To Sukhothai

(I have uploaded some photos on a page earlier).
Can't believe that the darn alarm woke me at 5.30 this morning.  Could well have done with a couple more hours sleep but up I got, shower, suitcase out, breakfast and on the coach and way by 7. We have a very long travel day today.  Weather warm and a bit humid but fine inside the air conditioned coach - funny about that...
First stop after about 1 1/2 hours of driving is the ruins of Ayuthaya.  I haven't been to Angkor Wat in Cambodia, but figure that this has to be similar.  It was quite humid by now but fine in the shade.  we were able to take our time having a wander through the ruins which were fascinating.  Back on the coach for a short ride to the remains of the palace and surrounding temples.  This wasn't on our itinerary but Joe looks after us so well that as we were so close it made sense as far as he was concerned to fit this in too.  Very impressive once again. Even saw four elephants that were carrying tourists around.  Did I remember to tell you about the wild monkeys we saw in the jungle area two days ago?  Cheeky things were running across the road and having a wonderful time searching for food that passing motorists had thrown from their vehicles.
Anyway, I digress, back on the coach and about 1/12 hours later we arrive at our lunch destination which is just too hard to describe but was just wonderful.  There were a number of thatched roof areas alongside a big dam, and we were seated in one of these areas.  A fabulous lush path led from where the coach dropped us off to our esating area.  The flowers were beautiful and arches were formed by some of the taller plants, trees and vines.  Anyway we had a Thai banquet and the food was great.  A couple of the meals had pineapple in them so I said that I couldn't eat them because of my allergy.  I didn't wnat anythign else as the other 2 main options plus the soup were going to be more than enough for me, however next thing I know I am brought out my own special little dish of chicken and cashews.  The service was exceptional.  They kept coming to ask if we wanted more of anything and as it was we couldn't eat all they had brought first time around!   We then rolled back onto the coach and had about 2 more hours until a short pit stop (or happy stop as Joe calls them) at a large service station so that we could have a bathroom break.  there was a small mini mart there too so I bought some Durian flavoured wafers and a packet of sticky rice cakes with palm sugar syrup drizzled over them that I shared with all on the coach once we were underway again.  The Durian wafers were scrummy.. kind of like a custard taste and the sticky rice cakes were good too, altough the palm sugar toffee topping tested anyone with false teeth. LOL!!!
2 more hours on the road and we finally arrived at our boutique hotel, The Legendha at Sukhothai which was the oroginal capital.  It was about 6.20 p.m. by the time I got to my room and it had been a very long travelling day, but an extra good one.  Our hotel is really nice - and being boutique has quite a lot of quirky things.  I've already spent too long uploading your first lot of photos on the previous entry that you will have to wait for photos of my room for another time.
Dinner was at the restaurant and it was fantastic, yet again with a budffet that had so many options I barely touched on half of them.  We even had the option of having our own Pad Thai made up in front of us, which I most certainly took advantage of. In keeping with previous dinners I had a Legendha Special from the cocktail menu and as it had things like Gin, rum, grenadine, triple sec and a host of other yummy alcoholic beverages in it I was very impressed.  it ws uppose to have pineapple juice in it but the subsituted orange juice for me... and then went and served it with a big chunk of pineapple in it so had to go and make me another one (and yes I checked, they did make another one not just fished the pineapple out!) After dinner we were entertained with some traditional dancing from some of the local students.  It was lovely. However it has been a very long day and we are all pooped so time to retire to our rooms and just enough time for me for a cleansing scotch, upload photos (Sis, if it were quicker and simpler to upload photos, there really would be more of them) and pen these lines.  My bed beckons.