This morning Sir Richard helped me to solve my phone problems. We went down to the 7-11 where I bought a Thai sim card and a phone card that had 200THB worth of talking time. He told me that this was a much less expensive option than the exorbitant international sim card. I just had the task of calling my family on their mobile phones so that they would have my number. He also gave me the name of a hotel in Ayutthaya that was a bit more upscale, but was still offering low rates to attract clientele. Good ‘ole Sir Richard, I’m gonna miss him.
I had also solved the problem of my ill-fitting backpack. I got up bright and early and stuffed most of my belongings in the pack, adjusted the waist strap so that the weight would sit on my hips and I took it out for a morning walk, thus rousing all of the local dogs out of their slumber and giving them something to bark at. I have no love for dogs in Thailand. During my last trip, I was bitten by a stray during a morning walk and I had to go through the time and expense of getting rabies shots. All of that aside, my pack fit much better and I felt as though I could hike several kilometers without experiencing a lot of discomfort.
After breakfast I settled up with the fellows at the guesthouse and I jumped on the departing sawng thaew headed for the train station. I have said some negative things about the Greenleaf, but it was one of the most reasonable places to stay so near to Khao Yai. Some of those resorts cost over 7000 THB per night. These guys really make an effort to put together tours that will satisfy the majority. I understand that they cannot play to the whims of a middle-aged burnout who wants to do something adventurous before she shrivels into a complaining old spinster. Anyway, I would recommend their guesthouse to anyone and I would certainly go back.
I got to the Pak Chong station with an hour to spare before the 10:00 train to Ayutthaya. I noticed some women preparing food on the platform and I wondered if this was something that they did for company, or whether they were planning on selling it to the people who were at the train station. I came to find out later exactly why they had all gathered there.
I mentioned earlier that I have no love for Thai dogs. I think the feeling is mutual. There were a lot of them at the station, napping in the morning sun. I passed an old dog who was flea-bitten and blind in his left eye. He could tell what I was thinking when I looked into his milky eye and so he growled menacingly, lips curled, teeth exposed. This was followed by a sharp series of barks to let me know that even though he was old, he could still give me some trouble.
The 10:00 train pulled into the station at 10:26. I shouldered my pack and boarded the train which was close to full. The train doors were not designed for a backpacker in full gear, so I had to take it off and hold it out in front of me as I looked for a seat. This was a third class ride and I think I was the only pale face on the train. Most of the folks had been there since very early in the morning and were therefore sprawled out over the seats. Many of them were asleep. I had to crowd someone to sit and even then I had one cheek on the seat and one cheek off. All of the overhead luggage racks were full. I had to balance my pack in front of me. I thought as inexpensive as this ride is (23THB, less than a dollar) I can manage the unfortunate seating arrangement, and then it started: people selling water; people selling fruit; people selling grilled chicken; people selling salad…..nonstop, up and down the aisle, squeezing past me and my pack with their monotonous sales pitches. “Nam yin, sip baht.” and on and on. I thought that they would get off at the next station, which wasn’t far away, but more vendors got on. I tried to take comfort in the steady chuguda-cha noise of the train, but their nasal voices drilled into my zen state without difficulty.
After a while, I got used to the disturbance, and, to be honest, some of the food started to appeal to me. I thought that under the right circumstances a person could get a ride and sample some local favorites for less than 75THB. Not a bad deal. The temptation subsided when a woman brought around a basket with bags full of deep-fried baby chickens. A woman across the aisle from me purchased the snack and I watched in disbelief as she consumed the small bird. She ate everything but the head, which she chucked out the window.
