Getting to Sukhothai

I actually had a flight booked from Bangkok but I missed it when I decided to fly to Chiang Mai for their Yi Peng Lantern Festival instead.  Since I was not in a rush, instead of booking a flight from Chiang Mai to Sukhothai I decided to take the 5 hour air conditioned bus ride.  Buses from Bangkok are also available but it takes much longer than 5 hours.

Some Content coming sooon

Once you arrive in Sukhothai you will most likely want to take a bus or taxi into the town but you can also stay at accommodations which exist near the airport.  The reason you could want to stay near the airport is because it is located in between Sukhothai and Si Satchanalai Historical parks.  Since Sukhothai historical park was more appealing to me I decided to stay closer to it.

Where to Stay in Sukhothai

I actually made paid a reservation for a hotel on Sawadee.com for a hotel which was close to the airport.   Immediately upon arrival to the bus station I was approached by touts for J&J guest house who told me the hotel I booked was away from Sukhothai so I stupidly followed their advice and went to J&J guest house which was in the new Sukhothai town.

While J&J Guesthouse was a pretty nice set of Bungalows along a river I was awaken by bed bugs so I decided to change hotels the next day.  I switched to Pailyn Hotel which seemed to be the largest hotel in Sukhothai and was a lot closer to the Historical Park which is where I would be spending most of my time.

I noticed some guest houses a bit closer to the historical park so if you’re into that style of accommodations you may want to look into it.  If you want to stay in a legit hotel with all the standard amenities then Pailyn Hotel is probably the best place to stay in Sukhothai if the historical park is your prime interest.

Things to Do:  Sukhothai Historical Park

Sukhothai is not Bangkok.  Most people who decide to go to Sukhothai are going there to visit the 2 historical parks.  Sukhothai Historical Park is a very large park which has numerous sections.  There is an admission for each section of 50 baht.  The park was a very peaceful and quiet place the time I went (End of November).  There was a fair amount of tourists but the park was so bit it was easy to find a place without tourists.

The reason I always mention areas without tourists is because of my interest in photography.  If you’re not a serious photography enthusiast you may be content to snap a few shots of the temples & Buddhas  even if the overweight western guy with the red “Same Same but Different” shirt in your shot but I am not.  It doesn’t bother me if people are sharing the tourist attraction with me as I can wait to get a shot without them in it, but it does bother me if there are so many tourists that getting a shot without any people is impossible.

Other than a few instances of large tourist groups and fellow photographers with their tripods at sunset, I was able to get all the shots I wanted weather permitting.   Sukhothai Historical Park is a fabulous location for any photographer and anyone interested in history.

Sun Setting Behind one of the many temples in Sukhothai Historical Park

Getting Around in Sukhothai

You can get around Sukhothai and the historical park on foot, bicycle or motorcycle.  I opted for taking my scooter I rented from the hotel.  In order to take the scooter into the park there is another fee of 20 baht which didn’t bother me.  There are numerous bicycle rental places very close to the entrance of the park which you can see when driving from the town.

Your main “problem” with going to Sukhothai is going to be deciding your mode of transport around the park.  If you would like to spend all day in the park, and like to move around at a leisurely pace a bicycle would probably be your best option.  You can either ride it to the park from your hotel/guesthouse if it is nearby or take a form of public transportation to the bicycle rental places close to the park.

I personally opted to take my motorbike in the park because I wanted to try to get numerous shots from different vantage points during sunrise and sunset.  The motorbike allowed me to go from one temple at the beginning of sunset to another shortly after sunset.  While this is not the best method for getting the best photo possible, it allowed me to get more photos in my couple days there.

Overall Impression

Sukhothai was exactly what I expected.  It was the average small Thai town with historical park and of course temples, waterfalls, nature treks, caves and more in the various areas surrounding it like most of Thailand.  Unlike the newer shiny gold temples of Bangkok and other part of Thailand you can really sense the history in the temples around Sukhothai.

Anyone staying in Thailand for an extended period of time should plan a trip to Sukhothai .  I would say 2-3 days in Sukhothai would be sufficient for 99% of travelers.  In addition to the Sukhothai Historical Park the nearby Si Satchanalai Historical Park is another must-do for anyone who travels to Sukhothai.

Read Part II:  Places to Visit from Sukhothai – Si Satchanalai Historical Park

For More Photos from Sukhothai and all around the World Visit:

More Beautiful scenery

In the morning I failed to notice Sarangkot even though I basically stared at it for a couple hours I witnessed the sunrise from the World Peace Stupa.  The reason I failed to notice Sarankot was the beautiful scenery which surrounded it.  From the World Peace Stupa the 5000+ foot Sarangkot is merely a hill compared to the backdrop of the Himilayan Anapurna mountain range.   Below Sarankot sits the city of Pokhara along with Phewa Lake (as seen in photo at top of post) and behind it is course the mighty Himalayas.  You can see the observation point which I will later talk about being pointed out by the red arrow on the picture at the top of this post.

