The 11th February was spent almost completely on a train from Chiang Mai to Bangkok. This was mostly not very exciting, although not too boring as one did see interesting things out of the window. The train itself was a bit old and knackered but this just added to the quaint oldfashionedness which must be a relic from British times. The stations were all heavily manicured and the guards all wore fastidiously ironed uniforms along with hats and white gloves. Thai food (FIRE IN THE HOLD) and refreshments were served sporadically and free of charge which were a godsend as the cheese I had splashed out on turned out to be indescribably vile. My kingdom for some red leicester...
At first we journeyed through leafy mountains along tracks that clung to the sides of cliffs, leaving a spectacular, if not exactly comforting, drop on one side. Eventually these disappeared, leaving endless fields of rice bounding towards the horizon. Every now and then we'd pass a small town which gave us a split second shot of the inhabitants' lives. I read the Bangkok Post, one of Thailand's English newspapers, to pass the time. News concerning the Thai were the clashes with Cambodia over a temple (as if either side hadn't got enough already) and the devaluation of the Vietnamese dong. There were also hints throughout the paper of a growing fear of China's growing influence... Either way, it was fascinating to read about South-East Asia from their perspective.
After 12 hours we finally arrived in Bangkok. Ah, Bangkok, how so Asian you are... Towering skyscrapers, Buddhist temples, colonial trading houses, futuristic sky trains, rusty buses, garish lights, stationary traffic, lots of money and none at all, Gucci, Versace, princes, paupers, exploitation, sexploitation, violent politics, the chance to make it, someday somehow, all piled up in one hot, chaotic, deliciously exotic mess.
Oh, Asia, you do make a tempting offer...
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