Day 14/15 planes, trains and automobiles

It's Sunday. The end of the first part of our holiday. Wedding, honeymoon and luxury have ended. We've now got 4 weeks travelling on our own before we join a Group trip to Myanmar . So bye bye paradise, hello Laos. Holiday part 2!

The journey started by taxi we were picked up at Pavilions and taken to the airport in Phuket. It's classed as an International Airport but that's a bit of a loose description. It's really a tropical island airport with a bit of snobbery. Cup of coffee - ripped of tourists mk1 £3 a cup.

Anyway Bangkok Airways ( the boutique airline - really? What does that mean ) took us to Suvarnabumal Airport by aeroplane. Nothing eventful . On to the skytrain monorail into Bangkok and then to the underground which dropped us at Hua Lampong railway station. Both modern spacious and empty. Bangkok is spending money on its infrastructure but the roads are still winning - they are jam packed and polluted.

The crowded foyer at the station

Time to kill. Drop off the baggage at left luggage - time to be ripped off mil 2 £5 for 4 hours- and off we set off to walk into town to kill some time and see Bangkok centre for the last time. We got food for the train. The walk wasn't through the most salubrious area so as it was now dark and wet and probably dangerous time for tuk tuk to the station, who spent time trying to avoid the puddles which had formed. The tuk tuk was lovely, bright shiny and lit by neons - the drivers pride and joy

Get on the sleeper train for the overnight to Nong Khai on the Laos border. The carriage was not too bad, private 2 berth with a/c for £50. Ordered breakfast and a drink and settled down for a bouncy nights sleep - make that slow, noisy and bouncy fitful sleep. The train managed the 400 mile journey in 14 hours - virgin pendeleno it is not. Around comes the cabin lady to fleece the tourists again - £11 for the food , 4 dry rounds of 'toast '.

Get to Nong Khai and pass through passport control and onto the slow train into Laos. The train goes over the friendship bridge over the Mekong ( paid for by the Thais). And I mean straight down the middle of the road.. The train stops 3km over the river/ border- about 15 kms from Vientaine . And that's the only railway line in Laos! Isn't that amazing, no trains, pretty crappy roads in most areas and a few airports. Really difficult to grow your economy when you can't move goods or people around easily.

 

Thalang stain in Laos in the middle of nowhere - but it's the only 1 they have.

Finally shared taxi into Vientaine to a drop off and a walk to the hotel.

Anyway the train sleep was bad, and our hotel is iffy so we really know we are in holiday mode 2 !,

 

 

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