It was a painless start to our journey up the Malay/Thai Peninsular from Georgetown to Bangkok. We had to checkout at noon and be at the jetty for the 1pm ferry to Butterworth to catch the train to Bangkok. We caught the bus from just down the road from Jims Place, and there we met an American girl, who's name we never learned. She urgently wanted confirmation that the bus went to the jetty and we confirmed in a sense that we were waiting for it and thats where we were going also. We talked with her a while and she seemed impressed by our travels in an exaggerated way. She had come from working in India and we were genuinely impressed by that which she'd seen. She was also catching the 2:20pm train to Bangkok, but she was considerably less back-packy than us. Overloaded with bags and wheelie suitcases and laptops. I offered to keep an eye on her iPad as she went to the shop. She looked very laden down for this journey. On Sarah's offer we helped her onto the train and carried some of her bags for her. I was somewhat relieved that she was sitting somewhere away from us. Not the bags, as I don't mind helping a damsel in distress in the least. Not that she was a bore of a person, she was lovely. But she could talk, and we had somewhat during the journey established a brief relationship based on any silent time, being awkward and a need to refuel the conversation and not let it die naturally. Therefore, I feared sitting next to her, could be 22 hours of conversation filling.
The journey up was fine. It was 3 hours to the Malay/Thai border and this was spent reading a new book; Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. I'm not sure about this, but it may make Chris' Book Club. At the border I was pleased that it seemed we didn't have to take all our baggage with us. We came off the train, exited Malaysia in one room and entered Thailand in another. Then upstairs we bought some rice dish and some snacks for the remaining journey. Amongst our purchases were some instant noodles, which I hoped I would get hot water on the train for. The fact I look across the room and see them unopened now, indicates we received no such gratuity.
With the aircon on full, making us cold I knew and was correct in the assumption that my sleep would be good. My bunk was the bottom. It was larger, but as in being larger I had to assume responsiblity for both rucksacks, my sleeping space was considerably reduced. Still with the rucksacks as a barrier I felt very snug and slept well to the rythms of the train. The only time I woke was at Surat Thani, with some Southern Europeans fretting about alighting before the train pulled away. I woke at 8am, pulled back the curtain to the Thai countryside whizzing by. Sarah joined me soon after my awakening.
We arrived into Bangkok about noon, and caught a Tuk Tuk to KSR. Just before arriving Sarah said something that was so familiar to me; "Bangkok is like coming home". It is indeed. Anyone who travels Asia for any length of time knows that Bangkok is the hub, the capital of South East Asia. Here you can get cheap clothes, you can regroup, get most visas. Its tacky and its easy but to an Asian traveller it is indeed as home as home can be while you have no home.
We found a room in New Siam Guesthouse for B20 more than we paid 2 months ago, but no matter. Then we sought about sourcing our Cambodian journey. We didn't need to go far, we went downstairs in our guesthouse in Banglamphu, and we were offered the whole thing including visas for B3,300. I had budgeted B2,400 (or £50) and £50 for visas, including the bribes at the border. We were considerably under for the journey, but the lady fleeced us to take the hassle out the Cambodian visas. The result, we paid a total of £68.75 for the journey and visas, whereas I planned £100 for the whole lot. I know we could do cheaper, but this would be a day getting up early, off to the Cambodian Embassy for 8am, back after 4pm. We made an ok decision, and ulitmately under budget, and at this stage in the travels, budget has become much more important.
So today, travel day 133 and 14th August, we had a lazy one as tomorrows journey to Siem Reap will be a long one. 7:30am start and from experience we won't be in guesthouse until 11pm, even though they say about 7pm. Stiil from same experience the journey from Poipet in Cambodia to Siem Reap through the real Asian countryside, is maybe the best ride in my life, and I'm looking forward to doing it again.
Boring news, we both had our hair cut again. Mine really short and Sarah a light trim. In my case so short, I feel the need to grow a beard again to balance it out. We splurged a little over lunch with a few more beers than necessary, which is leaving me a little tipsy as I write this, but I think it has a good flowing effect on my writing, what do you think? Its when I'm drunk I want to go to my temple, but know it's disrespectful to. I will see it again before I leave, we have one more visit to Bangkok in just under 2 months. The place which we both now call home.
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