🇹🇭 Chumphon (the 14th stop on our world trip)

On February 17th, we took the regional train from Surat Thani to Chumphon (price: €10.13 for 2 people). During the train ride, it started to ☔️ rain heavily and the open windows had to be partially closed. When we arrived in Chumphon, it was still raining and it was already dark.

Fun fact: In Thailand, windows and doors are often left open on public transportation. We don't find it objectionable, considering the climate 🙂

We put the rain covers on our backpacks, put on our rain jackets, and started walking. It wasn't far, maybe a ten-minute walk to the hotel. We passed by street food stalls, along the road, and reached the Euro Boutique Hotel in no time. We stayed for 5 nights. There isn't much to see in Chumphon. The nearest beach is kilometers away. If you want to explore, it's best to rent a scooter. The nature outside of Chumphon, along the river, was really beautiful and there was also very little traffic. During a morning run, we were able to enjoy the tranquility outside the city and admire nature. There is a running track in the public park, and locals also engage in their sports activities here.

Chumphon, like Surat Thani, is a transit point for travelers to take the ferry to Koh Tao, for example. From here, we took the overnight train to Bangkok. We booked the tickets in advance at the train station or directly at the counter (total price: €34.35 for two bunk beds on top of each other). Our travel time was from 10:15 PM until approximately 8:30 AM the next morning. 😴 Chris slept on the bottom berth because he is much taller than me and the lower berth provided more space for him. There is also a window at the bottom. I slept on the top berth. For a small woman like me, the space at the top was completely sufficient, but you have to admit that it is very cramped. The upper bed cannot be darkened either. The lights are on the ceiling, and the light is not turned off during the journey. Additionally, a fan was constantly running. You might consider wearing a sleep mask if that bothers you. And of course, earplugs are also useful if the neighbor snores, as you can hear it through the curtains. We found sleeping on the moving train relatively comfortable. The train, of course, makes a lot of stops. The starting of the train woke me up every time. So, this night we didn't get much sleep, but it was an experience. You don't do that every day. We would use the train as a means of transportation again at any time 🚂🚂

In the morning, the beds were folded back together and the seats were set up again where Chris was lying, thus waking up the remaining sleeping passengers. On the morning of February 22nd, we arrived in Bangkok by train. We stayed until February 25th. The flight to the next country was already booked.