Sukhothai, Thailand – “Sukhothai”, a small town in between the northern and the middle part of Thailand where two UNESCO World Heritages are located at; Sukhothai Historical Park and Sri Satchanalai Historical Park. “Sukhothai” is less mentioned by tourists in term of “Fun” – referred by hostelworld.com hostel reviewed. Why is that?

*(1) The Sukhothai kingdom was an early kingdom in the area around the city Sukhothai, in north central Thailand. It existed from 1238 till 1438. The old capital, now 12 km outside of New Sukhothai in Tambon Muang Kao, is in ruins and is a Historical Park.

Sukhothai Historical Park - I picnic with family in the park and took this shot at night

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Sukhothai Hotels & Guest Houses

> Ananda Museum Gallery Hotel – In town, but cannot walk
> Tharaburi Resort
> Sukhothai Guest House- In town
> Lotus Village – In towm, recommended
> Ruean Thai Hotel Sukhothai – In town, recommended
> Sukhothai Resort
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After working our guts out in college for the entire week, it was time for the weekend! We needed a day off from the daily assignments and quizzes, I suggested and my best friend Vishan couldn’t agree more. How about we head to Koh Samet for a day, he asks.

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I start imagining the tall palm trees, white sands and the emerald green waters at Had Sai Kaew, Koh Samet’s biggest and most popular beach and the answer doesn’t take long to come. Yes! We make a quick call to our girl-friends and tell them about our plans for the weekend. It doesn’t take very long to convince them to pack their bags to breathe the fresh, salty air of Koh Samet! Plus, it would be one of the best opportunities to get away from the mad hustle-bustle of Bangkok and chill out with our girl-friends at a secluded island (well not that secluded anyway). And who would want discount the beach side restaurants and bars at Had Sai Kaew which buzz with activity as dusk sets in? Man, we were so ready to leave that very moment!

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At 7:00 AM the next day, the four of us find ourselves in a comfortable air-conditioned bus at Ekamai Bus Terminal heading for Ban Phe, Rayong where we would board one of those old, rickety ferries to Koh Samet. So far so good. The ride to Ban Phe takes long but it is fun as we chat merrily and make our plans for the day and night. Our excitement rises as we reach Rayong and gaze with anticipation at the light blue horizon of the Gulf of Thailand.

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Wearing our caps and glares, we step out of the bus and take a long breath of the fresh sea breeze that greets us. Before we know it, we are on one of the old rattling ferries bobbing our way in the water to the island. Vishan dreads the ferry and asks us to stick together and wear our life jackets in case it breaks apart. That made us roar with laughter as we clicked snaps and cracked jokes. The boat is filled with summer tourists, Thai and Western alike, who are looking to enjoy a day of sun, sea and sand at this fast rising island destination. Soon, the four of us get to Koh Samet and board one of the pick-up taxis to Had Sai Kaew beach where we head to Sai Kaew Villa Hotel to check-in into our rooms. The rooms are one of the cheapest in the island and are quiet neat for the price.

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After a few hours of chilling in the room, we head to the beach to have a swim. The water is warm and inviting, if a bit salty. A short swim later, we lay on the beach while enjoying Roti Thai and some Som Tam while enjoying the calm breeze and the company of our two girl-friends who were now dying to get back in the rooms for whatever reasons. We comply as like always!
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A short nap later, we rise to see dusk setting in and the beach gleaming in bright lights. Time for some dinner and drinks, we think. The dinner at Sai Kai Villa’s beachside restaurant was sumptuous to say the least. Mouthwatering seafood with Tom Yam Soup over a few bottles of Heineken was just the thing we needed to get our evening rolling especially with local fireworks and music on Had Sai Kaew which kept everything bright and noisy. Topping that off with a dose of Apple and Grape flavored Shisha, the smoking pipe, seemed like a natural inclination! The flavored smoke already seemed to get Vishan high who remarked how wonderful it would be if we could stay here for a few more nights and started to come up with excuses to postpone our stay! Filled with lots of seafood and beer in our stomach with Shisha smoke in our lungs, we pranced to a local bar, Naga Bar, where we drank some more and danced to cool hip-hop music. By late mid-night, we were so tipsy that it wasn’t even possible to walk straight. The beach wore a deserted look as we slowly made our way back to our hotel rooms, shouting and laughing. That night, all of us had a long, relaxed sleep after the day’s fun and frolic!

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All good things come to an end! For us, it was the same as we made our way back home in the ferry and the bus. It was back to college, the daily assignments and the stress! Yet, deep down we knew we were going to come back soon and that was enough to take us back home with a smile!