Visiting Sukothai Historical Park in Mueang Kao, Thailand

I’ve been to Sukothai thrice in the last five years and it’s still one of the places that I love going back to. There’s a certain laid back feel that I enjoy a lot in this quaint little town. I first visited Sukothai last 2007 when I first left my job to travel to Thailand. It was also my first time to travel solo (although I have a friend staying in Bangkok at that time, I opted to go solo to give solo backpacking a try).

The Sukothai Kingdom is said to have existed from 1238 until 1438 and the town itself used to be one of the old capitals of Thailand which was later overtaken by the Kingdom of Ayutthaya.

Flashback of My First Trip to Sukothai

From Bangkok I first spent a few days in Ayutthaya where I didn’t know that they were celebrating Songkran at that time (I didn’t know yet about Songkran during that time). So there I was walking naively looking for my guesthouse and as I turned on the street where it’s located, a gang of locals and farangs held my arms and hosed me with cold water!!! I was screaming on top of my lungs that my passport is in my pocket and it might get wet! Luckily, one of them heard me and ushered me straight to the reception of the hostel. And so I handed the reception my wet passport for the usual check in procedure.

I spent a couple of days lounging around Ayutthaya and meeting some fellow solo travelers and one of them mentioned Sukothai. So I searched the guidebook that I was reading that time and started reading about it. The following day, I bought a bus ticket to Sukothai and went straight not knowing what to expect.

Exploring Sukothai Historical Park

After almost five hours of travel, I arrived in Sukothai Bus station and shared a tuktuk with fellow travelers to the town proper to look for a hostel. I found one near the river but there was only one room left. I told the couple that I shared the tuktuk with that they can just get it and I’ll just look for another one. But they opted to give it to me instead and they’ll just look for another one (really nice old couple indeed).

So I settled in and met a few more travelers over dinner who shared with me their travel stories to other Southeast Asian countries that I haven’t been to during that time.

The following morning, I boarded the local songthaew (public utility vehicle) to Sukothai Old City and rented a bicycle so I could explore the park and the old town by myself.

I was blown away by the ruins that I saw in Sukothai and luckily I went to Ayutthaya first because Ayutthaya seems to pale in comparison to the grandeur of Sukothai in my eyes.

I have never seen any ruins prior my visit to Sukothai (and Ayutthaya) and was at awe with the thought of what it was like to live in this place when it was still standing in one piece and in all it’s glory.

After that first trip, I went back last 2012 and 2013 and every time I go back, the happy memories of my first solo trip to Sukothai flashes before me and I can’t help myself but be still in awe with Sukothai.