Sukothai: bikes, bungalows and baked goods

For the journey between Lopburi and Sukothai, we splashed out for the air-conditioned train. This was much more expensive than the third class option, and while it was very comfortable, the closed windows and quiet atmosphere made it all a bit dull compared to the ordinary train. I spent the journey working on my latent talent for hangman, which has been biding its time since primary school but has now emerged to kick David's ass.

When we arrived at Sukothai, we were ambushed by a forthright Dutch girl, who wanted to share a taxi to the guesthouse area. We agreed, and then the three of us engaged in some ineffectual haggling with the sangthaew driver. The Dutch girl ( we didn't learn her name) complained that she felt robbed much of the time in Thailand. I think the key is to not be too combative but accept that haggling is necessary and that sometimes you will inevitably be charged more than locals. And of course even if you are, the difference probably wouldn't buy you a Big Issue in Britain anyway...

Our guesthouse in Sukothai was possibly the nicest place we've stayed at yet - little individual bungalows set in a garden overflowing with palm trees, for 6 pounds a night. I also had my first encounter with a squat toilet here, which is a rite of passage I could probably have forgone...

For dinner we went to a local place with the unfortunate name of Poo Restaurant. The food however was extremely good - I had penang curry, also called red Thai curry, and a margarita which was not bad at all. (I've given up on the beer for now.)

For dessert we bought roti from the night market. These are small Indian breads which you can often choose a filling for, such as chocolate, banana or egg. I read before coming to Thailand that dessert isn't big over here, but as well as roti we found a stall selling freshly baked chocolate cake every morning on the streets of Ayuthaya, and the Seven Elevens here offer the bizzare combination of strawberry cheese sandwiches!

On Friday we visited the Sukothai Historical Park, which is spread out over a large area and consists of wats amidst attractive park land and lakes. In appearance the park is not dissimilar to an elaborate golf course. We rented bikes again, and spent most of the day cycling around the ruins at a pretty leisurely pace. To be honest by this point I think we had both seen a few too many crumbling wats, so we limited ourselves to a fairly small area within the park. It was definitely a nicer setting than the ruins at Ayuthaya, but there was less of a sense of discovery as everything was so much neater and closer together.

We returned to Poo Restaurant on Friday night, for rice soup and more cocktails. Saturday was spent travelling to Lampang, known in Thailand as the Horse and Cart city. I was inspired partly to go travelling in the first place by reading years ago Bill Bryson's account of backpacking across Europe. He quite often formed arbitrary impressions of a place based on its initial appearance and general atmosphere, and I think he would have loved Lampang, a sleepy but very pretty town. We stayed at another lovely guesthouse, run by a French woman with a very businesslike air. It was set along the banks of the river, and had a cushioned chillout area surrounded by jasmine flowers. For dinner we went to a riverside restaurant and bar which served excellent green curry, and provided the slightly surreal experience of watching four Thai guys in a cover band sing 'Eternal Flame'.

Today we arrived in Chiang Mai, Thailand's second city. More on that at a later date.