The
route passes into the Yom River Valley and follows
it to the northern reaches of the central plains.
There the ancient cities of Sukhothai and Sri Satchanalai
flourished prior to the rise of the great Siamese
Kingdom of Ayutthaya.
H11 goes through
secondary woodlands and a pass to the Wang Valley,
where you turn off onto H1023 for Wang Chin. The small
district town has one restautant on the river bank
as well as some food stalls on the single high street.
The
route to Sri Satchanalai follows H1125 along the Yom
River and then takes H1177, joining H101 after 28
kms.
Sri
Satchanalai District town is also known as Hat Sieo,
which is famous for the weave of the people of Lao
Phuan descent. Looms can be seen beneath houses in
the nearby villages, especially to the north across
the river. The Sathorn Gold Textile Museum (08:00
- 18:00) provides an interesting opportunity to appreciate
and buy some of the delicate work. Good restaurants
for lunch are available in town.
Study
a map of the Sri Satchanalai - Sawankhalok and Sukhothai
areas to determine your route and how far you want
to go for the day. The fastest route to the Sukhothai
Historical Park is via little used H1305 and H1113
(approx 52 kms.). the turn off south-west onto H1305
is south of KM.2 on the road that follows the west
bank of the Yom River, but it is unmarked (except
for a wooden sign to Sri Satchanalai National Park
- the return journey to the park waterfalls is 100
kms.).
H101 is the main
route from which side trips may bemade to Sri Satchanalai
Historical Park (KM.18) and Sawanwaranayok National
Museum (Sawankhalok), bit it is morepleasant to take
the less busy alternative route on the west bank of
the Yom River. This will enable you to visit the kiln
sites (left side of road after approx. 8 kms.), which
are extensions of the National Museums, and then drive
on to the historical park and southwards.
Sri
Satchanalai National Park occupies a peaceful site
on the banks of the Yom River, and the nearby Suwanthanas
Resort is good for a meal. Several local goldsmiths
are well-known for their hand-wrought jewellery.
Sri
Satchanalai was a provincial centre of the Khmer empire
in the 12th century, before becoming a part of the
Kingdom of Sukhothai that King Ramkhamkaeng built
up at the end of the 13th century. Thai history books
attribute to this kingdom the foundation of the independent
(from the northern Tai, Khmer and Mon) Siamese Tai
kingdoms that evolved into present day Thailand. At
the height of its power the kingdom directly controlled
the western half of the upper Chao Phaya basin and
enjoyed vassal tribute from as far as Pegu in Burma,
Luang Phabang in Laos and Nakhorn Sri Thammarat in
the south. After Ramkhamkaeng's death in 1298, Sukhothai
rapidly declined, making way for the growth of Ayutthaya.
The
provincial town of Sawankhalok is smaller then (new)
Sukhothai and seems to have more charm. Both have
hotels, but Sukhothai has more to offer at night.
Monuments
and Museums in Sukhothai Province
The
museums (open Wed - Sun: 09:00 - 16:00), historical
parks and nearby temples in Sukhothai Province charge
admission fees. If you plan to visit most of these,
you can save by buying a 'total ticket', which will
give you access to all sites in the province within
30 days. There are separate charges for vehicles to
enter the Historical Parks (access to Sri Satchanalai
Historical Park is on foot only after 17:00 until
the park is closed at 19:00. A detailed map is available
at the information centre. For a map of Sukhothai
Historical Park, go to the adjacent National Museum).
The
National Museums (at Sawankhalok and Old Sukhothai)
and the kiln site extensions contain Buddha images,
pottery, old photos, models as well as in-depth information
about the sites.
Quick
Return Routes to Chiang Mai
Sukhothai
- Chiang Mai via Thung Saliam, Thoen, Li and Chom
Thong. 326 kms.
Take
H1113 from Sukhothai Historical Park approx. 29 kms
and turn left (west) onto H1048 and head for Thoen
(83 kms) via Thung Saliam (20 kms). Though sign posts
are in Thai only, the road numbers are clearly marked.
From
Thoen you may precede along H1 and the fastest route
to Chiang Mai (total distance 186 kms), or you may
take the less busy route H106 via Li. This will allow
you to return either via Lamphun, visiting Wat Bang
Pang at KM.86 on the way (215 kms), or via Doi Tao
using H1103 in Hod, rejoining the full tour (257 kms
- see Day 5).
The
first (approx) 30 kms of the H106 to Li has many bends
and is a conduit for slow, heavy trucks carrying lignite.
Once past the lignite mine, the reoute becomes easy.
DAY
2: SIDE TRIPS
ST3
Wiang Kosai National Park
(H1023.
KM74. North turn 3 kms.)
The
park centres on the relatively small Mae Koeng Luang
Falls. A walkway leads up (approx. 300m) to the seventh
level of the cascades.
Overview
Corporate
Housing
