day 123 Oct 25 Bangkok overnight to Trang.

 

Each sleeper car has it's own designated stewardess and ours knocks at regular intervals to make sure we have everything we need. There is a buffet car and she brings us a menu sheet so we can order some supper and breakfast for the morning. She also keeps us informed of the weather conditions ahead and breaks the news that not only will our departure be delayed by several hours but also that our journey will take considerably longer because of the floodwaters along the route. So we sit and wait until eventually at 6pm the train shudders into life and we trundle away from Bangkok. As we move slowly out of the city it is immediately evident why we have been delayed. There is water everywhere and the tracks are submerged leaving the train to forge a watery path slowly and carefully. We are in the rear carriage and have a fantastic view from the back door of the train of the devestating scenes we have until now only seen on Thai TV. Mistakenly, a fellow traveller opens the rear door to photograph the local people wading waist and in some places chest deep through the water. The smell is unbelievable - a combination of stagnant water and sewage. This only goes to reinforce what a good decision we have made in bypassing the city and the door is quickly shut and we move back to our compartment to watch from the window. We pass by streets which are submerged 3 - 4ft and locals vainly bucketing out floodwater, using the relative high ground of the railway tracks as a makeshift pathway. The rain is still falling and the situation is getting worse not better. After an hour or so of slow progress the train seems to speed up and the water subsides allowing us to continue our journey through the night. We later learn that ours was the last train out of Bangkok for several days afterwards so we have had a lucky escape.

day 123 Oct 25 Into Bangkok and out the other side...

 

Our night on the bus was fairly uncomfortable, but we have had worse journeys and we were atleast in relative comfort compared to the journey on the Sofie in Fiji. Apart from a hideous film being shown at full volume, which in the end David demands is switched off so the girls can unplug from ds and ipod and go to sleep. the journey is pretty uneventful. As we head further south the water lying in the surrounding countryside seems to increase and the roads become bumpier until we are near to Bangkok. However this is shortlived as there are lots of road blocks and diversions in operation. This results in several detours on unmade roads and back streets and an extra  two hours travelling time. We are all ready to get off by the time we pull into the bus station. We catch a taxi across the outskirts of Bangkok directly to the railway station.

 

As we arrive it is clear that this is a city under emergency measures, the army are out in force, loading and unloading sandbags from trucks and all the shops and food outlets are busy sandbagging their doorways. It is only when we leave later in the evening that we see just how bad the flooding is. We had already reworked our schedule to avoid staying in Bangkok for any length of time for a variety of reasons, but the extra risk of disease and air pollution, along with the real threat of ending up stranded for longer than we hoped, confirms that we have made the right choice in not even attempting to visit the city itself. Indeed many of the main tourist sites are closed anyway due to the floodwaters.

 

The main concourse is fairly crowded - with separate seating areas for monks! We hole up in the comfort of the air conditioned KFC at one end of the station and spend the afternoon playing cards, writing journals and charging the laptop!

At 6pm the now familiar beeps over the tannoy signal the playing of the national anthem and the world seems to come to a halt - almost as if the pause button has been pressed or as in a game of musical statues. Silence descends, everyone stands still, the anthem plays. Everywhere we go there are images of the Royal Family who are akin to religious icons in Thailand - the two are almost inextricably linked in fact and there is great national pride. Even bank notes which depict the royals are treated with reverence and it is a crime to even stand on one - hence all the notes are non crumpled - almost pristine. As soon as the anthem is finished the world begins again and everyone continues along their way. The national anthem is even played in the cinema and we all stood for the playing of it before the film, even though we were the only ones in the theatre!

We board the sleeper train which will whisk us away from the floods of Bangkok and south to Trang and the beautiful beaches of the Southern Andaman Islands. We are lucky enough to have beds in interconnecting compartments and we all agree that this will be a better night than the last!

day 121 and 122 23 and 24 Oct Chiang Mai and beyond

Our last two days in Chiang Mai are spent nursing very achey legs - who knew riding an elephant through the jungle was so strenuous and would use so many muscles you have never felt before! The girls swim in the hotel pool and we walk into the city a couple of times to absorb it's atmosphere and culture further. On Sunday we lunch at the food court at the Robinson Plaza and then stop off in a local dutch bar on our way home to catch the second half of the rugby world cup final. It is a really interesting mix of Thai's, Dutch, French and English and we all seem to be cheering for the losing side. On Monday afternoon the sun seems hotter than ever and the girls need some time away from the heat of the day. We treat them to a movie - The Smurfs - which "rather annoyingly" says Rowan has Thai subtitles across the bottom of the screen!!!  An early supper at the hotel and then off to the Chiang Mai bus station to catch our first sleeper bus of the trip. We had planned on using trains but due to the flooding in Bangkok there are no trains running south from Chiang Mai - so we have no option but to take a bus as the cost of flights has risen dramatically.

We board the bus at just after 9.30pm and hope that we can sleep just a little - the bus is air-conditioned and the seats recline to 150 degrees. However none of us is sure what to expect as the night sets in!

Day 117 19 October Hello and Goodbye Bangkok

Our plane lands at Bangkok after an uneventful flight from Hong Kong. Due to the recent flooding in Bangkok we have decided to change our plans and we fly straight out to Chang Mai in the north. We only have 2hoursor so in transit and by the time we have passed through customs,collected our bags, checked in again and found our way to the departure gate, we only have a 40 minute wait. The flight is an hour long and again passes easily. The girls are so good on days like this, there is rarely a time when they don't step up under pressure and they are becoming extremely seasoned travellers! Never again will they be able to complain about the hour it takes to get round the m25 to get to Granny Chicken's House! We dont have accommodation booked so while David collects the bags Nicole talks to th lovely lady at the Chang Mai Hotels Association counter who recommends a hotel (always a worry!) Immediately we notice how smiley and genuine the Thais seem to be in comparison to our previous location and it is a welcome relief. David negotiates for a taxi - choosing the "big car" which will cost 20 Bhaht more than the small one. He stops himself haggling when he realises how much he is quibbling over! The taxi driver laughs and jokes with us all the way to the hotel and we visit almost every room in the hotel as we try and find the best set up, eventually opting for 1 large double and 2 mattresses on the floor. The room is huge though - even by Royal Plaza standards. We have air con, a pool, 4 beds and breakfast included all for £27 a night - sorted!