in the GTA series when cycling about the place. Thankfully my feelings were not confirmed by reality and I was not forced to buy weapons, rid my hood of crack dealers, or dodge bullets from the local hood rats. Instead, we saw a glimpse of a more relaxed and untouched Thailand and met some locals that weren't just out to rid us of our hard earned travelling money. Still, knowing that it's often best to leave a place when things are going good, we didn't stay beyond our welcome and moved on the next day to Sukhothai.
Our destination proved to be a further trip back into the country's capital past as this was the 'main place' before Ayuthaya got a look in. Along with Ayuthaya and Phuket, it is also one of the 3 main cities for the Loy Krathong festival, which takes place to mark the end of the monsoon season and the full moon. We'd been told that this is tremendous celebration of joy in Thailand where the nation pays homage to the water god by sending a tribute loaded with money into the nearest available space of water. For us, this space of water was an area, which I can only describe as a concrete pond located in the 'old city' or historical park of Sukhothai. What the locals don't tell you about these beautiful offerings to the water god, is that the local kids, in all the religious awe, simply look out for the ones with money on , and do their damndest to usurp the riches for themselves. Once again, our perceptions of the enlightened people were quashed by the acts of the capitalist activists.
I will say however, that this beautiful and ancient city has provided a glimour of hope for a relaxing an enjoyable time in the rest of Thailand. This hope was not a moment of enlightenment experienced under a tree, or the results of a local whiskey containing amphetimines, but took the form of a swimming pool. This afternoon, I did nothing but float about a pool, sweat, get wet, dry, sweat, get wet and dry again, and it was wonderful. From now on, I want to find the nearest swimming pool or beach in every stop and take a brek from the 'culture' for a while.
Note: 'FUBAR' is a reference to a classic 80s film, and basically means that they wrecked the place.
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