Train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai

Random pic: Passed a Japanese store in Bangkok that had individually wrapped sushi,  including angry birds sushi hah! 

Ok, I need to talk for a minute about the traffic system in Bangkok, and presumably all of Thailand. Here are some observations:

» Blinkers and horns are rarely used

» While waiting at stoplights, scooters weave through everyone and go to the front

» Scooters, Tuktuks, and other small vehicles may cross the double yellow line and drive on the other side of the road if there is no oncoming traffic

» U-turns may happen at any point

» Here's the kicker: Nobody is ever angry or upset about any of the above. Never! 

This is so fascinating to me! It appears that everyone just goes wherever they want to go and only honk to warn others of their presence. Nobody gets pissed about getting cut off. Nobody flicks anyone off or yells obscenities or even rolls their eyes. This chaotic system seems to work extremely well for the Thai! There seems to be absolutely no road rage, and the result is that everyone gets to their destination stress-free. I feel like it's a perfect example of how sometimes less rules can lead to better outcomes. Now, I don't for a second think that this kind of system would work in the States, but it is wonderful and refreshing to witness a society that doesn't seem to experience road rage! 

I arrived 3 hrs before my train from Bangkok would depart to Chiang Mai and went to the large open area to settle in for the wait. There was some commotion in the middle of the open area and I weaved through the crowd to see what it was about. Turns out a scene for the TV show "Thailand's Got Talent" was being filmed in the station! For the next hour and a half, the same scene was repeated about a dozen times. It provided wonderful entertainment!! I even went up to a group of performers to snag a picture in case they get famous ;-) All the performers were so energetic and smiley, even after repeating the same scene over and over again. Unexpectedly coming across little gems like this is what makes traveling so fun! 

After the filming was over, a large screen in the station came on with an image of a Thai flag waving and music began to play. Everyone who was Thai immediately stood up and us foreigners looked around, timidly rising to our feet as well. Some people were singing while the music continued to play and I can only guess it was their national anthem. Not sure if this occurred every day around 6pm or if it was because there was an event or for some other reason. The king and queen are very present throughout the city with pictures of them on large streets signs, on buildings, walls, everywhere. The train station is not exempt and a large display of the king was in the open area.

About 45 minutes before my train was scheduled to depart, I went to the platform to see if I could board. A train employee looked at my ticket and ushered me onto the train. I found my berth and although the set up was a bit different from what I had seen online, I was still pleased with the arrangement. There are about 5 sections of 4 berths in each car, with 2 squat toilets and 2 sinks separate each car. Ok so I wasn't thrilled about the squat toilets, but I was prepared for that hah. There are 10-12 cars that make up the train, of which is a quaint little restaurant car. 

I got a lower bunk, since I had read that the top bunks get super cold being close to the vent. Each berth has a reading light, hook, small fold down table, curtains for privacy, and even an international outlet like in the hotels. I still have yet to use my outlet converter on this trip! The same employee who let me on the train came and made up my bed just a couple minutes after I put my stuff down. After a walk up and down a couple cars, I quickly realized that this train would be nowhere near full. I ended up being the only one in my section! Actually, I think the same employee slept in the berth across from mine, but I didn't mind. I read that the trains are a great time to meet people and interact with locals, but I figured I would meet some in the restaurant car.

Nope, hah. I was among the first few people to show up for dinner and we all sat at different tables. There was no A/C because it was an open window car, so it was quite warm, but it was nice to not have glass obstructing the passing scenery. There was a screen showing clips from American pop concerts (Madonna, Shakira, Cher, J. Lo, Celine Dion), so that plus the lack of sound-reducing windows made for a pretty loud environment for introductions and small talk. I didn't get a beer because a) it was expensive and b) I wanted to consume as little liquid as possible to minimize the number of times I would need to use the facilities hah. Dinner consisted of 9 fixed meal options, each including 4-5 items; a lot of choices for a small restaurant car! My meal included a clear veggie and pork soup, coconut chicken soup, vegetable and shrimp stir fry, rice, and apple slices, all for 160 baht ($5). Just as I was getting ready to pay my bill, a nice older Asian man asked if he could sit at my table. I was going to stay a bit and chat,  but I got the feeling he didn't speak English and the car was getting louder with noise. His kind eyes and smile were good enough for me, and with that I went to bed! 

Sleeping on this train was neither great nor terrible. Considering it only cost $27 (versus an $85-100 flight) and saved me a night at a hostel, it's pretty fantastic in my book! Had breakfast of rice soup on the train and a nice Chinese man sat at my table and we started chatting. He was giving me good suggestions of places in China to visit while I'm there. We also discovered that we both work with identifying lung bacteria! Pretty cool how small the world is sometimes!