We'd arrived at the station slightly early before departure to take in the atmosphere and hopefully buy some snacks for the journey. Lynn found Dunkin Dohnuts and we scoffed them straight way - well, we wanted to keep our blood sugar levels up.
There are two places to sit whilst waiting for a train, on the seats or on the floor. We managed to find a seat, the younger backpackers took to the floor. There were also reserved seats for... monks and novices!
One hapless backpacker nearly came a cropper at 6pm when the national anthem was played. He was flat out asleep on the floor of the station as an irate tourist policeman was angrily blowing his whistle at him. His crime was not standing up for the King - eventually one of his mates woke him up, he had a narrow escape.
At 7pm we strolled over to platform 3 to board our carriage. Ours was at the front just behind the baggage wagon. Our bedding was in place and it looked like it was just us two in the group of four bunks. Looked like we would get the two bottom beds plus no strangers snoring or smelly feet. We even bought orange juice and fruit from the restaurant car staff - we were going to enjoy this trip.
Minutes before we set off our peace was shattered. A group of four stumbled into the carriage muttering in German about their bunk numbers. The dad approached me with some excuse of having booked late and could his family have our four and we have the two next door. We agreed only to find the bedding attendant, restaurant waitresses and the air con technical squeezed into the small space - Lynn was not amused. " I didn't think I'd be sharing a compartment with the bloody staff," she muttered.
It could have been a nightmare, well it was for the first hour whilst the train slowly made its way out of Greater Bangkok. Plus, the aircon down our end of the train was broken and even worse, you couldn't buy alcohol on the train - it was totally dry. Lynn read her book, I just looked out of the window and the Germans settled down for a family evening - in our old compartment.
Eventually though things settled down. The Germans came to broker a peace deal, the waitresses buggered off to another compartment and the aircon started working - hurrah!
Our tickets were checked and punched by the train attendant who was accompanied by a guy in a uniform who looked like he would enjoy checking your cavities for illicit drugs. No laughs from him then.
Later another official looking guy in a uniform spoke to me about the usual, where do you come from? What football team to you support....etc? Within moments we were discussing the calamities of Man Utd and the possibilities of Jose Mourihnio taking over as manager - as you do with every official on Thai Railways.
Lynn eventually moved from her seat, she needed the loo. I used this opportunity to make a peace offering by getting the attendant to make up her bed. It broke the ice on her return, with the attendant, not me; plus the fact the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra weren't coming to squat in our compartment. We all said goodnight in our little capsule and went to sleep.
When I say sleep I meant fitfull sleep. We seemed to lurch over every dodgy point on the main line and we stopped that many times I begun to think I could walk it quicker. I did at one point succumb to the need for the toilet and scaled down the ladder waking up Lynn. She hadn't slept well either.
Daybreak came at about 6.15am with a beautiful sunrise over the canopy of trees and hills that now towered over us.
We were constantly climbing through woodland and banana plantations, stopping at quaint little country stations and having coffee brought to us from the waitresses, care of the train attendant who organised it. See, it's not what you know but who you know when travelling overnight on the train!
And so it was we pulled into Chiang Mai, on time but completely shattered. A phalanx of Tuk Tuk and taxi drivers greeted us as we strained to see through the blinding sunlight. "First stop," we said to each other... "Breakfast!"
One for the train spotters.
Oh well - a dry night then?
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