Phitsanulok lies on the Nan river in the lower north of Thailand, where the central plains begin to give way to the hills, and it is the sort of city that most people pass through on the way somewhere else. That is a shame, because it has real weight. It was one of the main cities of the old Sukhothai and Ayutthaya kingdoms, and King Naresuan the Great, who drove back the Burmese in the sixteenth century, is said to have been born here. A shrine to him stands in the city.
The great sight is Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat, known simply as Wat Yai, the Great Temple. Inside, the Phra Phuttha Chinnarat Buddha, cast in bronze in the Sukhothai period, is considered one of the most beautiful in Thailand, with a flame-shaped halo and a calm, almost smiling face. Pilgrims come from across the country to leave gold leaf and lotus flowers. Along the river, old floating houses still moor against the bank, though fewer now, and the night market on the riverside is a good place to try local sweets, such as sun-dried bananas known as kluay tak.
For a rider, Phitsanulok is a launch pad for a loop into the hills to the east. The road climbs toward Phu Thap Boek, a high ridge that is one of the coolest places in Thailand, where Hmong farmers grow cabbages and flowers on the slopes and the morning mist fills the valleys below. The bends are long and steady, and the surface is generally good, though patches of rough tarmac and sudden fog can catch you out. Lom Sak, further south, is a market town with a more relaxed pace, and the road between them passes through teak forest and farmland.
Fuel is plentiful in the city and along the main highways, but it thins out in the mountains, so fill up before you climb. From November to February, the weather is cool and clear, ideal for riding. In the hot season, from March to May, the heat in the plains can reach forty degrees, and the hills offer relief. The rainy season brings humid days and afternoon storms.