Night Train Chiang Mai to Bangkok

I’ve always loved travelling by train. When I was young, every July, my mom and I would ride train 24 hours east to visit my grandparents in New Brunswick. The leg of the journey from Montreal to Campbellton involved the sleeper car, which was my favourite! Over the years, as train travel has gotten more expensive and travel by plane, more convenient, I don’t find myself on too many trains, so when I had the opportunity to ride overnight from Chiang Mai to Bangkok, I jumped at the chance. I’ve heard horror stories– frostbite-inducing A/C, bumpy rides and little sleep, lights on through the night– but I can’t help but feel excited. Part of me feels like a kid again, going somewhere special where I’m guaranteed a memorable time. Now I don’t know if that part is true or not, but nevertheless, the act of simply going gives me confidence that it is.

I catch the train at 5:00 pm, and as we ride out of Chiang Mai, the light is golden and the skies are blue. The train sways gently along the rails as we follow the highway out of town. Not the prettiest view yet, but I’m waiting for it!

My car is air conditioned, but comfortably so. I have a berth to myself, so I’m able to stretch my legs out and claim the space with my belongings. My camera, bag and popcorn snack have plenty of room. An all-business Thai woman comes by with menus. She becomes my best friend once I order some dinner. She scowls at the man beside me when he says he will wait to order. “Wait for what? I busy later!” Dinner can be served at your seat at whichever time you choose, or you can opt for the dinner car. I’m leery about leaving my belongings, so I opt for dinner served at my seat. There is a good choice on the menu. I choose option B with spicy soup.

The car is about 2/3 full, all foreigners heading to some point south. I’m surrounded by a couple of Germans, an Italian and an American. All men. Looks like this might be the place to meet single travelling men! There is only one other woman onboard my car of 44 seats and she’s with her husband. Everyone is friendly. Several people help others squeeze their luggage onto the narrow racks. The married man has a suitcase three times the size of mine. Bet he curses his wife as he lugs that around.

I leave Chiang Mai feeling good. I screwed up and didn’t get to Pai, but that’s another story. And it leaves me a very good reason to come back. I hope I like it further south, as I bought myself a few more days down there by missing Pai. I expect I’ll find a quiet island and hang out after visiting Krabi. Or maybe I’ll meet someone and change directions entirely. Or maybe I’ll just head to Malaysia early. Options are one of the best perks of travelling solo.

The train continues. The sun is getting a little lower. The hills of the Thai countryside are golden. We just rolled past a tree with fire-orange flowers, a hue so intense they doesn’t seem real. Skinny cows graze the fields before a waterway. A girl chases her two young brothers through a field, a dog bounding excitedly after them. All three have smiles plastered across their faces as they run.

My dinner arrives! The attendant brings a table for me. She sets out the dishes with care. I unwrap it, mindful not to spill. The soup is piping hot, the flavours subtle and not spicy, like I expected. It’s flavourful, though, and filled with veggies and a big slice of tofu. The fried chicken with cashews is a little sweet, the chicken perfectly fried to give it a bit of pleasant chewiness amidst the other textures. But my favourite is the duck curry. It is full of lean, tender duck and fragrant with kaffir lime leaves, slightly spicy as promised. The fact that it is lukewarm doesn’t bother me because it is so good. Lastly the bananas are sweet and firm, just how I like them.

We pass a small village with a large wat. The size belies the population. The chimney from the crematorium rises high into the air, catching my attention before I even notice anything else.

We made a turn somewhere and now the sun is setting on my side of the train! It’s a beautiful sunset. The brilliant orange glow illuminates the smoke from various small fires that fill the valley. The sun dips behind a mountain. The clouds take on its fire, changing from white, to golden, to orange. We enter the jungle, the sky now obscured behind the tall trees, trees so tall I can’t see their beginnings in the deep canyon, only the tops of their leaves towering above us. As the train emerges from the jungle, the sun is gone, and dusk casts a mist over the land, silhouetting the mountains against the darkening sky.

The conductor checks tickets. I tell him I would like to get off at the airport before Bangkok. He writes it down and promises to wake me in time. I think I’ll be arriving in the five o’clocks and will miss sunrise from the train. Shame.

We ride in silence for a couple hours, the only sound that of the train moving along the tracks. At 7:00 the conductors make some beds but not others. It becomes clear after a while that more people will be joining us and those beds will wait. I’m one of those beds. I get my seat mate at 7:30. Another woman, equally engrossed in her electronic device as I am at that point.

At 8:00 it comes time to make our beds! Woo-hoo! I have the lower berth, which means I get the window. I’m hoping for a full moon tonight. Or maybe no moon and a clear sky to star gaze. And I’m in luck, the night is clear and pretty dark, a demi-moon hangs in the sky. We pass small towns. I’m charmed by the Thai countryside, the stars in the sky, the hypnotic sound of the rails under us.

The bed is comfy. I feel safe and contented in my little cocoon. The vibration of the train car eventually lulls me to sleep and I have a fitful rest. The train is not too bumpy, the lights not bright, and there are no sounds to disturb me. Certainly the stories I heard did not apply to my journey, and for that I’m grateful. The conductor wakes me a half hour before my stop, as promised. I get my things together and disembark, exiting into the cool night air. I cross a bridge over the highway to the airport, excitement stirring inside me for what will come next.

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