Train to Chiang Mai

We flew from Krabi back up to Bangkok and from there we boarded an overnight train to Chiang Mai. The train trip would take about 14 hours. We passed the time until dinner with a game of Farkle, a dice game “of guts and luck” according to the cover, which we have been playing frequently on this trip. The kids had never been on an overnight train and loved the little individualized sleeping compartments. We were settled in as others got on the train including a white-haired middle-aged European softly singing a little drinking ditty and clutching a large Chang beer. No worries I thought, he’ll just pass out and my earplugs will shelter me from any loud snoring. Sure enough, he fell asleep quickly but the ear plugs turned out to be little match for his snores which were punctuated with bizarre, small, sharp, nonsensical screams. Later, he sat up in his berth and, in some ambiguous state of consciousness, progressed to longer and louder screams or some inarticulate nature. He must have been in some state altered by something more than Chang beer, perhaps the “yaa baa” amphetamines that, according to the John Burdett novels I mentioned earlier, are apparently popular with some darker elements of Thai society. Luckily, and in no small part thanks to our esteemed train conductor on the left - who went for assistance only to find the train car locked at both ends for “safety precautions” - no harm more than some sleeplessness resulted. The kids and I actually got a decent night's sleep and enjoyed the scenery as the morning brightened and our crazed travelling companion slept. We arrived without further incident.