Bangkok to Uttaradit (mostly by train)

Friday September 15, 2017, 17 miles (27 km) - Total so far: 17 miles (27

km)

Oh my. Unsurprisingly, cycling through Bangkok to Don Muang station was a bit of an experience! We rose at 4.50am to give us plenty of time, thinking we might also miss the traffic. How wrong we were. It was very busy and very scary....but actually, after a little while to acclimatise, it wasn't so bad. The traffic was very courteous. The bigger issue was getting lost and running out of time! The cargo office was also very slowwwww so the adrenaline kept flowing until we were safely in our seats.

Note about bikes on the train: once we were booked on, we had to lift the bikes up into the cargo carriage. This meant we couldn't leave our panniers on as planned. It then felt like a bit of a scramble to get on the train with all of our stuff, especially as all the station staff were asking us to hurry. Actually, it was all fine!

The train was long and hot, but the views were wonderful. Emerald green paddy fields and tropical foliage, studded with villages and temples. So many birds. We ended up an hour late, which was a bit of a chore, but we were still glad we'd travelled in the day rather than missing everything by taking a sleeper.

The friendly guard made sure we knew our stop was coming up. Plenty of time to get off the train and grab the bikes, and a friendly man held the bikes while we attached our panniers. It was an easy ride to the Friday hotel, where we were greeted by helpful staff and a quiet room, despite the band and karaoke! A small night market provided dinner, and 7 eleven provided beer :)