Member Since: 02 Jun 2016
Location: Hertfordshire
Posts: 2154
Stunning pics Del absolutely
The trees in the temples actually make you look small although I was surprised you didn't run up and down those steps
Amazes me how news of stranded/broken-down tourists travels so fast and the food vendors appear, as if my magic
Enjoy your 3 days of R&R in Bangkok Uncle Ray's spare wheel protector
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27th Nov 2019 1:40 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72966
I specialise in running on the flat, I don’t do up unless forced to.
Though unfortunately we were too early for the Angkor Wat Half Snickers, 10k, 5k & 3k as per the banners we kept passing.
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Though TBH even 5k would be a real struggle in that heat, 10k would be a bit dangerous. Saying that, both of us want to do our first proper Parkrun in Singapore, not known for its coolness over Chrimbo & NY.
Re me looking small, I wish. That’s tomorrow’s treadmill target upped from 3.5k to 4k.
27th Nov 2019 2:05 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
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As promised, pummelled the poor treadie for 4km. Good getting a bit of a run in when it’s hot, AC couldn’t totally compensate got the sun streaming in even through the window shades. Not good for the cleaner doing turndown service as sweaty running gear (his and hers) was draped everywhere.
Apart from run, totally slobbing day, with a bit of unsuccessful shopping for t-shirts. Hopefully will have more luck tomorrow after a bit of googling.
Meanwhile pretty sunset on top of a building.
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And in response to my new found “body is a temple” mode (not the Temple of Doom), you peeps are on a bit of a diet.
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Yes, that is a wine glass base, well it was free flowing VC for 2 hours,
28th Nov 2019 3:23 pm
ianm27
Member Since: 02 Jun 2016
Location: Hertfordshire
Posts: 2154
OK, so that was the appetizer, where was the main course? Uncle Ray's spare wheel protector
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Blackvue front & rear dashcam
Cruise control switch pack
Bodsy's remote for FBH
Inspiring trip so far Derek. Love the FMJ haircut! Suits you. 👍
I was thinking more Brando in Apocalypse Now I know it's not considered "kind" to say no these days, but no. Just no, ok? And if it's not ok, still no.
28th Nov 2019 5:01 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72966
ianm27 wrote:
OK, so that was the appetizer, where was the main course?
Same again.
NoDo$h wrote:
Gareth wrote:
Inspiring trip so far Derek. Love the FMJ haircut! Suits you. 👍
I was thinking more Brando in Apocalypse Now
You may have a point. Except he’s just a little better looking.
Today was T-shirt shopping day. We spent 3 hours trawling t-shirt shops in one of the malls and came away with 2 t-shirts. One was labelled up F&F so a Tesco reject, the second from an Thai Export shop but it was made in Bangladesh! But at ~£3 - 4 each they’ll do nicely.
Few pics. Firstly this town is gripped by Christmas fever, just in a weird way. How can you take screens showing snow seriously when it’s 32c and sunny as a sunny thing with extra sunshine? Christmas tree full of fishes for example.
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Nice view of the Nannite Building, just from a slightly different angle & 35 floors lower.
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The Bangkok Sky Train.
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It has 2 lines but never seems to go anywhere we want to. It doesn’t even properly tie up (see what I did there? ) with the subsurface Metro. They’re putting in a similar line in Hanoi which is causing a little disturbance and annoyance (mainly as it’s a Chinese project and the VN peeps don’t like the Chinese much). But the disturbance is nothing compared with the Metro (underground) that is being put in for Ho Chi Minh, there it’s clearing out whole swaths of buildings to dig the trench, at least the skytrain type line just goes above the road. Mind you, with either system I bet the Vietnamese moto pilots will be figuring out how to use them without getting off their rides. We had a discussion with the Manager of the Caravelle hotel in HCMC and he thought it was basically a complete white elephant that will only be used by tourists, mainly coz of the moto addiction. If they can’t walk more than 10m in a market (they ride), they’re not going to park up, take a metro train then walk to where they are going.
Mind you the rest of Asia that uses tuktuks is really missing a trick. They, esp Cambodia, need these F1 versions and yes, they do shift as fast as they look.
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Back on the trains tomorrow to Ayutthaya. We have the choice for the 90 minutes journey of 350b (£9) with A/C, or 15b (38p) without. Hmmmmmmm choices, choices.
