By train to Chiang Mai

Hello!

I just checked out of my accommodation in Bangkok and I'm still having (late) breakfast.

I took a picture of the shower toilets and my sleeping area. There was no toilet paper, they clean with a bidet!💦💦

It's also possible to shower and poop at the same time = pure efficiency! They are ahead of us in this too!☝️🤓

Last night I booked a ticket for the overnight train to Chiang Mai (~$25 for an air-conditioned sleeping compartment) and a night in a 10-bed dormitory ($4). I can leave my backpack at the guesthouse until my departure. So I will stroll around Bangkok a bit more and spend time eating!✌️🤤

Update:

A wild tuk-tuk ride took me to Wat Saket (another temple) and the Golden Mount, a man-made hill with a gold dome. I climbed the 300 steps again and had a nice view of Bangkok from the top! It hasn't rained yet today and the sun was shining... my shirt was soaked before reaching the first step!🌊

I walked back to the guesthouse from Golden Mount, had something to eat again, picked up my backpack from the guesthouse, and then took a motorbike taxi with a driver who weighed 50kg to the train station with a 10kg backpack on my back and a 7kg backpack in front of me😀 It made me a bit nervous, the driver didn't pay any attention to my luggage or red lights! 😳🚦

But I made it, surprisingly, how the traffic works here... at least no one insists on their "right" like they do in our country... squeezing into a gap is not a problem here.

Now I have the train ticket in my pocket and I'm killing time in a café (with WiFi🙌)... we'll be leaving in an hour🚂

Heading north!🔝

Update:

The overnight train ride was amazing! The atmosphere was great, people were relaxed... I treated myself to a 4-course onboard meal for about $5 and it tasted really good! The bed was also quite comfortable, but you shouldn't be taller than me... I barely fit!😬

This morning I went directly to the hostel, brushed my teeth, and after getting to know the people here, I went to do some sports. I found a sports field here, the facility of Chiangmai FC... it has a running track around the football field, pull-up/dip bar, and lots of other equipment that I can't explain!

After a round of Freeletics, I watched a test match of the Chiang Mai FC U-17 team. They could play, but they all looked more like U-12 players!

Time seems to pass a bit slower here in Chiang Mai, even the tuk-tuk driver who brought me to the hostel this morning wasn't driving like it's life or death🤔

After sunshine in the morning, it's now cloudy and rainy.

I just took a shower, had a cheesecake and coffee (both are free in the hostel - only $4 per night!) and now I'm going to look for some food and drop off my dirty laundry at the laundromat...