The "Indiana Jones" Bridge

Wat Phra Si Ratana Mahathat at Chaliang, Si Satchanalai

Monday, June 4, 2012: Sukhothai - Si Satchanalai

The bus left at 10:30 in the morning and it was heading for Chiang Rai, a 5.5 hour journey. But my

destination was nearer, the Si Satchanalai-Chaliang Historical Park, about 50km or 1 hour north of

Sukhothai. These ruins dating back to the 13th- to 15th-century are considered part of the Sukhothai

UNESCO World Heritage site and are the more remote, less touristy but also supposed to be the more

rustic and truly impressive ones.

The bus ride took a bit longer than expected as on the way people kept getting on and off and I think

I was the only foreigner on board. After getting off in Ban Hat Siaw and a roadside lunch, I had to

take a small songthaew back to the Papong Homestay I had made reservation for by phone earlier

in the morning and which was in Chaliang very close to the excavation sites.

The "Indiana Jones" Bridge in Chaliang

This home stay consists of only 3 rooms but I seemed to be the only guest. The room is clean and pleasant, has its private bathroom and is within walking distance to one of the sites, Wat Phra Si Ratana Mahathat. Unfortunately, there is no internet but a friend of the owner showed me a nearby internet cafe but first we had to cross one of these suspended bridges on motorbike. The bridge looked right out of Indiana Jones and I was glad when we had ridden over those wooden planks there and back. Later, when I passed the bridge, a local with 3 kids in tow was about to cross when the little one got scared, started to cry and refused to go any further - he had my full sympathy.

When I tried to catch some afternoon light and photograph the nearby Wat, it started to rain heavily like most afternoons during the past few weeks. Here I am definitely in rural Thailand which is a nice change after places with tons of tourists.

I also rented a bicycle for getting to the historical park. So, tomorrow, I plan to start early.

Details of the day:

• Sukhothai - Tuk-tuk from TR Guesthouse to the bus station - 60 Thai Baht
• Bus ticket from Sukhothai to Ban Hat Siaw ( Si Satchanalai) - 50 Thai Baht
• Tuk-tuk from Ban Hat Siaw to Chaliang (Papong Homestay) - 150 Thai Baht (12km)
• Papong Homestay - room with private ensuite and ac - 500 Thai Baht
• Bicycle rental per 24 hours - 30 Thai Baht

1 Euro equals roughly 40 Thai Baht, 1 US Dollar about 30 Thai Baht.


The photos have been post-processed using NIK Software's Snapseed for Mac and they convey the cloudy and rainy mood the scenery had when I was in Si Satchanalai.