29th Nov 2019 9:37 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
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Morning/afternoon/evening all, depending on geography. It’s been a bit of a travelling day up to Ayutthaya, a mere 44 miles N of central BKK. I will never complain about Vietnam Railways, the Thai one today was about as slow as a continent drifting the wrong way.
But to get to the railway the only “easy” option that went virtually door to door was this old bus. Even though it was 33c outside and the AC was the window variety it was quite cool & comfy. And pretty cheap at 20p each.
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The train had similar version of AC, with SWMBO’s hair flowing in the breeze. No chance it being mine.
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Lots of new tracks & stations being put in as part of a joint venture with the Chinese. It all looks finished but there’s no track or electrical gantries on most of it. Looks good but it’s got a long way to go.
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Hope cute little puffa engine will be there to see it, sweeeeeeeeeeeeet.
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And eventually to Ayutthaya, where we’re spending a couple of nights to see some ancient temples tomorrow. Our stay corresponds with the Ayutthaya Marathon, Half Marathon and 10k, or Mini Marathon as they call the 10k. We only clocked it was on when a chap on the ferry from the railway station to W part of town was using his number as a sun shade. https://uniquerunning.goodsportsthailand.c...-2019.html Luckily we’re too late to enter.
Pic of said ferry, well it would be rude not to. Pretty good for 12p as it saves a bit of a hike.
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Finally scoff pics, well if it’s not the law it should be. A lovely little open air restaurant just round the corner from the guest house bungalow we’re staying in.
Great scoff.
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And lovely beer. Frozen glass and all.
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Now watching the end of LOTR The Return of the King with the AC & fan struggling. It’s going to be a sweaty night.
30th Nov 2019 1:32 pm
ianm27
Member Since: 02 Jun 2016
Location: Hertfordshire
Posts: 2154
Get some more Chang beer down your throat and you won't care what the AC is or isn't doing Uncle Ray's spare wheel protector
Limo Tint
Blackvue front & rear dashcam
Cruise control switch pack
Bodsy's remote for FBH
30th Nov 2019 1:42 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72966
Didn’t over do it on the beer, but might have had a cheeky 2nd ice cream to help with the temps.
30th Nov 2019 1:45 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
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And greetings again from a hot Ayutthaya. 34c, strong sun but with a nice gentle breeze from time to time. Booooooooootiful.
A few temples today, this was one of the ancient capitals of the Thai empire and these date from 15th C, positively recent cf the temples at Angkor.
This is the temple visible from the restaurant last night, except it was dark, should see it tonight.
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Though SWMBO wasn’t keen to see Roland who kept crossing our path. Not keen at all!
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Buddha in kit form. There were many, many Buddha there but this was the one in best condition believe it of not.
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And on to the next temple, which was considerably busier than the last one. Back in the world of day trippers from BKK by minibus and coach so getting crowded.
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And the reason so busy cf the last temple? This Buddha’s head in a tree. You were allowed selfies but only if sat down in front on a special selfie platform. We didn’t bother, we might still be there.
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More pics from around the complex.
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And how the temple complex looked when complete. Mind blown.
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Bit of a break from temples and wandered around until the next one.
Loved this scene in one of the souvenir shops, the lady was trying to get the dog to choose the lottery ticket. Needless to say said dog was having none of it as he/she knows he’ll/she’ll get the blame if the owner doesn’t win. How to guarantee pooch going on diet!
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Bird not liking being photographed. Asian Openbill if my ornithology skills/googling is correct, we’ll the one I saw earlier was.
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And a temple deffo locked up. No getting in there.
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And, saving the best til last, Wat Phra Si Sanphet. The burial place of ancient kings and truely spectacular.
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Then back to the AC in the bungalow, we’ll hut is better description. The AC is just about keeping up. Missing the Bangkok InterCont just a little.
PS Cheers all. Beer o’clock.
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1st Dec 2019 10:20 am
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Morning all from a booooooooooootiful Sukhothai in S/Central Thailand, a lovely day as the sun is out, a nice breeze and it’s starting to warm up nicely. None of yer Daily Mail tales of woe re weather here.
A few pics from travelling today and yesterday. We could have done Ayutthaya to here in one day but it would have been a rush with an early start and late finish, assuming all the links worked. Instead we got the train from Ayutthya station to Phitsanulok and o/nighted there in a hotel close to the station. It was nice to be in a proper room rather than the “bungalow” in Ayutthaya, with a proper, if not short, tub to soak in.
