Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
OFF THE BEATEN TRACK
BAN NA TON CHAN
The residents of Ban Na Ton Chan, a picturesque village in rural Sukhothai, have formed a worthwhile and
award-winning
homestay program
( 08 9885 1639;
http://homestaynatonchan.blogspot.com
; per person
350B) . Approximately 20 households are involved, and the fee includes breakfast and dinner (for lunch you can
try
kôw Ъóep,
a local noodle dish), and involvement in daily activities such as cooking, furniture making and
weaving. The locals are keen to open their homes and share their knowledge, but it must be noted that the level of
English ability among the villagers is low.
The village is 15km east of Rte 101, down a signed turn-off north of Ban Hat Siaw. A motorcycle taxi from
near the 7-Eleven in Ban Hat Siaw will take people here for 150B; a săhm·lór costs 350B.
Getting Around
A săhm·lór ride within New Sukhothai should cost no more than 40B.
Relatively frequent
sŏrng·tăa·ou
run between New Sukhothai and Sukhothai Historical
Park (30B, 30 minutes, from 6am to 5.30pm), leaving from a stop on Th Jarot Withithong
just west of Poo Restaurant. Motorcycle taxis go between the town or bus station and the
park for 120B.
The best way to get around the historical park is by bicycle, which can be rented at
shops outside the park entrance for 30B per day (6am to 6pm). The park operates a tram
service (40B, one hour, from 8am to 5pm) that stops at three temples in the central zone,
although explan-ation is in Thai only.
Motorbikes can be rented starting at about 250B for 24 hours and are available at Poo
Restaurant and nearly every guesthouse in New Sukhothai.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Si Satchanalai-Chaliang Historical Park
Set among hills, the 13th- to 15th-century ruins of the old cities of Si Satchanalai and
Chaliang, 50km north of Sukhothai, are in the same basic style as those in the Sukhothai
Historical Park, but the setting is more rural and arguably more peaceful. The park covers
roughly 720 hectares and is surrounded by a 12m-wide moat. Chaliang, 1km southeast, is
an older city site (dating to the 11th century), though its two temples date to the 14th cen-
tury.
The nearby towns of Ban Hat Siaw and Sawankhalok are the main centres for the area.
