For the right price in Thailand, you can get anywhere any way. Offer the right amount of money and I suspect you could convince the random passerby to show you around town on his or her back. But when it comes to public transportation, you're options are limited to buses and trains. For our trip to Chiang Mai, we opted for the train as a 14 non-air conditioned bus ride didn't sound fun when the average temperature during the day hits about 40 degrees Celsius (about 102 Fahrenheit). From Ko Sahn, Hualumpong train station will cost about 20 Baht on a Tuk Tuk (remember, haggle, haggle, and haggle).
Hualumpong train station is pretty easy to navigate, once you make it inside. If you’re planning on traveling through Thailand and the rest of Southeast Asia, make sure to do it piecemeal and not through any one of the multitudes of people that will approach you from local travel agencies outside the station. It’s cheaper to arrange trips and transport as you go instead of all at once. So we booked our train to Chiang Mai: overnight, 14 hr, 2nd class, sleeper train. We decided not to go with 1st class as each 1st class cabin sleeps only two and we were four. We decided not to go with 3rd class because we’d be better off taking a Tuk Tuk all the way up. But no worries. 2nd class is perfect, with seats that convert into beds which, upon request, are made up by the train attendant. We were pleasantly surprised to find the train’s accommodation nicer than any hostel we’d stayed at previously. All for only $40 for four people!
After some light chatting, we were off to sleep and before we knew it, the sun was up and we were in Chiang Mai. The train ride passed without a problem and we all got a much needed good night’s sleep. Not even two minutes off the train and we were bombarded by promoters from every guest house in Chiang Mai. If I could do it again, I would have walked into the city and explored my options, but that’s not what we did. We went with one of the nice ladies who offered us a room with a view and a ceiling fan for 150 Baht a night. And since Gen and I can’t say no to our own room for only about four American dollars a night, she had us at Hello.
With our rooms settled, we had some daylight left to explore the city that is Chiang Mai. We booked a Thai cooking class for the next day, and that night went to the famous Chiang Mai night markets, markets that would make Ko Sahn Road blush with humility.
