... Nothing like part of your overnight train derailing to wake you up!
At dead on midnight, their was a violent shudder onboard our train, I think most of the train woke up, and with in a minute or so the train started going again... Didn't really think anything of it.
The next thing, we get another violent shudder like the train driver has just done an emergency stop... A few of us started laughing, as we had an ongoing joke about the train keep stopping!!
... About 30 minutes passed and nothing, the train just stood still? Zara, Mohammed and I walked up some of the carriages to see if we could find out anything...
Still laughing and joking, I looked out the right hand side door which was open, looking along the train and I could actually see that at least 2 carriages which we later learn were 8/9 had derailed on a bend... We ran back to tell the others, and grabbed our cameras (sick I know!) but we really couldn't believe it. Jumped off the train, and went and stood with the people that had gathered at the derailment.!
.... We returned to our seats, and made sure that everyone in the group were told. Including people that managed to sleep through the whole thing. The next load of information was they were going to call the standby CRANE! and pick up the 2 carriages that had fallen, and place them back on the track, then cut coaches 8, 9, 10, 11 & 12 carriages off, and we would continue on our way!!
About 02:10 we finally got cut from the wreck, and headed on to Chiang Mai... I do just want to say that no one was hurt, and during the whole ordeal we all kept laughing!!