Thailand : Sukhothai : Ruins

I spent the entire next day writing the last week+! It took 8 hours to get to Sukhothai and we were glad of a SWIM. Thailand's climate does strange things - the water in the outdoor pool was actually WARM. It still confuses me how it is warm outside and cold inside (with fab air-con).
There was a swirly slide which we monopolised and used to splash attack the other pool users.
Splashes were rated using the following system:
1: Piddle
2: Greater Piddle
3: Splosh
4: Great Splosh
5: WHALE!
Our hostel was also lovely, our own cosy bungalow and extra tasty mango shakes. I had an interesting and singular encounter with a squat toilet.
Thailand buzzes with life. Our bathroom was shared with millipedes, our bedroom with lizards. Dangerously large crawling things get everywhere - in Khao Yai Job saw a beetle the size of a fist drone past with the speed and sound of a small car. You get used to it.
Sukhothai looked gorgeous in the pouring rain. The light and the spray almost made it glow. The entire old city, complete with huge geometric lotus ponds, was set aside from the new town in a manicured park - which did it's best to extract all atmosphere from the ancient place, but was great for cycling.
Cycling in Thailand is a bit of a nightmare - no organisation at junctions and arbitrary lane changes right in front of you. People sometimes accelerate behind you then angrily honk you off the road for not accelerating as well.
We also cycled out to some outlying woodland temples with much funner settings.
Wat Chang Rop was supported on a base of 36 smiling elephants and was Liv's favourite.
Mine was Wat Mahathat, a mass of jutting brick spires and columns, infested with hidden Buddhas.
We had a swim, then played pingpong by the pool until we were kicked out. Liv won "decisively".
She fell asleep murmuring "I'm so content I'm tingling..." and "I want to purr like a cat..."
The train to Chaing Mai was railway luxury as Britain has never known, with full lunch, snacks, drinks and waitress included.
We rolled through steep jungle with nature going all out on special effects. The banana leaves shone in a spectacular sunset through a thin mist. Top heavy trees penetrated the canopy. We emerged onto terraces of paddy fields, flat and shiny with few protruding rice plants (like a bald man's head!)