Venturing aware from my group I got lost wandering these stunning ruins of Sukhothai. It is no wonder I was so mesmerized walking through the towering brick columns and enormous stone Buddhas. Sukhothai was the kingdom and first capital of Thailand built over 800 years ago.
Sukhothai, which means the Dawn of Happiness, is an absolutely breathtaking UNESCO world heritage site filled with excellently preserved ruins.
These ruins are vastly different from what I saw in the north, in Bangkok, and Phuket.
The structures are of the Khmer style which is what you find in Cambodia, most famously Angkor Wat.
The Buddhas are not what you see in most Thai temples. These Buddhas are influenced by Sri Lanka art in the Theravada Buddhist style.
I am standing 5’2 in front of Wat Mahathat. One of the parks standing Buddhas.
As you walk through a narrow slit in the city you get a glimpse of Wat Si Chum, the largest sitting Buddha on site. As you glance at the gold hand and gold fingernails, one only wonders how this Buddha appeared when it was first constructed in all of its glory.
The ruins with elephants: Wat Chang Lom, Wat Chang Rop, and Wat Sorasak were some of my favorites. The rows of elephants emerging from Chedis were another marvel of ancient Thailand.
To finish this post off, with my amazing travel group I cannot forget about some of the wonderful guys on my trip, particularly Pete who pushed my boundaries on adventure and was one hell of a camera man!
One last image. This was the first look we had entering the historical park. Astounding.
One Bubbly Blonde 