In 1238, two Thai chiefs drove the Khmer governor out of a small city in the north of the central plain and founded a kingdom, and Sukhothai, the Dawn of Happiness, became the first capital of what we now call Thailand. The kingdom reached its height under King Ramkhamhaeng, who is credited with creating the Thai alphabet. A stone inscription dated to 1292, which is attributed to him, describes a country where there was fish in the water and rice in the fields, and where anyone with a grievance could ring a bell at the palace gate to be heard by the king. Whether the picture is wholly true is debated, but the image of a benevolent kingdom has clung to Sukhothai ever since.
The historical park, inscribed in 1991, is a wide, open area of ruins, lakes and lawns that is easy to explore by bicycle. The tall, slim chedis shaped like lotus buds, the broken columns of old halls, and the huge seated and walking Buddhas of Wat Mahathat, Wat Si Chum and Wat Sa Si make a peaceful, almost dreamlike landscape. At Wat Si Chum a giant seated Buddha, about fifteen metres high, is enclosed in a square walled chamber with a narrow slot, so that you see it first through a gap. The Sukhothai style, with its graceful, flowing walking Buddha, is regarded as the classic of Thai sculpture.
For riders the geography is easy, and the roads are some of the friendliest in the country. Highway 12 runs east to west across the plain, a wide, well-surfaced road with moderate traffic, while Highway 101 heads north to Si Satchanalai, the sister city, along a flat, pleasant road through rice fields and sugar cane. Motorcycles are everywhere in Thailand, and drivers expect them, but keep a careful eye out for pickups pulling out without warning, and dogs. The cool season, from November to February, is the best, with clear skies and light. March to May is very hot, and the rains of July to October bring fierce storms.
Sukhothai New City, about a dozen kilometres away, has plenty of fuel, markets and guesthouses, and Ban Na, closer, has services too. The town is famous for its noodle soup, with pork, peanuts and a dash of sweetness, and in November it holds the Loy Krathong festival, when candle-lit floats are set on the ponds.