We slept relatively well in the D&D inn, despite Gemma sleep talking and taking the register in the middle of the night. Oddly Charlotte and I played along and replied 'yes Gem, we are here' in our sleep.

We checked out at 12 and found Sam and Henry still in bed hungover as they had continued the evening the night before and had claimed to eat scorpion and tarantula. The fact that the video 'lost battery' the second before Sam actually put it in his mouth is suspicious. Unsurprisingly we were dubious - with no hard proof they will have to do it again.

Anyway, the boys surprised us by saying that they had booked flights to Chiang Mai for the next day so would be able to join us after the overnight train we were to take. Although it smarted slightly on hearing that their journey would take 40 minutes compared to our 13 hours, we knew that it would be a character building experience and we would be changed women on the other side. In reality, we were probably sleep deprived, wee sprinkled ankled, matted haired versions of our former selves. (Aside - we didn't wee ourselves before you recoil, this is a reference to the squats on the train).

So, after checking out, the girls and I went to the station to collect our train tickets and then made our way to Chatuchak market in Bangkok which was a really good way to kill a few hours before our train at 7. We experienced our first noodle street food, opting for the chicken version as we didn't want to experience our first dodgy belly before our overnighter. It was really good and was cheaper than a packet of crisps in the UK. We then had our first foot massage where Gemma was pummelled to death by her male masseurs. He was grinning manically as he did it so he either thought he was the best thing since sliced bread or had a genuine hatred for Gemma. I think it was the latter.

After that we sweated our way through the rabbit like warrens of the market and made ourselves the coolest girls in school - we bought ourselves matching bracelets. This clearly marked a whole new level in our friendship as we proudly snapped photos of us wearing them.

We then got a taxi back to the station and found a nearby cafe where we could grab a quick bite to eat before our train. While we found a good wifi spot so were able to give our families and boyfriends, we also experienced our first toilet in a public place where we had stumble through someone's living quarters, circumnavigate death defying rickety stairs and avoid a potentially rabid dog. It was only day 1 and we had already marked our first near death experience.

Half an hour before our train we made a quick pitstop at the 7/11 for cheeky provisions and then found our way to the train. The first carriages looked incredible so we got excited that we were in for a comfy ride. Unfortunately we kept walking along to our carriage to discover that we had been looking at the 1st class area and that our seats were anything but.

We hoisted ourself up and made ourselves comfy. It had similarities with the Hogwarts Express, but for the lack of velveteen curtains, jolly lady with the trolley and the chocolate frogs. We could but dream.

After an hour of chatting, a man came along to pull down the bunk beds. I must have had my b****y rest face on and inadvertently offended him - he missed my bed out and continued down the carriage. I had visions of myself spooning Charlotte on the wider lower bunk but that wasn't to be as he soon forgave me and came down to pop it down.

It was only the 2nd day of travelling together but I could sense that Gemma was the same as me and secretly sending death-like glares to Charlotte who was smugly spreading out on the double width, warm and cosy, darkened lower bunk that was blatantly better than ours. Clearly I'm not bitter.

It's safe to say I didn't sleep a wink due to a combination of a rapidly filling bladder that seemed to enjoy emptying into a swaying, wee splattered hole, AC blowing in my face, a man who was traipsing the corridors into the night obsessively selling orange juice and the spine vibrating jolts of the prehistoric, prisoner of war built railway. So, only a handful of complaints on balance.

The next morning I awoke to a hand being shoved through the curtain balancing a polystyrene tray of dust flavoured brown cookies, a sticky pile of tinned pineapple and some fluorescent juice. Surprisingly, I had actually ordered this pile of crap in my more optimistic, pre-nightmare sleep frame of mind. Unsurprisingly, it did little to improve my mood.