Anyway, on to the train. Boarded and the train left on time. Now our luck is turning, right? Hold on. A few moments later, the conductor comes to check tickets. Seems we were a bit sketchy on our dates when we bought our tickets a few days earlier. We bought tickets for the 4th while we were sitting comfortably on the train on the 3rd. "Can we change them" we queried the conductor. Now while I am sure that without one beautiful blonde woman at my side, I would have, in short order, been figuring things out from the bench at the next station. Instead, the conductor went over the top to help us out. He held the train while he and I jumped off at the next station to change the tickets. No go. The train is full. At the next station he tossed a couple of co-workers who were dead heading to a stop further on - they got to catch the next train. Three stops on and it turns out the train was over sold, so there was soon a couple staring at us from the aisle holding perfectly valid tickets with our seat numbers on them. It became clear that, as we spoke no Thai and the conductor spoke only a handful of English words, there was no point in him talking to us, so he began shuffling all the others involve from seat to seat. In the end the service staff ended up sitting on empty boxes while on their breaks, Kim and I sitting in their seats three feet away, feeling quite contrite. The conductor started this process with a good natured air of, " shit happens", and this was exactly his disposition when all was sorted. He smiled away our offerings of thanks - he clearly felt he had just done his job.
My new motto: what's an adventure without a bit of adventure.
A word on the journey itself. I fully realize that these trains are ancient diesels, billowing noxious gases every inch of the way, and that the staff are, compared to North American standards, paid very little, but a four hour trip in air conditioned reclining seats (think the seating on a modern economy flight), tea/coffee and biscuits to start the trip, a lunch of rice topped with 2 Thai curries, very accommodating staff and arriving basically on time ( we were a bit late because of the staff having to deal with 2 dimbulbs getting on the train on the wrong day) and the cost? $18.00 each.
Hau Hin may be somewhere we would avoid on further trips here. Very busy, as smokey as Bangkok, but without the contemporary feel. A large elderly expat community results in businesses that feel as if they are stuck in the 90's. Very hard to find Thai food but dead easy to get very badly prepared European food. Almost every restaurant has a theme of one or another European country - Brit, Nordic, German, Italian, Swiss. TONS of very old European gents strolling hand in hand with very young Thai women.
The beach is beautiful and stretches for 5 kilometres. Heavy with busy seaside resorts but there are some private homes between which allow some open, bar and recliner free areas. I have the opportunity to go on and on now as Kim is off to walk the beach and visit a Budda upon the mountain top at the beach's end.
It may be that we find some magic in the area: our minds remain open.
Pictures of Hau Hin to follow.
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