After our stay at O'Nidra House in Bangkok, we went straight to Hua Lamphong Train Station. O'Nidra House is very clean and 2km away from the bus station. You can book double rooms, but there's no private bathroom. Bathroom is very clean though.
Before we left for Thailand there were railway constructions going on. Trains to Chiang Mai would start riding again on the 1st of November. Perfect timing for us! Except when we got at the station we were informed that the constructions were extended until the end of November. That was quite a bummer, so we stayed at the train station for like an hour, asking around at the information points if there were busses or trains that were replacing the missing lines to Chiang Mai. Surprisingly, nobody could tell us more about that in English. We weren't able to log on at the wifi hotspots, so we had to search for a café or restaurant with wifi. We managed to find a café across the train station where we payed for an hour of internet.
We found some night busses riding to Sukhothai (historical temples) and Chiang Mai. We took the metro to Mo Chit Bus Station and booked the night bus to Sukhothai for 360 Baht (approx. 8 euros) for each ticket.Night busses aren't as comfortable as a bed, of course, but are OK if you take VIP or 1st class. We got a blanket and some water, a juice and a potato bun on the bus. We drove for 7 hours and arrived at the bus station at 5.30am.
My first impression of Bangkok: filthy smelly city and certainly not a part of the land of smiles! People aren't friendly at all and can hardly speak a word of English! People always try to get money from you. I hope the North will be better.
Day 3
At 6am We took a taxi jeep to the old center together with a few other tourists. We rented a bike for 30 Baht to explore the historical park. If you're planning to go to Thailand, make sure you visit Sukhothai! It's magnificent. I you ever played Tomb Raider on PC or Playstation 1, you'l feel like Lara Croft on a bike. The scenery is just the same as the game with all the temples, the trees and plants. If you visit Sukhothai, visit early in the morning! There aren't many tourists that visit the park as early as we did and I would definitely recommend the peace and quiet.
We gave back our bike at 2pm and went for something to eat.
We went back to the bus station to book a bus to Chiang Mai. For 240 Baht we drove 2nd class. 2nd class isn't as bad as the internet says. We got airconditioning and if you're a tourist you can definitely be sure of having a seat. If you're local you aren't. I was VERY surprised on how things were planned for that busride. We bought a ticket at 2.40pm to leave at 3pm. When we got on the bus with 2 other tourists there were not enough seats to put us on. I got outside and asked the bus driver if something went wrong with the booking. His assistant went inside the bus, we followed and he went to some locals. They got up and went to the front of the bus. At first I thought they didn't pay to get further than that stop, but when we got at the second stop 6 more people got on the bus, but no seats. The French couple did the same as I did: complaining to the bus driver. His assistant rushed onto the bus, went to a very old lady and literally grabbed her out of her chair (she didn't even had the time to take her hand luggage). He pulled her to the end of the bus while she had a hard time to walk. I saw what was going on and stopped the man. I said I didn't want to old lady to sit in the back of the bus (there were no seats there, it was just a little step where she could sit on) and offered her my seat. You have to know that the busride would take up to 5 hours! The assistant got a bit frustrated and waved his hands to me that I needed to shut up. I got really mad about this, blocked the pathway and said with a very strong voice that she could have my seat. The old lady didn't understand what was going on, she looked quite confused, so I pointed at my seat and nodded. She thanked me and got in my seat. The driver shaked his head. The woman of the French couple still didn't got a seat, so we had to stand up. She was really mad and she was right. This was truly a rip-off! The bus driver's assistant went to get his list and stood there for a few minutes, shaking his head and counting the seats. He was obviously faking his 'confusion'.
The next stop a few people got off and I had some room next top my boyfriend and the French couple also got a seat. The whole busride there were locals coming on and off the bus. They all had to stand up or were banned to the tiny room at the back. I would never recommend this bus agency, but but I have a feeling that all 2nd class rides are like this. We don't have the name of the agency in English, but I have a picture of my ticket. The agency has its own booth at New Sukhothai bus station.
We arrived at Chiang Mai at 8.30pm and went straight to our B&B: Siri House. Pat, our hostess, is a very nice lady and gave us a map with some information about Chiang Mai. The Sunday market was till going on 'till midnight, so we went straight to there. Many people here, both local and tourists, but definitely worth checking out for souvenirs. I wanted to buy a nice handbag for myself, but another women bought it just before me. It was the last one :-(.
My first impression of Chiang Mai: clean and more friendly than Bangkok.
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