Out of the City and into the Ruins

As the sun rises on our fifth day in Thailand, Charlie and I enjoy our breakfast of fruit salad, honey yogurt and meusli. Our Guest House in Sukethai is situated on the banks of yet another calm, and brown, river. Our rooms have been more elegant each night with oriental simplicity and as we venture farther from the beaten path, the prices decrease and the bungalows get more and more unique. We are early risers, so we are looking forward to a long day of exploring the most ancient ruins in all of Thailand- the old city of Sukethai - with lies about 14 kilometers from the new city, in which we are now staying. With golden Buddha monument on every corner, even this modern part of the city feels ancient. We spent yesterday evening walking down the river-front boardwalk, and witnessed people rushing to the local Buddha Monument, to bless themselved before the doors closed. The presence of Buddhism is so evident in every nuance of Thai culture - especially in the North - it is an amazing thing to see. Groups of children, eight or ten deep, ride their bikes around town as you might see in any American city, and yet as each one passes the large Buddhist statues of the monument, these rowdy young boys of age twelve or thirteen all stop to take their shoes of and run inside to poor a small cup of holy water on their heads as a bedtime blessing. The respect that is engrained in every person, young and old, is casual and deeply rooted. We are off to explore the ruins, then perhaps to Cheing Mai in the morning. Much Love.