Panoramic View of the Annapurna Range from Sarangkot Observation Point

Getting to Sarangkot from the city of Pokhara

We had arranged for a driver to pick us up from our Pokhara Hotel at around 2pm.  After we returned from the sunrise at the World Peace Stupa, freshened up and had lunch we were off.  I was told we be driven to within 30 minutes of  our guest house towards the peak of Sarangkot as it was too steep for motor vehicles.

At the roads end we were greeted by porters who offered to take our heavy baggage up the hill.  The path to our guest house towards the observation point at the top of Sarangkot was a mixture of dirt road and stone steps and it was steep.

The path to the top of Sarangkot was very interesting as it was lined with a combination of souvenir shops, restaurants, guest houses and of course the houses and farms of the people who live on the hills.  As we climbed up the steep path along with our porters there were numerous interesting sights and sounds.  It took us in between 45-60 minutes to ascend to our wonderful lodge called The Superview Lodge.

Even though the sunset was non-existent we hiked for a couple minutes to the observation point we would be at for the sunrise the next morning.  We spent a few minutes scouting out the views which we would be photographing the next morning and went down to our guesthouse and had a wonderful, home cooked, fresh Nepali meal before we all crashed out before 22:00 as we were all tired from the day’s hiking.

Yet Another Sunrise

I was awakened by my friend banging on my window around 05:00.  I got all my camera gear together and the 3 of us started the short hike to the observation point at the top of Sarangkot.   We were the first group of people to arrive at the closed gate of the observation point.  Nepali soldiers shuffled around behind the gates to prepare for the flock of tourists who would arrive for the sunrise.

The Sarangkot observation point is essentially a compound with a rather large square and an observation point viewing platform.  As with many parts of Nepal, some of the area was inexplicably fenced off with military grade razor wire.  I avoided the razor wire and myself and photographer friend staked out our claim for what we thought would be the best viewpoint of the sunrise.

Shortly after Sunrise from Sarangkot Observation Point

Photographing the Sunrise

Like the previous sunrise at the World Peace Stupa there were multiple vantage points to get the best shots at different points of the sunrise.  We got lucky with the sunrise the day before and got lucky again.

NOTE:  Tripods are not allowed at the top platform of the observation point.  This was disappointing at first but I was easily able to see and photograph the sun as it began to rise over the low laying fog of the valley.  Shortly after sunrise when the sunlight started hitting the Himalayan peaks I moved down off the observation deck to get some shots of the Anapurna Himalayan mountain range which includes the most prominent peak Fish Tail.

Below the Sarangkot Observation Deck (see it on the right)

More Things to do in Sarangkot

There is a lot to do in Sarangkot besides the hiking, sightseeing and eating.  One notable must do activity on Sarangkot is paragliding.  One friend who we were with planned to paraglide down but she ended up backing down.  As we ate lunch and climbed down the hill to our awaiting car which was to drive us to the Pokhara airport we saw the paragliders.  The dozens of brightly colored paragliders which were flying over us were a beautiful sight and great photo opportunity.  Seeing the paragliders definitely pales in comparison the actual activity which looks loads of fun.

Paragliders heading down to Pokhara from Sarangkot

Back to Kathmandu

After spending at least 2 hours photographing the sunrise and beautiful scenery the fog finally rolled up to the top of Sarangkot and we returned to our guest house for breakfast and check out.  Breakfast was excellent again as I could taste the freshness of the bread and especially the dairy products.   We had a short Buddha Airways flight to catch back to Kahtmandu.  We went to the small airport and had a bit of a delay but a quick bowl of noodles and our plane was ready to take us back to Kathmandu.

Overall Impression

I don’t think I’d be going out on a limb if I said that every tourist visiting Nepal should visit Pokhara.  Whether you are going to Nepal for sightseeing , a trek or an expedition, Pokhara is a better location than Kathmandu.   If you are doing any of the Annapurna treks, Pokhara is going to be the first stop anyway.

I didn’t get to see much of the city of Pokhara as I spent most of the time in the quiet, touristy area surrounding Phewa Lake as well as 5000+ feet above in Sarangkot.  In the limited time I was in Pokhara it seemed much less crowded and much quieter than Kathmandu.

My favorite part about my stay in Pokhara was the mountain people and my experience in Sarangkot.  They people who weren’t working hard hauling giant water jugs up 5000 feet or other labor intense jobs were delightful.

The accommodations were great in the place we stayed and the food (like most of Nepal) was excellent.  Hindsight is 20/20 but if I visit Nepal in the future, I will head straight to Pokhara for an Annapurna trek.  Even if trekking is not for you, a trip to Pokhara is highly recommended along with the previously mentioned activities.

Getting to World Peace Stupa

We had arranged for a driver the previous day to bring us to the world peace stupa before sunrise.  The world peace stupa was located on a hill to the southwest of the city of Pokhara overlooking Phewa Lake, the city of Pokhara and Sarangkot, the peak we were going to the follow night.  All the aforementioned things were of course dwarfed by the enormous 20,000+ foot peaks of the Annapurna Range.

