Takraw game in progress... Ta Pae Gate, Chiang Mai

Takraw is a traditional Thai game, played with a woven rattan ball. The object here is to get the ball into a netted basket which is suspended about 20 feet over the players. You can use every baody part except hands to accomplish this. Including shoulders, kicking with legs and feet, and, yes, foreheads. People wear a large foam pad, about the size of a dish sponge but very thick, strapped around their heads, with the pad in the front. Not many baskets are made per game, but it is entertaining to watch... especially when they head butt the ball!

Wat Chedi Luang... Chiang Mai

Temple doorway arches... Chiang Mai

The peacock design guards the entrance to the oldest wooden temple in Chiang Mai.

Umbrellas for sale... Chiang Mai night bazaar

One of the classic crafts from the Chiang Mai area is hand painted umbrellas.

Chiang Mai... Scenes from the Night Bazaar

Anusarn Market at the world famous night bazaar in Chiang Mai.

Best Sweet and Sour ever!!

The sauce was delicious... lots of fresh lime juice. And there were bananas and mangos along with the more classic veggies and chicken making up the bulk of the dish! Genius!!

Garden House, Sukkhothai

My teak and bamboo bungalow in the lush, fruit and flower filled gardens of Garden House Bungalows. This was a sweet place to stay... I got a lucky tip from my tuk-tuk driver.

Bungalow art... Sukkhothai

Yeah... it's a puzzle.

Wat Saphan Hin, Sukkhothai, forested area

The trail to the bottom.

Wat Saphan Hin, Sukkhothai, forested area

Looking out across the valley, towards the Historic Park and the New City of Sukkhothai, from the top of the hill. If not for the high levels of smog that day you could see both of those places from here. As it is, you can barely make out some ruins of the Park in the distance.

Wat Saphan Hin, Sukkhothai, forested area

Looking up from the foot of the Buddha image

Wat Saphan Hin, Sukkhothai, forested area

This large standing Buddha was on top of the tallest hill in the valley.

Forested Area, Sukkhothai

Temple on the road

Forested Area, Sukkhothai

Sights along the road.

Forested Area, Sukkhothai

This area was about 3 miles from the Park itself, and was known as the forested area. Along this road there were many, many temples and ruins. This site was a five minute walk up a heavily forested hill from the main road. I saw no one else when I was out in this region. Very silent and still, and a little eery to be alone amongst all this ancient history.

Old City Walls, Sukkhothai

The old city walls surrounded the outside of the Historical Park. These gates were just out the North gate of the Park.

Wat Si Chum, Sukkhothai

Here was another remote temple. This giant seated Buddha image is one of the most photographed and famous sights of Sukkhothai.

Wat Phra Pai Luang, Sukkhothai...

Detail of the doorway arch on the main tower.

Wat Phra Pai Luang, Sukkhothai...

The lower photo is of a very weathered seated Buddha image... the only part of the form remaining is from the waist down. It is worn down to it's inner brick layer.

Wat Phra Pai Luang, Sukkhothai...

This picture is interesting... it shows the different layers that make up these massive monuments. The first, inner layer is brick... that gives them their basic overall shape and design. Next comes layers of some kind of cement-like substance. And the upper layer seems to be a stucco layer, used for ornamentation and statues. This complex had many structures all in a similar level of decay, which made it easy to see the building process

Wat Phra Pai Luang, Sukkhothai... bicycling around the Old City

This complex sits on its own island totally surrounded by a large moat. It is a bit remote from the Historical Park and for about an hour I had the whole place all to myself! Surreal!

Sukkhothai... outside of the Historical Park

The Historical Park itself has only a fraction of the ruins within it's gates. All the rest lie around the outside, the farthest being about 3 miles from the Park. This temple, with nicely reconstructed elephant images ringing it, is just outside the North gate of the Park.

Sukkhothai Historical Park... Reflections

Bicycling through these beautiful ruins was amazing! Extremely beautiful views around each corner and down every road! The place was immaculately manicured and cared for, the nicely trimmed grass giving it the feeling of a well maintained city park... kind of.

Nice view from the road... Biking around Sukkhothai

The quiet and shady grounds. Sukkhothai was quite lush and wet and I was surprised to see these large cactuses growing here. Maybe they are some type of sacred cactus, I'm not sure. They were not very abundant, but were growing in prominent locations where I did notice them. This one, near Wat Mahatat, was about 6 feet tall.

Wat Si Sawai... Sukkhothai

A closer look at a main tower and some of it's remaining detail. This temple was built in an altogether different style then Wat Mahatat.

Wat Si Sawai... Sukkhothai

About 1/8 mile down a nice paved road within the park brought me to this complex... Wat Si Sawai. Much smaller than Mahatat and compact in comparison, it was still beautiful. Nicely preserved detail on the towers inside a quiet and shady grounds.

Wat Mahatat... Sukkhothai...

There is a large standing Buddha figure inside the walled in area toward the right of the photo.

Wat Mahatat... Sukkhothai... Still Reflections

It is to experience scenes such as this that people travel to Sukkhothai from all over the world! The symmetrical beauty of both the building AND it's reflection is a classic trademark of Sukkhothai era art. Architecture like this is not found elsewhere in Thailand... or the world for that matter.

Wat Mahatat... Sukkhothai... Serene Beauty

Wat Mahatat... Sukkhothai

The symmetry of design within the Mahatat complex made for beautiful photos. From nearly any angle the many towers and monuments seemed to be in alignment.

Wat Mahatat... Sukkhothai

Close up of some of the remaining detail work on the largest tower in this complex.

Wat Mahatat... Sukkhothai

Wat Mahatat... Sukkhothai

Wat Mahatat... Sukkhothai

This was the first temple complex I came across as I rode my bike into the park through the front entrance. In order to reach the park I got a ride in the back of a pickup about 12 miles from New Sukkhothai to Old Sukkhothai... then rented a bicyicle at the entrance gate, purchased my entrance pass and was on my way to a FULL day of biking around all the temples and ruins in and around the Sukkhothai Historic Park.

Sukkhothai Historical Park

Lopburi... more temples

Lopburi was another town, like Ayuthaya, where there were many old ruins interspersed amongst the modern town.

Lopburi... a monkey free temple

Lopburi Rulers...

These monkeys are bananas! Didn't I tell you they RULE it here?!?

Lopburi town monkeys

So, there are several troops of monkeys. Some live exclusively inside the grounds of two different temples, while others have abandoned temple life for a more wordly existence on the streets of Lopburi... actually on the streets, on the wires, on the sides of buildings, on storefront awnings etc... They completely rule the city for about a 4 square block radius, but, oddly, are no where else in town. Look closely at the building and the wires...

Bats!!! Lopburi

I was sitting quietly inside a temple when I heard some soft squeeking coming from overhead. I looked up to see this sight.... There were dozens of bats hanging vampire style directly overhead!

Lopburi temple monkeys...

Look closely... there are monkeys on that temple!