Hua Lamphong Railway Station,
Bangkok, Thailand
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| Hua Lamphong Station |
It was noon, and my fiancee and I were browsing through the small shop at the 104 year-old grand railway station in Bangkok, buying supplies and snacks for our upcoming journey.
(Fun trivia: Bangkok's Don Mueang Airport is actually two years older than Hua Lamphong Station, making it the oldest airport in Asia!)
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| a busy day at the train station |
We had booked tickets from Bangkok to Prachuap Khiri Khan, a province on the Malay Peninsula south of Hua Hin and not far from the Burmese border.
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| walking to the platform |
Train travel is my favorite way to get around Thailand. Sure, it's slower and more expensive than travel via government bus, but the experience is much nicer. We had a pair of 2nd class seats in a non-air conditioned carriage. That meant that the windows were open, letting in a cool breeze and the fresh air of the Thai countryside as we made our way slowly out of Bangkok.
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| the train stopped frequently to pick up passengers on its way to the south |
At each stop, vendors lined up along the tracks would walk up and down the length of the train (inside and outside), selling snacks, local produce, packaged meals, and cold drinks.
The journey took around 7 hours, and as we made our way south, the sun slipped behind the nearby mountains, lighting up the sky in a lovely sunset.
It's the end of the rainy season, and the winter is not far away. As the sun went down, temperatures fell to a pleasant 23°C (73° F). I stretched my legs and stood between two of the train's carriages, watching the beautiful scenery and enjoying the cool breeze as the train rocked gently towards southern Thailand.
We rolled into Prachuap Khiri Khan Station around 8pm, and hired a tuk-tuk to take us to our guesthouse. The next morning we were up bright and early, and headed out to find local breakfast. A street near the guesthouse seemed to be the place to be! Several vendors had set up carts, selling breakfast to the people who were out and about in the morning.
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| vendors at a rural train station |
The journey took around 7 hours, and as we made our way south, the sun slipped behind the nearby mountains, lighting up the sky in a lovely sunset.
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| sunset on the Malay Peninsula |
It's the end of the rainy season, and the winter is not far away. As the sun went down, temperatures fell to a pleasant 23°C (73° F). I stretched my legs and stood between two of the train's carriages, watching the beautiful scenery and enjoying the cool breeze as the train rocked gently towards southern Thailand.
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| heading south |
We rolled into Prachuap Khiri Khan Station around 8pm, and hired a tuk-tuk to take us to our guesthouse. The next morning we were up bright and early, and headed out to find local breakfast. A street near the guesthouse seemed to be the place to be! Several vendors had set up carts, selling breakfast to the people who were out and about in the morning.
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| grilled bananas in Prachuap Khiri Khan town |
First up: grilled bananas! It's a fantastic way to start the day, especially when the bananas are served Thai-style and drizzled in a bit of sweet condensed milk.
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| grilled bananas with condensed milk |
We also bought hoy tod (fried oyster omelette) from a local vendor, and took our breakfast back to the guesthouse to enjoy outside with a hot cup of coffee.
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| breakfast - coffee and an oyster omelette |
Before setting out for the day's adventures, we paid a visit to the town's City Pillar Shrine, which caught our eye. It was quite interesting, because it looked very Khmer, and in fact, at first we thought it was a sort of Hindu shrine.
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| the city pillar shrine in Prachuap Khiri Khan |
Every town in Thailand has a city pillar shrine, which is built upon the consecration of a new city.
We didn't spend too long in town, however. The day's adventures were just beginning!
Short bonus video: Taking the train out of Bangkok / train journey through Southern Thailand
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