Flashpacking Chiang Mai

---

Spending fourteen hours on a sleeper train just to go to Chiang Mai for two nights seems a bit extreme, especially since it's in the complete opposite direction to where I wanted to go, but it was worth allowing the time.

The sleeper train itself was excellent. I opted for a second class four berth / two bunk compartment which apparently is 'acceptable by European standards'. The compartment started out as seating and not long after the train got going the man came around and prepared the bunks, made our beds for us and took our orders for the evening meal and breakfast. A curtain goes around the bed, so when you're inside with the curtain drawn, it's like a little tent... or like a little den you might have made when you were about 6 or 7 :-) The 14 hours flew by and I arrived in Chiang Mai first thing the next morning. It was definately the right way to get to Chiang Mai and is a great way to travel!! Except of course if you're at 33000 feet, then you're probably better off in a plane! Or on water, then you'd be better off on a boat?!?!

I had two nights, and part of the reason I wanted to go, apart from to have a look around, was to do a cookery course. I was the only one on the course, which was great because I had my own professional chef teaching me how to make Thai food. I'm pleased to say that I can (hopefully) do a Pad Thai for breakfast, soup for starters, Thai Green Curry, Chicken and Cashew and black creamy rice pudding for afters! I hope they have all the ingredients in Sainsburys when I get home so I can try it out again :-)

I left it late for organising my way down south to the islands and beaches, which are en-route to Singapore, which is where I'm booked to fly out from at the end of February. But I thought since the overnight sleeper train or bus to Bangkok and on too, say, Phuket, would take three days/two nights, I thought I would save some time and fly. I was continually told that flying would be expensive because of the forth coming national holiday.

After shopping around the local travel agents and of course, the internet, I found a cheap flight for the next morning with Orient Thai Airlines, to Phuket via Bangkok's old and partially closed airport. The plane was an older McDonnell Douglas MD80 series and I've never been on a plane that's gone along a runway so quickly!

---

Comments

[Robert]

Enjoying the read
Hey Geoff, Been reading all your blogs - really interesting and we look forward to seeing you in Sydney. Rob, Ella, Nathaniel and Lauren