Market train in Samut Sakhon

Tam was very proud to land at Sawanaphum but acknowledged that not everything was perfect. In fact my second landing did not go as smoothly as the first one : we had to taxi a long way in a bus from the Air Asia plane to the gate, and then had to wait our luggage for about half an hour.

I like to stay one or two days in Bangkok before heading back to Pattaya : this gives me time for resting, having the laundry made, and above all I like the atmosphere in the place I stay (Saphan Khway).I like the Bangkok bars too and this time Tam came with me to Be High on the first night and to Future Boys on the second night. He wanted to see the show and I obliged, as I had not seen any one since about five years (and I will probably not see one again before five years !).I also tried the Bonny Massage with a charming boy from Loei ; Tam was a little bit upset about this but did not object too much.

During the day, while Tam was visiting an aunt, I chose to do an unusual train trip and caught the Mahachai commuter train. The trip starts in the little-known Wong Wiang Yai train station and brings you to Mahachai (the former name for Samut Sakhon). If you have the time, you can then cross the river, and jump into another train which will bring you to Mae Klong (the local name for Samut Songkhram).

Market train in Samut Sakhon / Mahachai

This trip is a great way for discovering thai life ; this train is used only by the local people, including students coming back from school which is generally very pleasant for the eye. I did not see any farang during the whole trip. The arrival in Mahachai is rather stunning, the railway crossing the market with the stalls almost on the tracks ...

I crossed the river on the ferry but going further on the second line would not have allowed me to get back in time, so I came back. As I had forgotten to take my camera, I have borrowed a picture from the very informative thaitravelblogs.com website which gives a full description of this trip.

To-day we will go to Pattaya for nine days before the end of my holiday. This will be another atmosphere for sure !