Express RailCar #1

I loved riding the train!!!!!

In fact, the best sleep I've had so far on this trip I had that night on the train. My ERC (express rail car) left at 6pm. I had originally booked a 1st-class sleeper on the 7:45 train, but as I just couldn't stand one more minute at the station, I down-graded to a 2nd class sleeper  on an earlier train.
The 2nd class sleeper itself starts out as 2 small benches facing each other. But the porter -- a very nice girl who was really good at her job - makes a few quick moves and Wa-La! Suddenly I have a very cozy and comfy bed w/a lamp, window and privacy curtain, and there is a bunk above me for my seatmate. I loved it!

Using the toilet was, again, quite an experience. While no one stood at the door to collect 2 baht, there still was no toilet paper or paper towels to dry your hands. But here's the best (or worst) part -- you didn't flush! The toilet had a hole in the bottom that just dropped straight onto the tracks. Eeeeuuww! Yup, that's why the station smelled so bad.

My bunkmate was a very nice young man named Goen. He helped me with my Thai and gave me a little geography lesson. There was a tour group of French ladies in our car and they were cracking me up b/c they were playing pranks on each other. And then there was a couple from Spain across from me. It was hilarious b/c I had to translate their Spanish to English so Goen could translate it to Thai for the porter to understand. Good thing I know about 10 words in Spanish or they would have been up a creek. :)

As we got into Northern Thailand the sun was coming up. The scenery was gorgeous. Misty jungles. Forests of bamboo as big around as me.  Banana trees  so heavy with fruit they were practically leaning over. I could almost visualize elephants roaming these peaceful valleys. But they don't anymore. In the last 100 years, the Asian elephant population has decreased by 97%.

97%!!! -- from 100,000 to only 3,000.  About half of these are captive, meaning only 1500 elephants have the luxury of living their lives as they were meant to be -- free.

Then . . . . .

. . . . . Now.