A Motorbike Trip to Si Satchanalai

I originally intended to visit Si Satchanalai by bus, but a few considerations made me change my mind. Firstly, I could not find the bus timetables on the internet. The receptionist at my hotel even insisted there was no bus at all, but I did not believe her, as the bus I rode from Kamphaeng Phet to Sukhothai had the words “Si Satchanalai” written on its side. Still, I did not want to wait at the station for an hour or two before catching this likely infrequent connection. Secondly, while I was doing my research on the sights in Si Satchanalai, I realised that some attractions were a bit far away from the nucleus of the historical park.

Luckily, I noticed yesterday that the place where I had borrowed a bike also rented out motorcycles, so I stopped by in the morning to inquire. As I write these words, it occurs to me that I cannot describe the model very well, as I know nothing about motorcycles and did not even clock the brand. Suffice it to say that it was a sleek white bike with a strong engine that ran smoothly at seventy kilometres per hour (and for all I know it may have run smoothly at higher speeds as well, but I did not dare drive faster). For an extra one hundred baht, the proprietor also filled up the gas tank and saved me from having to find a gas station.

The drive to Si Satchanalai took me around an hour and I was surprised at how well-paved the road was. The whole journey felt very smooth, though driving quickly made me feel so chilly that I put on the pyjama shirt I had packed. My only complaint was that the motorcycle did not come with a phone holder, so I had to keep it in the cup holder and occasionally slow down to check the directions. At seventy kilometres per hour, I feared the navigation would not always be loud enough for me to hear.

I arrived at Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat around nine and was the only tourist there. This, I later learned, was not because of how early I had come but because Si Satchanalai is not a commonly visited place. Although it is just as far away from Sukhothai Airport as Sukhothai, it is not as famous as its popular sister. The town between the various sites has a handful of restaurants with English menus, and I think I saw one or two hotels by the roadside. Given the limited tourist infrastructure, therefore, I was surprised to find that Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat – being far away from the centre of the old city – had its own staffed ticket office, and that the old city itself had a sizeable visitor centre, an electric tram service, and a large troop of gardeners.

After climbing up the prang of Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat, whose small shrine continues to serve as a place of worship, I drove to Wat Chao Chan on the way to the tourist centre of the Si Satchanalai Historical Park. The vast complex was impressive. Filled with temples, the historical park is a good reminder that Si Satchanalai used to be the residence of Sukhothai’s crown prince, whose palace looked out over multiple prangs and chedis. The largest and best-preserved temples all stand in line within a short distance of each other: Wat Nang Phaya, Wat Chedi Chet Thaew, and Wat Chang Lom.

Wat Nang Phaya is known for its large bell-shaped chedi and a well-preserved frieze, whereas Wat Chedi Chet Thaew is famous for its bud-shaped chedi and assemblage of smaller shrines. One can find the iconic statue of the Buddha sitting on a tall spiral of naga coils in an outer niche on the northwestern side of the temple. Finally, tourists visit Wat Chang Lom to see the base of its bell-shaped chedi, which is lined with large elephant statues. I am told that the larger of these (which decorate the four corners) are actually life-sized.

Wat Chang Lom sits right under a small hill, on top of which I visited the slightly less famous chedi of Wat Khao Suwankhiri and Wat Khao Phanom Phloeng. I wished that the trees around these temples had been cut in at least one place, as the glimpses I caught promised a beautiful view. Since that was not the case, however, I climbed back down again and went back to my motorbike by way of a few more temples. The only other site I would visit before eating lunch were the three large chedis at Wat Khok Singkharam, and I only visited these because I saw on the map that they were opposite to multiple restaurants. I was genuinely surprised when I found not one but three vegetarian items on its menu.

Before heading back to Sukhothai, I made one last stop just north of the old city by the Sangkhalok Kiln Study and Conservation Centre. Si Satchanalai was once known for its pottery and porcelain, which archeologists have found as far away as Indonesia, Japan, and the Philippines. The trade flourished from around the thirteenth to the sixteenth century, after which Sukhothai entered a long period of decline, and Si Satchanalai was sacked by the Burmese army in 1766. The conservation centre houses several excavated kilns as well as various porcelain items and pottery that were created at the site. I was the only visitor there, and the receptionist lit up the exhibition specially for me.