A day in Phitsanulok

Phitsanulok also has a highly regarded ethnology museum, the Sgt. Maj. Thawee Folk Museum.  It has a fascinating collection of objects and displays related to rural and village life in an earlier time.  Who knew that you could trap a monkey by putting a hard boiled egg in a coconut with an appropriately sized hole?  The monkey is so unwilling to release the egg, and thereby liberate its paw, that it can be captured with such a simple trap.  Mind you, with suitable bait, such as a Gucci purse or the keys to a Porsche, it might work on people as well.

Phitsanulok has a lovely linear park (“Healthy Street”) running along the top of the river valley.  Every night is like a festival, with vendors, exercise groups, and people offering massages.  This was an offer we could not refuse.  Seated under the palm trees with the day yielding to twilight, we enjoyed a one hour foot and leg massage.  A beautiful moth with a four inch wingspan fluttered by, the birdsong drowned out the traffic noise, and the masseuses chatted with each other while endlessly working our feet and calves.  It was a perfect moment.

Today we cycled from Phitsanulok to Old Suhkothai.  We did this ride in 2013, taking the monotonous main road.  Today we took a series of small roads.  It was 20 km longer, but far more pleasant.  The cook at the village restaurant where we stopped for lunch insisted on taking our picture.  I guess they don’t see many farang cyclists.