Having booked the later bus  (11:30) we had ample time to relax during breakfast and pack in the morning, not realizing we had a 6.5 hour bus transit ahead of us (including an unexpected lunch break at a random bus stop?). By the time we arrived at our hotel, we were unexpectedly exhausted, and had a quick dinner at the closest restaurant we could find. 

Very certain about curry in coconut

Sometimes it's nice to be writing these blogs so far in the future (one month, almost exactly (or two)) because we can write about our time in the Thai Thai Sukhothai pool without fear of what looked like chicken pox spreading from the young Swede in the pool with his family and instead just reminisce on how relaxing the cool water was after a day in the field (a la Dr. Indiana Jones). Frankly, the rash was ALARMING and I couldn't help but notice that we were the only other party who actually entered the pool, though every lounge chair surrounding the pool was occupied. Anyway, we never caught the rash (although Isaac's bug bites in Can Tho, Vietnam rivaled it, but more on that in a month or so) After our dip in the pool we showered and dressed, preparing for our scheduled in-room Thai massages. Our masseuse arrived, but only one, surprising all three of us as she hadn't been informed we were both expecting massages. I went first, laying down on the blanket she provided on top of the bed and trying to relax into the intense Thai massage. While a Thai massage is never particularly relaxing this one was particularly notable as she worked with one hand while speaking on the phone in Thai, presumably to a second masseuse, as one showed up about 20 minutes into my massage. Isaac was instructed to climb onto the bed beside me and his masseuse got to work, one of my favorite things about a Thai massage is getting to stay fully clothed, so modesty was no issue in this cramped couples massage situation. The massages were great, although I did sustain an Achilles injury that would plague me for the next 4 weeks, but an in-room Thai massage felt like the thing to do in the place to do it, so no regrets. That evening, rather than returning to the nearby hotel restaurant, we ventured out into the town and ended up at PhumPhor, a coffee shop that also happened to be a hopping spot for dinner and birthday parties! The restaurant was so busy we were given several free courses while we waited, but our favorite memory is the VERY large cocktail Isaac ordered. Essentially it was a margarita with a Corona Beer tipped over inside the glass, and then they turned to me to ask if I also would be getting a drink. We assured them it was enough for both of us but couldn't help but feel like this was an indication of the typical behavior of Westerners visiting Thailand. We sauntered back, reveling in our successful day and pleased with our itinerary thus far! Overall, it was a perfect day in Sukhothai, our new favorite city in Thailand! 

Refueling after a long day of sights at the sites. We shared this, but after I ordered it, they had the audacity to turn to Kaia and ask if she wanted anything to drink.