Checking in to the Lotus Village in Sukholthai
Saturday the 11th
We had hoped to get on the express
train at 11a when we checked out of our hotel and walked to the
station, but it was sold out, so instead we booked the 1pm express
with second class AC seats and explored more of Lopburi. There was a
large ruins across the station that we hadn't checked out and
although we were feeling stressed as we entered, it was cleared away
by being transported into a new world that seemed so ancient compared
to the surrounding town. We climbed any stairs provided and imagined
how grand this temple once was.
We took pictures of ourselves at angles that would show others this place as an abandoned jungle ruin, but all around the buzz of the surrounding town came through with the bark of dogs and hum of passing traffic. We left and grabbed an early lunch at a nearby restaurant. Even though it was only 10am we ordered a beer and some rice and noodle dishes. The food was great, the beer here is not much to speak of. After there we sat and relaxed at a very little coffee shop. The local teenagers seemed to loiter inside and flirt with the cute barista, who was very slow at making a weak cup of coffee. She did ask to take our picture and another duo interviewed us for a college assignment. People's excitement to use English is often as high as their excitement when I use my poor/limited Thai. We got on the train no problem and were surprised to be handed warm lunches from the attendants. Collin really liked the 5 spice boiled eggs. Once the train got going, we both slept the 4 hour journey North. We were going to arrive at a wayward town and take the bus to Sukholthai but the Tuk Tuk drive out of the train station said he'd just drive us the whole way instead of to the bus station. It was a nice day and Tuk Tuks are more fun then a stuffy bus, so off we went.
He drove us directly to Lotus Village too which
was much appreciated. Lotus Village is run by an ex-pat French man.
He was a cute old man and gave us a great run down of the town with a
map.
A quick note of this place, Lotus Village is very nice. The free breakfasts offer many options and you can order as much off of the menu as you like. The general prices of the resort are quite inflated to the same price options a few blocks away in terms of massage and food, but the interior design of the residences is very carefully selected and traditional. As a quilter, I fawned over the intricate quilt work and got mad when C accidentally spilled some juice on it (it washed out! no worries!!). We paid extra to have a Lotus Style cabin, which is on stilts over a pond. The soft noise of water from the porch was detracted by mosquito, so if you were interested in staying there - I'd say the cheaper apartment accommodations are probably just as nice! There were also many other really nice garden cabins you can rent even closer to down town (Lotus Village is actually only 3 blocks away so still really close), but I am not sure they had AC which is possibly way they didn't show up in my search for housing. The owner and staff where super helpful with coordinating our desires and gave directions to places they recommended and also arranged a taxi for us to the airport!
After getting settled, we set off on foot to explore. New Sukholtai does not capture the feeling of being a new town in anyway, but it was small and lively. We entered at the beginning of their new years festival, so the night market along the river and downtown in seemed busier as people worked to erect stages and tents for the coming holiday. We ate our usual night fare and discovered the amazingness that is Roti Kong. Its kind of like a crepe dough they fry in oil and put a mixture of scrambled eggs and fruit in the center, fold the crepe edges over to make a square package and flip to cook the top side. Collin got it in banana. Then they cover the cooked food in sweetened condensed milk and chop it into bite size pieces. The look of it repulsed me, but one taste and I was sold. I hadn't been eating a lot because of the heat. We ended up getting a spontaneous foot massages, when the spa ladies called us over from the road. They were very kind with their broken English and made us laugh as they gave us great massages. The night market seemed to close shop around 9pm, but we've been pretty tired, so an early bed time is not a bad thing.
We took pictures of ourselves at angles that would show others this place as an abandoned jungle ruin, but all around the buzz of the surrounding town came through with the bark of dogs and hum of passing traffic. We left and grabbed an early lunch at a nearby restaurant. Even though it was only 10am we ordered a beer and some rice and noodle dishes. The food was great, the beer here is not much to speak of. After there we sat and relaxed at a very little coffee shop. The local teenagers seemed to loiter inside and flirt with the cute barista, who was very slow at making a weak cup of coffee. She did ask to take our picture and another duo interviewed us for a college assignment. People's excitement to use English is often as high as their excitement when I use my poor/limited Thai. We got on the train no problem and were surprised to be handed warm lunches from the attendants. Collin really liked the 5 spice boiled eggs. Once the train got going, we both slept the 4 hour journey North. We were going to arrive at a wayward town and take the bus to Sukholthai but the Tuk Tuk drive out of the train station said he'd just drive us the whole way instead of to the bus station. It was a nice day and Tuk Tuks are more fun then a stuffy bus, so off we went.
After getting settled, we set off on foot to explore. New Sukholtai does not capture the feeling of being a new town in anyway, but it was small and lively. We entered at the beginning of their new years festival, so the night market along the river and downtown in seemed busier as people worked to erect stages and tents for the coming holiday. We ate our usual night fare and discovered the amazingness that is Roti Kong. Its kind of like a crepe dough they fry in oil and put a mixture of scrambled eggs and fruit in the center, fold the crepe edges over to make a square package and flip to cook the top side. Collin got it in banana. Then they cover the cooked food in sweetened condensed milk and chop it into bite size pieces. The look of it repulsed me, but one taste and I was sold. I hadn't been eating a lot because of the heat. We ended up getting a spontaneous foot massages, when the spa ladies called us over from the road. They were very kind with their broken English and made us laugh as they gave us great massages. The night market seemed to close shop around 9pm, but we've been pretty tired, so an early bed time is not a bad thing.
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