Bit of a hike to the ferry. SWMBO was off it like a pirate boarding a treasure laden galleon!
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These are a new type of tuktuk for us, the only type in Ayutthaya, and very boat/parrot like. Not as fast and noisy as the Bangkok ones though.
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Nice ACed train N, though was getting a bit nippy towards the end, we were glad to get back out in the heat.
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The train ticket included food, although it doesn’t look very appetising was pretty tasty and saved us having to go out for an evening meal yesterday. There was a coffee & Markies course later on, dog owners will know what I mean.
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On the way N we passed Lopburi, famous for the gazillions (slight exaduration) of monkeys around the old temple ruins. Needless to say those temples were not on our list and SWMBO was prepared to repell boarders if they even looked our way.
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Lovely old loco in front of Phitsanulok station, looking really good in the early sunlight.
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It was getting pretty busy out there, we’d been used to Ayutthya levels of traffic, Phitsanulok was deffo bustling.
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Now from Phitsanulok to Sukhothai we had a choice of the long way (tuktuk from train station to bus station, “local” bus to Sukhothai new town bus terminal and then a Songthaew type truck as below) to the old historical town where we’re staying. It would have prob taken half the day.
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That’s the kind of transport we’re going to be using around here though, looking forward to it.
But, thanks to SWMBO’s genius level detective skills we found 12go.asia (one of the two travel services we tend to use for booking) now did a nice ACed Van from train station straight to old town, do not pass go and do not collect $200.
It was even better as we were the only peeps in the van.
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We were in Sokothai, enjoying a coconut milk frappe, before we’d have finished breakie if we’d been taking the slow combo. Very trendy in a jug.
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Now just got to hang around until we can check in or at least dump our packs. Can think of worse places to hang around.
PS Not bad weefee for a cafe in a little town in the middle of Thailand. Openreach eat yer heart out.
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PPS Even with VPN on it’s pretty speedy.
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3rd Dec 2019 4:11 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
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Only a few pics from today, didn’t do much but have but have full schedule for tomorrow onwards.
Found SWMBO’s Thai cousins. Lovely rest in the shade at a temple in Sukhothai.
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Here one chap was feeding the ~50cm long catfish.
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Feeding them then patting them! Good job he had good reflexes!
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And the weather on one of the hundreds of Thai TV channels. Apart from the fact that we have no idea where these places are, love the fact that at 28c they need jacket, hat and scarf. Over 30c they can get rid of the hat!
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Mind you, on a trip to Khe Sahn earlier in the year we saw a kid sandwiched on a moto with a puffer jacket fully zipped up and hood up in 37c.
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3rd Dec 2019 2:33 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
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Bit of temple days, today and yesterday. Will bung up some pics and update later today, prob after scoff.
Yesterday started with a new kind of tuktuk, a front loader. It was fun but all the way we had the feeling our western tourism weight would tip us out.
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The parks charge B10 (25p) for a bicycle, this is one way to save on B20.
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Today’s fun and frolics. It started off not very promising at 17c for breakie, officially cardie weather for SWMBO, but it warmed up nicely. All day (well most of the day) car and driver today to see some temple & palace complexes to the north of Sukhothai that would have been a right PITA to get to by sawthong truck then bus.
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Very cute temple guard pup.
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No “don’t gold leaf the Buddha ” signs here so gold leaf was applied to a few Buddhas.
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Strangler fig tree again.
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This time having killed its host.
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Last edited by DSL on 5th Dec 2019 9:34 am. Edited 1 time in total
5th Dec 2019 9:17 am
stew 46
Member Since: 01 Dec 2011
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What no Christmas trees -------------------------------------------------
if you cant hold on dont let go , it ill come in handy for something even if you never use it.
D3 SE 05,
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h top transit
crew cab transit
transit connect
ausa dumper, muck truck .
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5th Dec 2019 9:28 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
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There are a few Christmasy things around here, but what beats that is the display of fluffy hats & scarfs in one of the local 7 elevens. It was 33c outside!! Mind you the lady we bought the park tickets from yesterday had a fluffy fleece on, she said it was cold!
Will see what Chrimbo related pics I can snap tomorrow, there is at least one shop in Old Sukhothai selling decorations. Though can guarantee no snow pics from here, might be down to the lack of wheelie bins.
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although I was surprised you didn't run up and down those steps 
Saying that, both of us want to do our first proper Parkrun in Singapore, not known for its coolness over Chrimbo & NY. 
