Waiting for the train to leave at Bangkok's Hua Lamphong station. The air carries a diesel stench. Below is interior of car No. 9, second-class sleeper.
Took the overnight rain from Bangkok, leaving Saturday mid-evening. First 4.5 hours in my second-class sleeper car (741 baht one-way) was a rocky experience, no doubt due to poor tracks. From roughly 1 am to 2 am it got worse as you felt every jolt of the rail joints. Then at some point, must have fallen asleep. Because I next woke up around 6 am as we entered Surin. I'm guessing the tracks improved from Korat, about two hours or so before Surin, and were fairly smooth all the way to Ubon this morning, arriving about 20 minutes late. We fairly sailed.
Sat in the restaurant car for the final 1.5 hours as the sun came up and lighted the vast rice fields, mostly brown now. When you arrive by train in most Thai cities and towns, you usually see a lot of dilapidated houses and shops. Ubon was quite different. Most things looked quite trim and neat, and the grounds seemed quite clean. Very promising.
Folks here seem extremely polite, a great contrast with Bangkok. Worth probing some more.
Photos from left: good morning breakfast (question: which is worst poison: non-dairy milk, instant coffee, white sugar or cigarettes?); sunrise over Surin; interior of restaurant-bar car (worn out and barely functional); traffic in Surin waiting to cross (yay!); quick view of Sisaket (about an hour past Surin)
Will file some photos later as I'm waiting in the hotel cafe for my room to be cleaned. Have to unpack to get my camera-computer cable. Speaking of room, I was offered an immediate 30% discount on the room rate. Deluxe is usually 1100 baht and got it for 770. I count that as a score! Only room class with a large bed, compared with the twin beds offered in the economy and standard rooms. Staying at the Hotel Ratchathani, near the Moon (Mun?) River, which rolls through the downtown.
And last, it's cooler here. Yes! About 22-23 after 9 am. Bangkok right now is 27.
[Update: photos added.]
