Thursday, August 4. Sukhumvit, Bangkok, Thailand.

We headed outside to grab a taxi, but we couldn't find someone who would run the meter. In the end we negotiated a price that was a bit more than we had paid previously when the meter ran, but we were so tired that we just needed to get to our hotel.
We had decided to go back to Sukhumvit to a nice hotel there for a few days until we could check in to the luxury condo we had booked through a family member's unused time share. We had only stayed a couple days in this area of the city before we left on our Stray trip, and felt there was more to see and enjoy here. There was also the added benefit of it being an area we were familiar with.

We got to the hotel and found we couldn't check in until noon because our room would not be ready until then, so we put our luggage in storage and went up to the park next to the Emporium shopping plaza. Though we were half in a daze from the exhaustion of our trip and sleep deprivation from the train ride, we managed to not be too miserable.

The park was actually quite lovely that morning. There were people exercising before heading to work - walking, running, playing volleyball, badminton, and basketball on the designated courts, and people using the fitness equipment that we had come to find in most, if not all, of Bangkok's urban parks. The plumeria trees had gorgeous blooms on them, giving a soothing, fresh sent to the air, and in the center of the park was a large pond with a fountain where some ducks were enjoying themselves.

So after we had taken a walk around the park, we sat on a shaded bench gazing out over the pond and engaged in what conversation we could muster given the circumstances. It was already quite hot and steamy outside, and we were looking forward to the Emporium opening so we could at least enjoy some air conditioning for the rest of our wait.

I'm sure when we entered the Emporium, I am sure we were a frightful sight, as neither of us had showered in over 24 hours and we were looking pretty worn. But no one seemed to mind despite the posh nature of the shopping center.

We ended up spending most of our time in a very fancy grocery and food market. Remarking about the items we recognized from around the world. There was something to tickle the feathers of just about any nation or culture. We bought a few things to take back to the hotel with us, and found a nice little restaurant to eat an early lunch at before heading to the hotel for a much needed shower and nap.

We ate at Duke's Express on the 5th Floor. I must say they had the Best Burgers I have ever had outside of a US Steakhouse. And after 3 weeks of eating local food (and 3.5 years in the UK where a good burger is sadly lacking), I was definitely ready for a trip back to my home culture. We're talking tall and juicy 1/4 pounder with your choice of fixings and side (Fries, Onion Rings, Cole Slaw, etc.) Starting at 149 Baht (that's roughly $5 USD). Add a bottomless lemonade or ice tea for 60 Baht more.

So we then, you guessed it, went back to the hotel with our bellies happily full, checked into the hotel, and found we had an upgraded room with a bathroom bigger than our bedroom in London! It also had a nice kitchenette area, king-size bed, writing desk, and sitting area. Definitely four or five stars by anyone's determination. A shower never felt so luxurious, and then we watched some english-speaking news and dosed off for a nice long nap with the air conditioning running full blast.

We forced ourselves to get up for dinner and went to explore the nearby soi for a good place to eat. We happened to find a German-themed restaurant that actually prepared good German cuisine and had a nice selection of German beers.

There was an ex pat grocery store nearby the German restaurant, and we popped in to again see if there was anything we found interesting and to compare. Stephen found his favorite cookies from his childhood in Jeddah - Kyjeldsen's Danish Butter Cookies - and he bought a couple of small packs - one for the walk home and one to eat later on. We also bought some water, juice, and pummelo to keep on hand in our room fridge.

It had been a long day, but a successful on none-the-less we decided.
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Wednesday, August 3. Don Det (4000 Islands), Laos, via Pakse to Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand, then the Night Train back to Bangkok.

We got up early to have breakfast before we leave at 7:30 am. Mr Mo and his wife take us with them in their large longboat back across the Mekong, as he is already going into town there to buy some food and supplies at the market.

We slowly make our way with our packs through the crowded market streets to where our Stray Bus is parked. We will have a long travel day today to get to Ubon Ratchathani where we will catch the night train back to Bangkok.

The drive back to Pakse was fairly uneventful. We had been through this way the day before, so most of us nodded off or listened to music. In Pakse we stopped to get some snacks and stretch our legs.

It was then a 1 hour drive to the Laos-Thailand border. The bus let us out in front of a big white building where the boarder agents would process our passports to leave Laos. We said goodbye to our driver and Lao guide there, as they would be returning further north to catch another group coming through.

