9. Riding The Rails: Nong Khai - Bangkok
Going back home!
We departed the guesthouse early in the morning and skylabbed straight to the railway station.
Tim got 2 tickets for Khon Kaen, mission accomplished!
One of the skylabs was brand-new, quite a work of art!
However restaurant-wise there wasn’t much available, so we settled for coffee and would get something later on the train.
After the Lao high-speed train experience, Thai 3rd class was classic old-school traveling once again!
The train departed on time and some of my fellow passengers did immediately what most Thais do, they were sound asleep in no time!
Even after living here for 35 years I have never mastered this useful skill and will always be a stranger in a strange land.
Instead, I enjoyed the views from the open window which also provided natural air-conditioning, even better than the carriage’s ceiling fans.
But I was under no illusion, later during the day (9-hour journey!) it was going to get stinking hot…
Tim and Ray got off in Khon Kaen and wished me a safe trip home, thanks guys!
Railway staff walked by offering a few classic Thai dishes, I ordered a pad krapow kai dao, always tasty.
The rest of the ride was uneventful, but later in the afternoon the cabin seemed to turn into a sauna, luckily sellers selling drinks dropped by regularly.
My train entered Bangkok on time, amazing too.
Back at Krung Thep Aphiwat Station I suddenly realized that the Red Line stopped there, as well.
Quickly I bought a token, waited a bit, and took this SRT electric train to Taling Chan Junction.
From there it was just a 20 min taxi ride home, a very convenient way to end this 5-day adventure!
The End!
Previous episodes:
