SUKHOTAI:

- The 3 temple zones we visited during our 3 days in the city are a haven of peace. We rented bikes for 2 full days and rode around temples, shedis and Buddha statues. Wonderfull parks with NO CARS.

- A top experience was cycling up and down the 15km marked cycling path which took us through the country side and small villages. People on the way were extremely nice and smily, throwing "Sa Wat Dee" at us all the time. At least we learned a new Thai word. We were also really surprised by the apparent mess (and dirtiness) of all these country dwellings, at least the "gardens" where piles of stuff, wood, metal are in display... Thai people probably do not attach importance to tidiness as much as we do in the West.

AYUTTHAYA: after 2 days in Bangkok we travelled to Ayutthaya, an ancient capital 70km North. Noise and pollution in Bangkok was getting to us:

- Motorway driving: there does not seem to be many respected laws. You change lanes whenever you feel like it, drive on the urgency lane if traffic stops and the urgency lane is still drivable, not many bikers wear helmets (why would you!!!) and overtake and slalom as if they could not die. It is even better when 3 people ride one motorcycle with no helmet. I had read in the guide books not too look at the at the motorway when you are sitting in a minibus... I should have listened.

- Temples: spent the morning cycling around the city ancient temples. As the city centre is an island surrounded by 3 rivers, we took a boat in the afternoon to discover more amazing temples and circle the island. The last Temple we visited  on the river bank (Wat Chaiwatthanaram) is truly majestic and impressive, a shame we had so little time to stop and get a feel for the place. 

- The Siamese kingdom in Ayutthaya must have been something, but they were defeated by the Burmese in 1767 and the city destroyed.

- Our collection of Buddha pictures is growing: smiling baby Buddha, obese Buddha, stretching Buddha, laughing Buddha...

BANGKOK:

 - After landing we took the cheap backpacker S1 bus direct to Khao San Road. After a 20mn drive the bus broke down and we had to wait for the next one to come by. Welcome to Thailand!!

- King photo: it is everywhere here, on large street billboards, in business offices, in every home. He is now dead but he was apparently revered by many. His photo shows him at a young age. We know it is not acceptable to criticise the king (it is actually a criminal offense according to my guide book), but he was... say, not very handsome.

- Chatuchak market: we spent Saturday morning at Chatuchak market, a huge amazing open air market selling so much cheap stuff. We must have seen 20% of the stalls after 4 hours walking though hundreds of alleyways. Breakfast there consisted of a pig soup and a weird drink. We are trying to fit in. Managed not to buy too much, only 4 T-shirts, 1 shirt, 1 pair of trousers, 1 pair of trainers and 1 boxer short... sooo many cool t-shirts, you don't find this in Europe.

ABOUT THIS 'BLOG':

I am writing this from Barcelona, after getting back from our trip. This is actually not a real blog but a mix of some of my thoughts very quickly written on the road and Esti's Whatsapp posts.