Sukhothai has proved to be a great place for bicycling. I must not be the only one who feels that way because the streets are lined with many bike shops. I spent a few days in the town, and on both days I ended up pedalling all over the place.
On my first day, I headed for “Old Sukhothai” on a minibus with some German rock star friends (whom I met on my 3-day trek along the Burma border). Old Sukhothai is an old Khmer city, built in the 13th and 14th centuries when it served as the capital of the Kingdom of Siam. The city is completely closed off to cars, so it is really nice to rent a bike and cycle around to see the many temple ruins. Usually, a large Buddha figure would be all that was restored in the middle of each temple ruin. It was a beautiful, laid-back place to spend a relaxing day casually cycling about and shooting lots of pictures.
On the second day, we all did a 2-hour bike trip up along the top of a river levee through thick bamboo forests and farms (full of tobacco and sweet corn) to see another Buddhist temple that is famous for its sculptures depicting the history of Buddhism. Our trip was part of a tour conducted by the owner of my German friends’ guesthouse (which I couldn’t get into because it was full). He took us through the grounds, showed us all the sculptures, and explained the history of Buddhism.
I think it is interesting to note that our tour guide, a European expat, did not consider himself to be a Buddhist (only an admirer). But then again, I haven’t found anyone around here who will call themselves Buddhist, even though this is a predominantly Buddhist country. I guess the monks probably might. I just haven’t gotten around to asking them yet. Most Thai people seem to quickly distance themselves from the religion as a way of showing they are not nearly devout enough to be considered true Buddhists. It’s funny to think about that when so many Westerners seem quick to proclaim themselves Buddhist.
According to our European tour guide, even the majority of monks you see did not really become monks to pursue their religious convictions. Many are just taking refuge from the outside world because they’re either too poor and know the temples will support them, or they want support with room and board while they pursue personal projects. The artist who created the sculptures we looked at, for example, served as a monk at the time, much to the temple’s dismay. It was also disclosed that a Chinese/Thai masseur who tagged along on our trip also served as a monk for ten years, but his real aim was to study the art of traditional Chinese and Thai massage, psychology, meditation, and a few other things. Other examples were also given as well. It seems that Thailand’s whole system for supporting monks also serves as the country’s social safety net.
