Bangkok had been an experience but i wasn't sad to leave. As the rickety old train slowed pulled away, wobbling on its uneven tracks, we made our way out of the slums that surround the city; past washing lines of smoke blackened clothes and tatty cats sprawled across tin rooves into the open spaces of rice fields. The hot air filled the carriages and that smell which comes with warm fresh air gradually replaced that of the pollution. An hour or so later the sun could be seen peaking through the clouds, we were into rural Thailand! The train journey was 7 hours long and I loved it! It was everything I had imagined it would be. The creaking of the carriages, the stiff wooden windows wedged open and the fans buzzing around over head. Every stop would bring another couple of loud street sellors waving suspicious smelling snacks in passangers faces and bartering over the price of a whole chicken that hung over their shoulders! It was like stepping back in time. As the night fell the lights flickered to life attracting the insects. Snoring soon joined the buzzing and clattering and the occasional food vendor now stumbled along the eisles more quietly. I loved it. The noises, the sticky heat, the hard chairs - There was no pretence of luxury...the train served its purpose to get you from A to B. The problem was working out when you were at B! The timetable said I would get to Phitsanulok at 9.45 so when the trainpulled up at a station at 9.50 i hauled my rucksack down off the shelf and squeezed myself out the door into the dark. "Fit-san-u-lok?" I asked a thai woman who was looking a bit confused at my disembarking at the same place as her. "no no...next stop" she said pushing me back up the tight staircase.The same happened at the next stop.At 10.35 the train once more pulled into a station, cautiously, this time I ungracefully collapsed onto the platform and it was 3rd time lucky! I had been joined in my first two attempts to leave the train by a couple of other backpackers the 3 of us decided to get a tuk tuk to the hostel togethor.The hostel was a large wooden building covered in intricate carvings and surrounded by disgarded bamboo hammocks with esuite outside showers and free breakfasts - It was the reccomended place in the Lonely Planet or "Bible" as some have come to christian it but it was, a little creepily, empty! After settling in we decided to find some grub and for reasons I can't remember decided to believe a bicycle tuk tuk driver who said he could fit 3 in his vechicle. 3 thai children maybe! The seat was just over a meter wide and the guys were well built french/italians so they squeezed uncomfortably into the seat while I perched on the back of the seat virtually sitting on their shoulders! My raised comfortable position for the ride whilst the others were squashed with my feet on their laps gave me the title "Queen of Phitsanulok!" which I accepted. After all if I was queen they had to wait on me hand and foot right? Ok so I didn't get waited on but they bought me some mangosteen so I was happy! I saw my first elephant that night too! It was a lot smaller than I imagined. The next morning we packed up and boarded a local bus to the historic settlement of Sukothai. And I suppose this would be a suitable point to introduce you to my travelling companions from the night before:David (pronounced like the wlesh guy in little britain) is an arichtect from Paris, he speaks French fluently, english fairly well, spanish a little and a couple of words of italian and portugese. Julian is an itallian engineer, he lives in Paris. He speaks French and Italian Fluently and english and spanish fairly well. Then theres me whose French, considering my proximity to France and 5 years of learning at school, is atrochious, whose spanish is questionable, and who can say thankyou and bye in italian. But who was trying her best to learn thai. It made conversation interesting to say the least. To make things fair we decideed just to use a bit of everything! Eng-rench-gnol-ian-ai! An example of said converstions:"Whats the time?" "dix huere moins le quart" "cap con ca""de nada"comprende? but what ever language it was in we got by! and 3 hours later arrived in Sukothai.Sukothai: Bicylcles, bridges and budhas was just the start of the rural thai adventure but I must go meet Kay at the gate now so the rest of the story shall have to wait! Laa gone leh ra tree savat! xxx