Sukhothai sits about 6 hours drive north of Bangkok. We hadn't even heard of Sukhothai when we pegged Thailand on our itinerary. Thanks to the recommendation of Stuart at travelfish.org, we included it as a stopping point as we made our way from Bangkok into North Thailand. We're so grateful he put it on our radar because it was a fantastic few days!
The first thing we needed to figure out was how to get to Sukhothai from Southern Thailand. We arrived into Bangkok the evening of 11/23 for a whirlwind 3 days and then did two off-shoots from there: Khao Sok National Park and Koh Lanta island. Fast-forward to 12/3 and we needed to get from Koh Lanta back to the mainland.
Leg 1: Ferry Flop
First leg of our journey to Sukhothai involved getting off the island of Koh Lanta. We were booked on a 12:30pm ferry back to Krabi on the mainland. The ferry company provided transfer service from our hotel to the pier so we were picked up at 11:20am. We were dropped off at the pier by 12pm, so all looked to be according to plan. That is until 12:30pm came & went and our boat was still no where to be found. Then 1:00pm came; finally a boat that loaded up our luggage but said we wouldn't be leaving for another 30 minutes. What the what?? Turns out we needed to wait for a boat connecting from another island, that was delayed with repairs. Frustrating, but nothing we could do at that point.
We finally got the green light to depart the pier in Koh Lanta. The skies were grey and ominous when we left. About 20 minutes into the 1 hour ride the torrential rains started. Visibility was near nil and between the wind & downpour, we were all drenched. I'm sure the locals are used to these kinds of sudden storms, but it definitely made me uncomfortable. The only thing that kept me mildly sane through all of this was that I could see the coastline the whole time. Had we been out in a more "open ocean" situation with these sudden storms, I probably would have lost the plot :)
Funny enough it stopped raining literally seconds before we pulled up to the pier in Krabi on the mainland. Massive props to the boat driver who managed to navigate us through the storm. I thanked him for getting us to shore safely when we disembarked, that's how relieved & grateful I was that we were all back on solid ground :)
What Next?
Because of the late start and storms (which slowed us down considerably), we didn't make it to Krabi until 3:00pm. We had an early evening flight to catch out of Krabi, so we hopped in a taxi, grabbed a leisurely lunch, and then continued on to the airport. We had a few hours at the airport to catch up on blog posts & trip planning, so that was all good.
Leg 2: Flight to Bangkok
We had an uneventful flight on Bangkok Airways from Krabi to Bangkok that evening. We landed in Bangkok just after 9:00pm. Fortunately we were booked in a hotel only a short (10-minute) drive from the airport, so we were able to get there, check in and be lights out by 10:00pm.
Leg 3: Flight to Sukhothai
Almost there! Our alarm went off early at 5:15am the next morning. We needed to return to Bangkok airport to catch our connection flight from Bangkok to Sukhothai. It was a short 1 hr 15 mins flight, and with the early wake-up, we all pretty much zoned out or slept the whole time.
Landed in Sukhothai
We landed in Sukhothai just after 9:00am local time on 12/3. We walked out of the propeller plane and were directed to board what I can only describe as a white version of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood Trolley. Such a charming way to make the transfer from the tarmac to the airport terminal! We had no idea what to expect and cruised alongside gorgeous tropical flowers, moats with lily pads galore, and (wait for a it) a zoo! We saw dozens of zebras and were totally baffled. Turns out a zoo sits directly alongside the darling, wee Sukhothai airport. I wish I had taken more pictures! The final leg of our trip to Sukhothai was a public van shuttle from Sukhothai airport into Old Sukhothai, about 45 minutes.
Travel Gold Medal Goes To . . .
Days like these remind us what rock stars the girls are when it comes to travel. Early wake-up aside (because who likes that anyways?!), the girls were so cooperative and rolled with all the punches, throughout each leg of different transport vehicles, etc. We hope this adaptability and openness to new places, experiences and people benefits them for a long time to come. For now, let's go explore Sukhothai!
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