I was awakened by my friend at around 05:00 as we both wanted to get some photos of the sunrise.  It took a few minutes for the driver to show up and we headed off.  The road to the World Peace Stupa was bumpy and steep.

It took around 20 minutes on the narrow, windy, dirt road to get towards the top.  I did see a few people hiking up but they were likely staying in a teahouse on the hill and not in the city of Pokhara.  Once we got to the top we started shooting photos.

The Sunrise

The sunrise was quite spectacular although it does not rise over the snowy Himalayan peaks.  The fog over the hills was just as spectacular as the sun and city itself.  My friend and I both got a lot of satisfying photos from a location below the stupa.  He decided to stay below and shoot the sunrise while I ascended a couple hundred meters up to the stupa.

Shortly After Sunrise from Just Below World Peace Stupa

World Peace Stupa

The very top of the hill had a flat, landscaped area around the size of a football field which surrounded the World Peace Stupa.  The actual stupa was what seems to be the standard.  There were about 20-30 stairs leading up the gold monument with multiple gold Buddhas.

Shoes removal is required to ascend the stairs of the stupa .  As the stupa was on the very top of the hill there were some spectacular views of the surrounding hills, pokhara, Phewa Lake and of course the most prominant peak Machupacure aka Fish Tail.

World Peace Stupa (Peace Pagoda)

Back to the Hotel

Our driver was waiting for us the entire time so when we were done taking in the scenery we all hopped back in the car to drive back down for breakfast.  I had hoped to get to Lake Phewa to get “the shot”  but the clouds were beginning to envelop the Himalayan peaks.

We had plans to head to our next destination as well as a driver who was going to pick us up by 2:00pm so we ate breakfast, freshened up and walked around Pokhara by the lake a little more.  We came to the conclusion that in order to get “the shot” we would either have to get lucky, or get to the shooting spot before sunrise.

Early AM was the time with the highest chance of not having any clouds which was the time we were up at the stupa viewing the sunrise.  We wouldn’t get another chance to get “the shot” this time because were were heading up to Sarangkot, the highest hill in the region with the world’s tallest mountains.

Continue to Part III:  Visiting Sarangkot from Pokhara, Nepal

Getting to Pokhara

To my knowledge there are few international flights which fly non-stop to the Pokhara airport.  While at the airport I noticed flights to Dhaka Bangladesh and several Indian cities but I assume most flights to Pokhara transfer in Kathmandu.  I happened to be in Kathmandu so I had 2 primary choices.

I could either drive via bus which would take around 7 hours or take a fast and easy 20-30 minute flight from a domestic airline.  The choice was a no-brainer as the roads in Nepal were indescribably bad.  There was almost a twist to the story as the holiday week’s flights were limited and I almost had to take a bus back but I got lucky and was able to get a flight back.

I booked the fast flight from a local travel agent.  She was a friend of a friend so she took care of everything so I cannot really explain how to get the tickets, etc. but I what I do know is they did not ask for any identification when booking the flight, entering the airport, going through security and embarking and disembarking the flight.

Pokhara City

I took a previously arranged taxi to the hotel/resort we were staying at which was very close to one of Nepal’s few water bodies, Phewa Lake.  The area along the lake reminded me of many vacation type towns I had been to all over the world from Brazil to America to Thailand.

I can’t really talk too much about the city of Pokhara because our hotel was a stone’s throw from the lake and while we were in Pokhara we stayed along the main road.  There are shops, hotels and restaurants for the entire length of the road which we walked at least a mile along.

Things to do in Pokhara

I was in Pokhara along with my friend who like me, is an avid photographer so our main agenda was to get some good photos.  After our flight we checked in our hotel and immediately headed down along the lake to await the sunset.

My primary goal was to get one of the ultimate post card shots of the Fish Tail peak reflecting in the lake but at the time we were there around 4-5pm there were clouds rendering the mountain peaks invisible.  We had to settle for the lake as our subject as it turned out to be quite a beautiful sunset.

The whole time in Pokhara I was salivating at the chance of getting the mountain and lake reflection.  We talked about where we would go to get the shot and we figured it was taken from across the rather large lake.

It didn’t’ dawn on me until I returned from Pokhara “the shot” could have been taken from the island which as less than 100 meters from the shore.  The island had a hotel on it which had astronomical prices of over $200 USD per night from what I heard.  If you are unfamiliar with “the shot” just google Pokhara and it will surely be the first dozen or so images that pops up.

Our first night in Pokhara we had dinner at our hotel/resort which featured traditional Nepali dancers.  The dancing was entertaining for a bit by my 2 Nepali friends were complaining about how sub-par the food was at the hotel so we went for a walk looking for a better place.  We ended up eating at a couple places and headed back to the hotel because we planned to get up for the sunrise the following morning.

Sunset at Phewa Lake in Pokhara, Nepal

For More photos of Nepal Travel Visit:  

Part II:  Sunrise at World Peace Stupa