My Travel Adventures

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.

Since it is my last week in Thailand, it is high time that I made a trip north of Bangkok to visit Sukhothai. It is not a trip to undertake in one day, both because of the long journey and because there is a lot to see in the area. Beside the three sites that are co-inscribed on the UNESCO world heritage list (Sukhothai, Kamphaeng Phet, and Si Satchanalai), there is also Phitsanulok, a historically significant city with several interesting attractions. Founded in the thirteenth century as Song Khwae (meaning “Two Rivers”), the city became the seat of the Sukhothai Kingdom in 1378. Song Khwae would retain its prominent status even after Sukhothai’s incorporation into Ayutthaya in 1448. King Trailokanat moved his residence to the city during the Ayutthaya-Lanna War (presumably to be closer to the battlefield) and renamed it Phitsanulok, meaning “The World of Vishnu.” In the sixteenth century, Phitsanulok went on to serve as the seat of the Uparaja (or heir presumptive) of Ayutthaya.