Only two days left on this legendary Southeast Asian journey. It would only get more legendary today as I set out again toward Thailand. My plan was to stay two nights at Eddielin’s home but I opted to head back today to give myself a bit of a time cushion. Three or four days is enough time for Vientiane; if I had more time I’d be on my way to Vang Vieng today. On the bus toward the border I was, and then I got a coffee to spend most of the remainder of my kip. The bus across the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge is only 15 baht (50 US cents) but I opted to walk across so I could sign a geocache. The cache is technically in Laos, and on one side you’re in Laos and on the other you’re in Thailand.
Theoretically I could have gone down a set of stairs and sneaked into Thailand illegally but I wouldn’t do that. Citizens of 11 countries are required to visit the on-site doctor due to COVID-19 before clearing immigration but thankfully the US isn’t one of them. After getting stamped in I attempted my first hitchhiking adventure in Thailand. About 30 minutes later I was picked up by a couple in a truck going to Khon Kaen, 170 km away.
My first Thai hitchhiking adventure was so much fun. We stopped for lunch at a roadside restaurant. One spoonful of tom yum soup had my lips on fire for the next 10 minutes. Instead I opted for something more subtle: pork fried rice. On the road again we had another rest break some 100 km up the road. Large service stations with cheap food, toilets, and drinks exist here just as they do in Australia. It took five hours to get to Khon Kaen so I opted to take the train instead of hitchhiking to Bangkok. There were three options: a sleeper for 900 baht, a seat in an air-conditioned car for 400 baht, and a seat in a car with fan for 227 baht. At first I opted for a bit of comfort and asked for the car with AC but it was full so I instead got a ticket on the car with fan. The train wasn’t due to depart until 8:30 PM so I had a couple of hours or so to burn. A little boy with his father at the station wanted their photo taken.
There are no geocaches in Khon Kaen but there are some tasty food stalls.
I sat down for a Chang beer and noodles with BBQ pork whilst I filled out some postcards since there was a mailbox right next to my table.
At 8:30 I boarded the train to Bangkok.
With hard seats, windows wide open, food vendors on board, and being the only Western face onboard, this was pure, raw, unadulterated adventure.
Knowing straight away I’d be getting zero sleep on this trip I kept my eyes open and smile beaming. For eight hours I’d stay awake, communicating with a few young passengers as best I could and getting the occasional coffee from a vendor. Locals of all sorts got on the train at every station, plying their goods that ranged from coffee to noodles to fish to hard-boiled eggs. The large open windows allowed me to get some fresh air, but I made sure I didn't hang my arm too far outside! Able to track where I was on GoogleMaps it seemed we were going to reach Bangkok sooner than I expected but we trundled slowly into Bangkok at 4:30 AM where I disembarked a few stations before Bangkok Central Station. I informed Yhumico I’d be arriving early but I didn’t want to ring him too early so I did some geocaching whilst getting my feet dirty. During the day it’s the heat; at night it's a little cooler but you still deal with the humidity. Bangkok isn’t the most conducive city for a lengthy walk but I made the best of it. One of the most beautiful buildings I've seen in Thailand is the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall, which I saw on the way to the hostel. Photos of the buildings aren't allowed (and the soldiers who stand guard enforce this) and it's no longer possible to visit. After a sleepless night I got back to the hostel after travelling for many hours and finding 10 geocaches, and then I was ready for a snooze...
