Chris Gains

I chose to stay in Old Town while in Chiang Mai.  More specifically, Phra Sing. Old Town is surrounded by a moat which I thought was very cool. You can see fish swimming around, but unfortunately, there were no alligators.  The area is packed with guesthouses, hostels, food and entertainment. One thing that is nice for people with bad direction (such as myself) is the fact that you're confined to the area unless you cross over to the other side of the moat. There were times while walking around that I was unsure of where I was. No worries. If I found myself standing at a body of water then I knew I had gone too far. Most of the roads were small too. You still run into the main roads going through the middle of Old Town, but for the most part you can just casually walk along the side of the roads without being in too many peoples way. Like most places, you still want to be careful.  People will go around you but there is no guarantee that they will. And do keep in mind...

The train station is pretty small and is an open area. Outside of the station is a parking lot and to the left is a gate leading to the road. Here you will find tuk tuk drivers  calling to you if you are looking for a ride to your destination. I chose to walk to Old Town instead of getting a ride. Out of the gate, I turned right onto Rotfai Road. There are small shops serving food and offering massages if you are in dire need. There will be many more opportunities along the way. Continue down this street till you get to the end and take a left onto Chareon Muang Road. Then just keep going straight down on Chareon Muang Road until you get to the Tha Phae Gate. This walk took me about 40 minutes. Halfway to the gate I stopped at a cafe to have some grilled cheese sandwiches and a cappuccino.  There was free wifi and an outlet available so I could get charged up and check the GPS to have a better sense of where I was going.

After spending the afternoon walking around, I decided to head over and wait for the train. Upon arrival I learned that there is no wifi available in the station. However, if you go across the street there is a line of cafes with wifi available. There's also a 7-11 if you  want to buy snacks and drinks for the train. More money spent! I went back to the train station an hour before departure. While sitting inside, chatting with my friend, I heard a whistle blow and then music started to play. A local sitting next to me motioned to stand up. This was the music I had read up on that is played in respect to the king. So if you happen to be sitting in a public place and you hear a whistle blow and music play; make sure you stand up! This is important to the locals and you're better off being respectful in their country. The seats I managed to purchase were the 2nd class. 1st class was sold out, but to be honest, I'm not picky. My friend wanted the 1st class. I heard the a...

Saphaipae Hostel was my home for the next two nights. Although I never took advantage of the local transportation, it was located close to the sky train and the water taxis. Instead I chose to just walk around. It is also walking distance to the train station if you're looking to take a train to Chiang Mai. There are a lot of options for food carts in the area as well. Expect to pay 35 to 40 baht for dinner if you stick to the simple dishes. You can also purchase bags of fresh fruit for 20 baht. Chinatown is also nearby if you want to take a look around at all of the items they have in the markets. Saphaipae Hostel was a good place to stay if you're unsure of other places in the area. I found it on the HostelWorld app and reserved a 4 bed mix dorm room for around $12 USD per night. The room and bathroom was clean with a large locker for storage. It also came with vouchers to get into the morning buffet where they have a very good spread available. The staff was friendly and h...

After getting through the Thai border I said goodbye to the kind young man trying to talk me into a van ride to Bangkok and proceeded down to a nearby bus station. This bus station was not very far. Just hang a right on the first street and head up to the left where you'll find a market. I did not go this way. I ended up going all the way up to the main road and taking a right. Then followed the main road till I found a market and took a right. All the way down... to the bus station... Oops I was hoping to catch a casino bus to Bangkok. I had read online that there is one leaving every 30 minutes to bring the gamblers back to the city from Poipet (gambling is illegal in Thailand). The large bus was not there when I arrived. I found an office that was selling mini van rides and another office that was selling bus tickets. With a lot of difficult communication we figured out that I needed a ride to Bangkok and the bus was going near Bangkok to the town of  Chachoengsao.  H...

While in Siem Reap, I booked a VIP van going from Siem Reap to Poipet with a 6 am departure. The travel agent said to be prepared to be picked up between 5:30 - 6 am. The driver showed up around 6:15 am and when we got outside there was no van, but instead, a bus. I told the driver I payed for a van and he told me the van is sleeping and ushered me aboard. The bus itself was fine. Typical for a cheap long distance bus in Cambodia. Once  I got to the border, everyone was asked to get off and move across the border to continue their trip. I chose to cross and find a ride on the Thailamd side instead of continuing on with the same company I arrived with. I had read from many people before that there will be swarms of scammers asking you to come with them to cross the border. I did not experience this. I was left alone all the way up to the station to get stamped out.  So far, so good. Getting up to the window to be stamped out was quick and easy. It took about 5 minutes o...