Train #1: Bangkok to Butterworth

Hua Lamphong is a pretty large train station, serving 130 trains and about 60,000 passengers a day.  It is also a very old place.  As soon as you step in, you feel as though you've just entered a time warp.  Opened in 1916, it has seen better days.  But hey, as long as it gets me to where I'm going safely, what does it matter, right?  Some might call this place charming.

Me relieved to be at the Hua Lamphong

I approached the information desk and asked the guy there where I needed to stand for Train #35.  I showed him my ticket, and he directed my family and me to Platform 3 ... or maybe it was 5 -- I can't remember now.  But it was the only train leaving for Butterworth that day (one train to Butterworth daily), so the platform wasn't hard to find.

My train ticket

We sat on a bench there and tried to keep ourselves entertained.  We had one hour and 45 minutes to kill.  Gigi, my sister, had to use the facilities so we went walking looking for one.  From where we were sitting, there was a sign indicating "Toilets this way ---->" so we followed it only to get to the end of the station with no toilets in sight.  Again, this station is old and they might have just forgotten to take the sign down for restrooms that once existed in that direction.

I had to ask a security guard who spoke no English.  I couldn't think of how to say restrooms, so I played charades by acting out like I needed to use the bathroom.  I think the security guard was a little embarrassed, but it didn't stop him from exclaiming, "Oh! Toilet!  Oh yeah, duh, why didn't I just say the word 'toilet'?  Anyway, we got to the facilities where it cost 10 Baht per person to use.  Of course, people try to make money everywhere, even in the smelliest of places.  Good thing I didn't have to go.  It's always a malodorous experience.

On the way back I noticed the station is divided into two parts: one part housing the trains where we board, and the other housing an everything-you-need kind of complex where tickets, food, tours, and internet are sold.  More variety in food is offered on the second level, where Sahara, my middle sister, and I later grabbed some drinks for the ride. 

Sahara on the food level of Hua Lamphong

We sat and waited, watching people and taking silly photos while Mom ate her roasted corn on the cob.  Finally, our train arrived.

We boarded our train car, found our seats, #17-20, and settled in.  We were delighted to discover how roomy and comfortable our seats were, and that they weren't too close to the toilets!  And there was plenty of storage underneath our seats for our luggage.

Mom and me in our own seats ready for the journey to begin!

The super cool thing about these seats is they transform into sleeping berths at night, with the help of a train attendant, of course.  I made sure when I booked the tickets that I asked for two upper and two lower berths, the latter being the more spacious and comfortable of the two.  If you're tall, you'll want the lower berth.  Not only is it wider, but it's got a window view too.  And it's only 90 Baht, or $3 USD more on the Bangkok-Butterworth train, $40 USD total per person.  For an overnight ride (in this case, a 21 and 1/4 hour journey), it's well worth spending a few more dollars for comfort: go with the lower berth no matter what.

Even though 21 hours sounds like a long time, it didn't feel that way.  We enjoyed the scenery of so many small towns; homes big and small; lush, green crops; and villagers going about their day.  Thailand is truly a beautiful country.  And even though there were various stops along the way, we didn't mind as each brief pause brought on local Thai vendors that walked up and down the aisle selling an assortment of snacks, from fruit and pastries to meat skewers and stir-fried noodles.  We said yes to some and no to others.  But my favorite snack on the entire ride was what Gigi called, 'coconut bacon,' a dried rice cake fruit roll-up type snack with shredded coconut.  It was soft and light, and simply yummy.  Three in a pack for 20 Baht.  I should have bought more.

We were also given a menu that featured dinner sets ranging from 160-400 Baht, the high-end featuring seafood.  This was really $13 and you get stir-fried sea-bass, Tom Yum seafood soup, fried seafood with curry powder, two fruits, two jasmine steamed rice, and two fruit juice.  In America, this is probably a great deal.  But because we didn't have 400 Baht, we opted to go with one dinner set A and one dinner set B for 160 Baht each.  The meals consisted of jasmine steamed rice with fried veggies with shrimp, fried chicken cashew nut, hot and sour soup, roasted duck in red curry, and fruit.  Plenty for us to eat for only $10 USD all enjoyed in the comfort of our own seats via a table that was easily attached to the wall between the two facing seats.  The train attendant then came by to take our breakfast orders for the next day.  The choice was between Western or Thai fare, 70-130 Baht.  Between all the eating and sleeping, we hardly felt the length of the train ride.  It was actually quite enjoyable.

The only bad thing during the entire trip -- and this was truly terrible and disgusting, was the toilets.  The seats and everything else on the train were in great condition; why not take care of the most indispensable part of the train??  Not only did the toilet room smell, but it was very, very old, rusty, dirty, and ... ugh, a true eye-sore!  The room was miniscule; toilet paper was scarce; of course, there were no toilet seat covers (they don't exist in Asia); the floor was wet, and ... there you are wondering how the hell do you flush this damn thing??  Oh ... a foot pedal.  You wash down your dirty work by way of a tiny foot pedal that's hidden in an inconvenient corner.  When we arrived in Butterworth we were all glad to never see that pitiful room ever again.