A day in Phitsanulok

Ruth and Gordon: Phitsanulok is a lovely town set along the Nan River.  It is the home of Wat Pra Si Rattana Mahathat, the second most important Buddhist site in the country after the Wat containing the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok. 

 

Phitsanulok also has a highly regarded ethnology museum, the Sgt. Maj. Thawee Folk Museum.  It has a fascinating collection of objects and displays related to rural and village life in an earlier time.  Who knew that you could trap a monkey by putting a hard boiled egg in a coconut with an appropriately sized hole?  The monkey is so unwilling to release the egg, and thereby liberate its paw, that it can be captured with such a simple trap.  Mind you, with suitable bait, such as a Gucci purse or the keys to a Porsche, it might work on people as well.

Phitsanulok has a lovely linear park ("Healthy Street") running along the top of the river valley.  Every night is like a festival, with vendors, exercise groups, and people offering massages.  This was an offer we could not refuse.  Seated under the palm trees with the day yielding to twilight, we enjoyed a one hour foot and leg massage.  A beautiful moth with a four inch wingspan fluttered by, the birdsong drowned out the traffic noise, and the masseuses chatted with each other while endlessly working our feet and calves.  It was a perfect moment.

Today we cycled from Phitsanulok to Old Suhkothai.  We did this ride in 2013, taking the monotonous main road.  Today we took a series of small roads.  It was 20 km longer, but far more pleasant.  The cook at the village restaurant where we stopped for lunch insisted on taking our picture.  I guess they don't see many farang cyclists.