From Bangkok to Laos

Julie and I had the option of taking a train to Laos for 13$ US, or a plane for 200$.We took the train. I was expecting cushioned seats, air-conditioning, a plug for my laptop... When we arrived, this is what we saw:


Lol.

The A.C. was a rotating fan. The seats were worse than in a Metro in Montreal. The doors of the wagon did not entirely close. We were looking at a ten hour ride.

Wow.

We sat down and started laughing hysterically. What had we done?! Luckily, when our tickets were checked the guy informed us that we were in the wrong wagon. We had to cart all our luggage through six wagons full of people on a moving train to reach the cushioned seats and A.C. that were waiting for us.

I should mention that we passed many wagons that had conditions much worse than our original one. Some wagons had people sitting on the floor, or on their belongings. Still worse were the wagons that were so packed people had to stand, most of them shoeless. Did I mention it was a ten hour ride? I figure that if all of those people can stand, in the heat, without shoes, with barely enough room to move, for ten hours, Julie and I would have been able to make it through the ride under the conditions we originally thought we were being subjected to. Still, I’m very glad we didn’t have to.

It was still a long ride, but we FINALLY arrived!

And now the adventure really begins…