Train vs Bus in Southeast Asia, lessons learned

May 2, Saturday Bangkok

    Heading to airport early this am to pick up Jose, who will be traveling the rest of the trip thru Southeast Asia, with us.  He wants to do a bit of shopping at the MBK, but we make sure we leave there early enough to beat the traffic so we aren’t in that mess for 2-3hours right before we get ready to head out of Bangkok in the morning.  Up early in the morning.  We are getting up at 2:30 so we can be downstairs at 3:15 to check out, have the hotel look at the room (that seems to take them forever!!) call for a taxi and head to the train station.  Train leaves at 5:30, have to get our tickets there and not sure on the traffic, even this early in the am. 

Train vs bus trip in Southeast Asia. What I learned NOT to do!

May 3, 2015, Sunday

Train from Bangkok to Cambodia border then Bus from Siem Reap, Cambodia to Phnum Penh, Cambodia.

Train don'ts : go to bed early and lay there without sleeping, coughing all night. Get up at 2:30 to make sure to catch taxi, wait downstairs for taxi for 30 mins to ride in hot car to hotter train station with lots of homeless people asking for $, sit in hotter area of station for 1 hour before walking with our backpacs and roller bag to haul up the 3 steep steps to the train car. Pick out the least sticky seat with windows that don't go all the way up or down. Then notice the over head fan in the seats prior that family of 8 just sat in. Make sure to breath in the aromas of the fish, and other items cooking, since you didn't eat or drink anything yet because it's only 5:30.

Watch as more people board the train, squeezing a few more people on each seat made for 1 American sized person, or 5 Thai sized people. Try to get luggage above head on the metal rail, with hopes it holds and doesn't fall on your head. Try again to fan self because you are already drenched in sweat at 5:46 am.

Sit backwards as the train lurched forward, hoping for a snatch of a breeze out the slates in the window. Wait the sun is coming up now, so much sun thru the window so everyone gets up to "close the windows!"  More hawkers coming down the aisle around all the people in the aisle, so you get baskets of smells in your face. Not sure of what they are hawking, afraid to ask! Or breathe too deeply.

 Rest head on back of metal seat top so with each lurch of the train you bang your head. Keep turning toward window to catch a slight breeze. Train stops every 5-6 mins to let more people on. The breeze that you thought was almost coming thru  the window stops, and almost starts again when the train stops for the next stop. 2 hours into the ride that all the internet reviews said to take, we stop for 15-20 mins. Not sure if this is a long enough break to get off? No one speaks any English, so we wait and sweat some more. Not sure if I can get any wetter.

 3 hours in, I'm starting to shake and ask to change seats so I can face forward. Lin attempts the W/C (bathroom) while I just wait for the verdict. He says the Asian Squatter while on a moving train takes a steady stance. I decide not.

 Finally find a cold coke to sip, note to self, try to drink more. 2 Tylenol and 1/2 a coke later the stomach is slightly better and headache almost gone. Only 3 1/2 hours left!!  We are moving a bit faster, maybe 25-40 mph? If you're not sick at this point, the reviews say to look out at all the country side as this is true Thailand.  I'm just keeping my head straight and feeling a slight breeze! Counting down the minutes.

Lin and Jose aka if I'm enjoying my first train ride!  Giving them the "stink" eye, I say, " I think I'll cross this off the bucket list"

 Train finally arrives at station, haul bags off the rail and down the thin aisle, down the steep steps to head into immigration. Carry bags up a flight of steps as they don't believe in any ramps here. Line up for Thai stamp of departure, in overheated non-A/C room with plenty of sweaty foreigners. Wait for that great stamp so you can head back down the flight of stairs carrying all your bags, pushing to the line that has no signs to find your way 1 block down  the street in the wrong line for Foreigner Visas. So many street people yelling to come this way, it's the only way into Cambodia. At least on the internet this scam was well documented and we could avoid that $40 scam. Finally find the correct Visa line, another hot room but there's a FAN!!  We stand there for 10 mins catching our breath and filling out the correct forms to pay the $30 US and extra 100 bot for the police to allow us to enter.  Notice whose pocket that $ goes into??  

 Another very long line of foreigners to get Entrance into Cambodia, I do hear English!  Government official asks me " where you from". "Texas". " oh, lots of guns there in Texas??"  At least I don't say Yes!!

 Finally in the other side of the border and find a taxi driver that speaks wonderful English!!  Takes us straight to the hotel, waits for us to check it out, and doesn't scam more $ out of us. We decide to hire him for the next day to drive us around Siem Reap. 15 hours later, we are in our hotel A/C room and I finally sit in an American style BR!!  

 So glad that adventure is over and now I'm not to believe all those reviews on the websites!!  

Train ticket; $1.30 US

Coke on train: $3.00 US

Experience: Priceless, bucket list checked OFF!!

Bus trip, May 6^th, 2015, Wednesday

     Bus do's; plan trip online at A/C hotel, sleep well for 7 hours, great buffet breakfast, 2 bottles water with breakfast, 2 cups coffee, lots of fruit. Plenty of bathroom breaks. A/C bus to bus station. Another BR break. A/C bus with driver carrying bags to bus. Plenty of time to leisurely board the 9:45 bus and find cushioned, extra padded seats with A/C blowing right on us. Large windows with curtains to block the sun. Attendant giving out cool towel, bottled water and sealed, boxed snack and turning on music while we start out. Leaning back in comfort with bar to rest feet on, water in cup holder, while I go snappity, snap with iphone of the landscape. We all have a separate seat with empty seat beside to stretch out. No one touching us! About 1 hour out of Siem Reap, the driver turns on the HD TV with a movie in English. Admire the country side and take more pics as we sit without sweat dripping from every inch of our bodies. 25 min stop with instructions in English for lunch!!  Suggestions on what and where to eat, help with the fruit stalls, (is that fruit or fried bugs?) then back on the bus with instructions again in English on how long the rest of the trip will take.  Into city, help with our bags off the bus and a Tuk-Tuk awaiting us to take us around to Hotels we looked up on the internet.  We hope this hotel will be as nice as the one in Siem Reap. Because even though we loved the transport better, I can see that we liked the city of Siem Reap better than this city.  But tomorrow with sight-seeing will tell us more.

 Wow, should we take the train again when we leave Phenm Penh??