Walking on sunshine

Hi!

So we got our new Thai visas without incident in Vientiane, and we've arrived in Bangkok after a comfortable sleeper train down from Vientiane. Thai sleeper cars are very comfortable, and the 12 hour ride passed quickly and we all got a good night sleep. The sleeper cars fill up fast and we were lucky to get the booking - they have linen and a pillow, and the bunks are long enough that even Jon, at 6'2", can stretch out properly and sleep well. The 12 hour trip cost just over $20. Crossing the Laos-Thai border was also a breeze, there is the adorably named Thailand-Laos Friendship Bridge across the Mekong river (one side of the river is Laos, the opposite sideThailand) and it's such a popular tourist border crossing that they just shuffle you through in a moment's time.

We're here in Bangkok just for a day and a half, we're meeting up with our friend Sean Gorman from Lake O'hara and his buddy Jordie who are flying in from Kathmandu today. We all get on another sleeper train to Krabi, southern Thailand tomorrow.

It was chilly up north and it feels divine to be in sweaty warm Thailand again. We weren't really equipped for the cool nights, I was often wishing I had a down vest with me!

I'm walking on sunshine because Carina announced early this morning that she has decided to head south with us, and we can put off our goodbyes for a few more weeks. She has options - she's in Thailand for 4-6 weeks and then on to Malaysia, so she's doing the south with us, working her way north and then flying to Malaysia. There's certain safety in this choice - the extreme south of Thailand is somewhat rough, there can be violence and the Thai-Malay border there isn't so peaceful. It's intermittent, but it's probably wise to avoid crossing there. She's been secretly working out the pros and cons of her various route options through Thailand, and wants our company for more time too, and made her choice this morning. So at 6am this morning I was doing a happy victory dance through the Bangkok train station because I was so excited.

Had a blazing hot chicken green curry for breakfast. I loved the food in Laos, but I like it even better in Thailand.

Hope you're all well!