I’d like to go further to the south – so I am boarding the night train to Surat Thani (Sleeper with AirCon 780THB directly at Hua Lumphong Ticket Counter).
The Sleeper Compartment with Air Condition is totally comfortable! The beds are being installed after leaving Bangkok and they are surprisingly comfy. Water and Coffee can be bought in the train, and every now and then, somebody passes by selling food and chips. The train is well booked, but apart from a few snoring folks it is rather quiet. After passing Chumphon, the train wakes up – beds are folded and through the train windows you can see the sunrise over palm trees covered in thick mist.
Arriving in Surat Thani, all travel agents of the town are ready to guide the passengers to the best offer. The city is gateway to beautiful islands in the gulf of Thailand (Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Koh Tao). But as the weather forecast predicts rainy days, I am heading to Krabi on the west side of Thailand. I already bought my ticket in Bangkok, so I am guided to my travel agency (Phantip – 250THB) and wait with a couple of other tourists for our minivan.
Our travel takes another 3 hours to Krabi – and for 50THB extra, I am transferred to my apartment. Total duration of the travel: 16 hours 😀 – YES, it would have been way quicker to take the plane, but it was definitely more fun to do it this way.
My whole travel so far is surprisingly easy. In Thailand tourism is a common thing, the country is well prepared and used to it. When seeking adventurous backpacking Thailand is the wrong place (at least in the bigger cities).
xoxo anita
