Having seen all the sights in Phittsanulok we caught the train down to Auytthaya which is the historic capital of central Thailand. Again, we hired bikes to visit the temples which are spread over a large area. In contrast with the rural setting of Sukkhattai, the proximity of Bangkok to Auytthaya has meant that most of the gaps between the temples has been developed. The temples were just as impressive but the cycling was a bit more intense due to both the urban setting and the fact we had chosen a pair of rickety bikes!
In the evening we took a boat ride around the river and saw for the first time the devastation following the recent floods with water marks half way up people's homes in the shanti's.
The food was good in both the street markets where we got a bit addicted to beef mattana (a bit like a roti) and ate 4 in 2 days, and the restaurants though the staff were always a little surly.
We needed to leave after 2 days so that we could reach Bangkok in time for new years eve and decided to get the train after a good experience from Phittsanulok. Unfortunately on the day we chose all Thai people get free rail travel so the train was delayed and packed! It's an experience but we may go back to the bus for our next journey!