Phitsanulok-Sukhothai

1605 In room in Sukhothai.

Didn't want to get up for Spanish lesson but did. Finally finished packing and cleared out about 1pm, handed key in at reception and they didn't seem to expect anything more, so walked out. Did feel bit bad for not even trying to get my extra day's room rental back but meh, don't think I had much chance.

Part of the reason it took me an hour after the lesson to get out was that I was dithering slightly about just loitering another day in Phitsanulok, and also that I decided to check accommodation availability online and ended up making a reservation. (I nearly booked at J&J Guest House, which was mentioned in the Rough Guide and available on booking.com as having availability, but it said they charge 50 THB/hour for wifi, so I didn't.)

Looking at guide book again as I left I decided it seemed to be in favour of picking up the bus by the plaza instead of going out to the bus terminal, so I walked over there and found a bus stop roughly where indicated on the map with a few people waiting. Not a word of English/latin alphabet except 'internet' on one poster. Helpfully the guide book doesn't confuse matters by showing you the town names in Thai script, or in fact by giving any hints on Thai language whatsoever. So I was saved the trouble of seeing if I could spot the word Sukhothai anywhere. I waited regardless, since it seemed in about the right spot.

Maybe 40 mins later a coach came past and pulled up. Fortunately out of the blue one of the Thai women who'd been waiting asked me where I was going, I said Sukhothai and she said this went there. I got on, not putting my bag in the 'boot' for fear of getting separated from it, but sat with it on my lap like an oversized teddy bear for the hour and a half ish journey. A woman came round and collected money maybe half way there, she spoke a little English. 43 THB.

Some doubt in my mind as to where to get off but actually the bus terminal is super-helpfully labelled as the Sukhothai bus terminal in at least three languages and there was no doubt at all.

It went a tiny bit pear shaped here, but I should be having a shower etc rather than writing this, so will resume my epic tale later.

1702 Showered, done laundry. Plan is to go out in maybe an hour for food and moderate number of beers and be up early tomorrow to get songthaew (low budget bus) to old city, fortunately I passed the spot they go from (also in guide book map) on the way in so I am convinced that will be super easy. Will hire bike there. Can imagine extending stay here to three or four nights, possibly at this IMO plush but slightly pricey (800/night) guest house, possibly elsewhere. There is a 16km round trip which makes a nice cycle from the new town to some slightly naff exhibition, and I may want a day off between the two cycling days to recuperate and slob around. We will see, don't have to decide that now.

Anyway, I got off the bus and wasn't really sure where to go or what to do, except I knew it was 3km into town. Some other Western tourists on bus seemed to enter into a long conversation with a chap, while a guy I presume to be a tout came and sort of 'claimed' me but never mentioned a price and wanted to wait for those other tourists (except for after maybe 5-10 mins of me standing around showing impatience he said 'or shall we go now?' but on both safety and cost grounds I said I'd wait). He sort of disappeared after a while. Another chap came up to me and offered to take me into town for 100 while I was still sort of waiting for the first tout. I then saw those other tourists at the tourist information window, so went over there. A chap opened the other window a fraction and when I asked the best way to go into the new town waved me over to 'the woman in the shirt over there'. Fortunately nearly all the women here go topless so she was easy to identify, not. Anyway, she seemed to speak English although to have far too much interest in the exact place I had a reservation, instead of just letting me say I wanted to go to the bridge/tourist information office. She sort of introduced me to a taxi driver who offered to take me for 150. I don't know how long this had been going on for by this time, but I was getting a bit fed up. I said someone else had offered to do it for 100 so I'd maybe go with him instead (though he had disappeared) and wandered off back up the bus station. I sat down and decided I'd fucking walk it, I'd had enough of hanging around like a victim being offered shitty prices and not even being offered them promptly or in a confidence-inducing way. GPS miraculously worked, it looked a clear enough route and I set off. As I was leaving the terminal the 'woman in the shirt' called after me and said I could go for 100 if I wanted, but I was adamant I was going to walk it. "It's 4km" she said. FFS, it's a bit hot but it's hardly an epic journey across a trackless desert. I wasn't doing it as a bargaining tactic, I'd had enough, although I'd also had enough of the pricing shenanigans and delays.

And although it was a bit hot, the walk was fine. GPS functioned great, although I was fairly confident I could follow the map without GPS had it been necessary. I stopped off for an ice cream and a bottle of cold tea at what turned out to be a hundred metres short of the guest house and all hunky dory. Maybe if I hadn't already had a reservation (and hence knew I could shower/relax after the walk) I'd have had to stick around at the bus terminal and take what was offered, I don't know. This wasn't even a case of me storming off in an ill-judged rage, it was semi-considered, it just felt shit. I expected to be swarmed by tuk-tuk drivers offering me rides, at whatever prices, not to be sort of casually handed around as if there's some kind of pecking order for who gets to have the next tourist. I did get a few tuk-tuk drivers pull up alongside as I walked along the road (the bit nearer the bus terminal was dual-carriageway-esque) but I waved them off. It was nice to know that if the walk went seriously pear-shaped I'd probably be able to get a tuk-tuk anyway.

Am I heroic or what? But I am actually quite pleased with myself, stupidly or not.