We were up ridiculously early for our journey to Krabi. We checked out, were collected by the minibus, and in no time at all were at waiting Don Sak Pier. We grabbed some breakfast from 7/11 and after a 40 minute wait got on the 'fast' boat back to the mainland. In reality this boat was only really about 20 minutes faster than the ferry but we got off the other side and were pointed to the right bus. I needed the loo so went into the building to find it - b...

At 6am we woke up and withdrew the curtains after a broken night's sleep. As the attendant busied himself converting the bunks back to seating we waited for our stop. As we got off at Surat Thani, a sleepy little town (maybe only sleepy because of the early hour?) we were directed by a couple of townspeople to a café opposite the train station. They indicated to us our bus but told us we still had to wait for another train-load of people, the message clearl...

After 14ish hours on the train - approximately 2 hours later than scheduled - we arrived back in Bangkok. We flagged a metered taxi down and were back at the hostel in no time. I was glad we had booked a room and didn't have the usual rigmarole of looking for one! Again everything in Bangkok was still going on as we headed to bed. After a day train experience I think for such a long journey I prefer the night trains. The scenery was lovely and everything but it...

Although not as good as the China trains, our Thai train did have one useful addition: a privacy curtain we could draw around our beds like on a hospital ward. This helped to stop the air-conditioning unit blowing directly into our faces during the night. We awoke to the stunning scenery of Northern Thailand. Lush green fields tended by sole farmers gave way to verdant hills kissing the low-hanging mist. Couldn't help but smile. The fact the train was late w...

We landed at Bangkok airport, got our luggage from the carousel and some cash from the ATM being severely overcharged in the process! It is one of our huge travel bugbears that we get charged for taking our own money out of the bank everywhere we go! Ridiculous! We then headed for the bus as directed by our, now somewhat battered, Lonely Planet. It soon became apparent that the bus service no longer existed so instead we caught the airport train with the aim t...