Before we went over to the get in line with the agents, I took a stroll along the street to see what the vendor booths had to offer. There were lots of interesting stalls with what looked like plenty of deals to be had, but we were on a tight schedule to catch our next mode of transportation. In the short time I had, I found a stall with some nice, traditional skirt fabrics, and I bought two for 40k Kip each. A bit on the pricey side, but by then I was being rushed to join the others in the queue for the boarder agents and had no time to haggle further.

We were able to get our passports exit-stamped quite easily, and then began to head with our packs down the street through the no-man's land between the two boarder gates. I was surprised at the number of vendors in this area, including a fairly permanent branch of a local bank.

We entered Thailand through a large tunnel of gates between a series of fences (there were no fences on the Laos side), and entered the Thai immigration control building. We had a short form to fill out, and then were through immigration in no time. They also x-rayed our bags before we were allowed in to the country.

'Thank heaven for 7-Eleven!'
As we exited out the other side of the Thai immigration building, we were by that time very hot and exhausted from the sweltering heat that day, magnified from carrying our now-heavy packs. So you can see why we were so very excited to see amongst the shops nearby a 7-Eleven. A big gulp is definitely what I needed and just to stand in the heavily air conditioned environment for a few minutes to chill. We hadn't seen a 7-Eleven since we had exited Thailand at the beginning of our trip.

After loading up on some snacks and drinks, we found a big, silver air-conditioned Travel Van waiting to drive us to the Ubon-Ratchathani train station. The whole hour-or-so long ride we watched these cheesy Thai music and dance videos. We're talking really bad ones. But by that point in the trip we were finding them incredibly humorous.

We had several hours to kill before our night train departed, so we checked our bags with the luggage attendant and four of us set out on a expedition to find a place for a massage.

We walked for about a mile toward one our Stray guide had gone to before, only to find it had seemingly closed up. So we popped in a few shops just to see what they offered. One shop reminded me of a Dollar Store or Big Lots back in the U.S. with simple shelves lined with low-quality, inexpensive items.

We still had some time, so we decided to press on to see if we could find another massage place. A sole lady in a massage shop nearby said that she could only accommodate one, and sent us down the street with some vague directions in very fragmented English to a larger place.

We must have made a wrong turn somewhere, because we did not find the place to which she was referring, but eventually we came upon another massage place. They only had three people, so they had to juggle us a bit to get all 4 done, but I thought 200 Baht (approx. $6.50 USD) for an hour traditional Thai massage was not bad considering.

Once our massages were done, we had just enough time to walk back to the train station, order some food from the vendor stalls outside, collect our bags and board the train.

We almost got on the wrong car in the chaos of the station, but thankfully found our way. We had tickets for the sleeper car on the overnight train.

During the day, the sleeper car has one isle down the center with pairs of seats facing each other, and luggage racks with ladders to where the top bunk folds down in between each set of seats.

We placed our luggage in the bins and sat down to eat our food. Stephen and I had bought these lovely boxed meals with rice from a street vendor for less than $3. I had a chicken chili basil dish, and it really hit the spot, though a little on the hot side. I wasn't even finished eating when the conductor came through to set out the beds, so I ended up mostly eating while standing up. Bad timing, I guess.

The pair of bottom seats were unfolded to lay flat and form the bottom bunk, and a shelf that folded down from the ceiling formed the top. All five of us all had top bunks (our Stray guide said this is because they are usually cheaper and safer because you and your belongings are out of reach of pick-pockets while you are sleeping), and even though it was only 7pm, we had no choice but to lay in our bunks from that point.

The bunks were fairly comfortable considering, and were nicely made with fresh sheets, a pillow and blanket. Stephen, though, being his 6 foot 3 inches in height found it a bit tight. I suppose next time he's be a lot better off in a lower bunk. The hallway lights are kept on all night long (for security I presume), and without a window in the top bunk, the only thing to give you some semblance of night is a curtain that you can pull in front of your bunk.

I read for a bit, and eventually decided to take a turn at sleeping. Occasionally I would wake up and think it was time to get up due to the light peeking in. In the end, I slept much better than I usually do on an overnight flight, but still was exhausted when the conductor came around in the morning to pack our beds away.

When we got to the station, we were all so exhausted and heavy laden with our packs that I really didn't feel like we got to give the goodbye we wanted to our other travel mates, and soon we were all off to our own corners of the city.
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