Day 11: Sleeper Train to Chiang Mai

Another first: a sleeper train. This one the overnight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, leaving at 22:00 and getting in at 13:00. The AC cabins were all sold out, so we had fan cabins. Second class, but no problem. It’s cold enough this time of year that the blanket was barely enough to keep me comfortably warm enough to sleep.

We met some extremely cool Swiss folk on the train, Kris and Gabriel. Kris is another one of those people who seem ubiquitous on the road. Folks making huge transitions in their lives. Sometimes these are transitions to something, sometimes just transitions from something into nothing. Movement in space and movement in life going hand in hand. Kris is transitioning from a life of staid prosperity in management consulting to the bespoke apparel industry. He’s going to use his connections in Thailand (being half Thai) to cut the garments and his Swiss half to find an eager and monied market. It’s always fascinating to hear people’s stories of taking the less certain path to fulfillment. Like observing the first shoots out of a seed and imagining the plant it will become.

The train itself — which the nameplate announced as being built by Hitachi in 1967 — was a working relic. All worn metal and scratches and thick layers of paint. Conceived to haul thousands of people over decades and keep going. And so it has, solid from an era before all the excess substance was filed away from our manufactures.

The beds were surprisingly comfortable. The rest of the sleeping experience was less so. It was drafty, especially on my face and the lights were on all night, requiring a blindfold. Nevertheless, I feel I got some good sleep in 2 hours bursts.

The dining car was a lot of fun, and the food surprisingly good. Soups and curries and fruit. Not especially cheap, but we never needed to depend entirely on our stash of snacks.

Just staring out the window provided all the entertainment necessary. Watching the countryside roll by is one of the pleasures of a train over a plane. If you don’t enjoy that you’re better off in the air. And for ฿550 or thereabouts, it’s just about what a single room would cost for a night. Or double the cost of a dorm room. Which an amazing deal when you think about it as room and travel.