On the Road Again

In an effort to get to the heart of my trip (Cambodia/Laos) more quickly, I bought a one way ticket to Hat Yai in southern Thailand. I boarded a train departing on February 23 at 21:30. The sleeper seats were sold out, so it was a rough night of fleeting sleep in a coach about half full with Russians, chatty old Indians drinking whiskey, a Japanese hippie, a dutch guy, and even a couple genuine Malaysians! I awoke from my shallow slumber shivering a couple times, having to put on another layer to protect me from the frigid AC. I knew there was a reason for carrying a bulky sweater to the equatorial regions!

Time passing as it does on an overnight train, we arrived around 10:00 in the morning in Hat Yai, about 45 minutes past the Thai-Malay border where they checked me out of Malaysia and the Thai officials gave me a 15-day pass to enjoy their beautiful country. Upon arrival, I joined forces with the Japanese passenger, Gon, who was also heading to Bangkok. We bought our tickets to BK on a sleeper train that didn't leave until 18:45. Thusly, we checked our bags at the station and set about exploring this little city a bit.

We grabbed a quick meal of rice and chicken curry at a street vendor, with the bill coming to 25 baht (just under one USD). We ambled aimlessly after that, dodging motos and tuktuks, soon coming to Chinatown and the frantic stalls spilling out into the street from storefronts. When you have 8 hours to kill in an unknown foreign city, you will do anything to eat up time. We caught up on some internet time, stopped in for some Chang beer at a small restaurant, sat on the steps of the bus station napping and watching the young army recruits march around, then grabbed some more food (again, sticky rice and whatever dish looks appealing).

Finally we had done it! We had successfully wasted 8 hours and it was time to board the next train. Gon and I split up into separate cars. The sleeper cars were comfortable enough. What you have is banks of two seats facing each other. The seats fold down into one bed, and then another bed folds down from the ceiling. I would advise any future travelers on this route to reserve the lower berth, as you get a wider sleeping surface, no risk of falling out, and a window! As it were, I was stuck in the upper berth, which felt more like a plastic coffin than a bed. Nevertheless, I quickly fell asleep, exhausted from the night before.

Also quite interesting were the toilets, which had an added feature: when you flush them, you get a quick glimpse of the tracks passing beneath the train.

Once again, time passed quickly on the night train, and soon it was morning. We folded up the beds and I set about looking out the window, hoping I hadn't slept through Bangkok. Bangkok, however, was the end of the line, and around 13:00, I was turned loose into this bustling city, to set my bearings and hopefully learn something about myself and the world (that is, after all, why we travel of course).

And for the next installment: Bangkok (!)