Sukhothai, being the old capital, is rather flush with temples (wats). The best way to see them is on two wheels, and for a change we skipped on a moped and hired a couple of sit-up-and-beg pedal bikes for 50p each. You get what you pay for, my bike made worrying crunches as it rolled along, and neither had anything resembling decent brakes. The site is world heritage listed, and some effort is being made to tidy up and restore the ruins. In my book it’s a bit of a shame, the temples look quite rustic with plants growing on them. Riding our bikes in a stately fashion, not too fast to get us hot, but fast enough for a cooling breeze, we passed round temples, square temples, some with pillars, and some with a Buddha in one of his poses. The area is famous for the walking Buddha pose, but it just makes him look a bit feminine (like a Bangkok lady-boy…)
After a heavy, but fortunately brief rain, we rode to a massive sitting Buddha, once enclosed in a rather tight fitting temple, but now open to the elements. There was also a herd of cattle, boney and loose skinned, grazing next to a moat that surrounds some of the temples. The lack of tourist crowds, and the freedom of being under our own steam made it feel as though we were discovering the temples for ourselves, apart from a hat and whip, I don’t think I could feel any more like Indiana Jones. He probably wouldn’t be seen dead on a bike though, so with aching bums and a broken brake cable we handed the bikes back and went to try the town’s other restaurant out.