22 Jun The Overnight Trains
So far we have been on two overnight trains which were both really exciting but I didn’t get much sleep at all. The first train was from Chiang Mai to Bangkok and the second was Bangkok to Vientiane.
The first train was about 13 hours from 5pm to 6am, which felt way too long, but I had lots of books downloaded on Borrowbox. My sister and I had downloaded some films too so it wasn’t that bad. The train was really bumpy and noisy so I only got about three hours of sleep (I was so tired the next day and I kept falling asleep whenever I sat down!)
The second train was roughly 12 hours from 9pm to 9am but we had to stop for border control because we were leaving Thailand and entering Laos. That took another hour so the journey was more like 13 hours from start to finish. When we got onboard all the beds were already made so it was really easy to just put our bags away and get comfy. I think I got a lot more sleep on that train because it was less bumpy and a lot nicer, so I felt better the next day.
Overnight trains are good because you can sleep rather than sitting and having to find something to do for the whole time. Also, they’re cheaper and more environmentally friendly than airplanes and you don’t have to book any accommodation for that night. If I go travelling in the future I think I’d use overnight trains to get around quite a lot (but I think I’d bring my own meals 😂).
