The long goodbye

I wake up heavy hearted this morning as a lot of the goodbyes over the last 24 hours are going to be for a long time. Its crazy how you meet people along the journey and have an instant incredible bond with them, and as much of that is probably the mummy side of me there's a big part that is just the fact I've met some extraordinary people. I don't get too wound up because I haven't been able to book my sleeper train online as it says they are fully booked, but Damon suggests I should head to the station to try and by my ticket. Its about a 35 min walk with a small ferry crossing involved but I have had to check out and even though my rucksack is in the locker room I've got all my valuables in my small backpack and it's so hot. I shout at myself really because the cost of a taxi is cheaper than the starbucks I had this morning but I actually enjoy walking through the random streets where shops overflow onto the pavements selling there multiple cheap plastic items. One area I walk through is an engineering area where machines are pulled apart and being reassembled and reels of cables piled high using the streets paving slabs to measure lengths. I finally arrive at the station and its crazy how much it looks like Lime Street station in Liverpool, little things reminding me of home. I'm so relieved when I get to the ticket office and they still have a sleeper bed available, with the journey being 12 hours long and over night I don't think I could bear doing it sitting up. On my way back I visit the flea Market which has all sorts of oddments being sold for pennies and the shop mall Iconsiam which is a mall that if Carling did shopping malls...... seriously it even has an indoor floating market and a terrace you can see for miles with the views of the sky scraper city floating around me. I visit all 7 floors and even though I'm resolute on not buying anything I enjoy the window shopping this would be heaven for my daughter Amber and granddaughter Abbie. I arrive back at the hotel and after an hour by the pool chatting with Patricia and Jan its time to get my cab to the station. I haven't seen Damon all day but just as my taxi arrives he appears and I say goodbye but hope I'll get to see him when I visit Seoul. I board the train and even though its a 2 berth cabin I get to have it to myself. Three guards come to my cabin and knock on the door one points a temperature gun at my head one takes numerous photos of me and the other punches my ticket At 7pm the guard comes in an asks if I want my bed made and settle down for the journey. The Internet is pretty none existent and having finished my book a few days earlier regret not downloading a film to watch. I decide to try and sleep for a few hours but the guy I the cabin next door is watching something and obviously doesn't have earphones. With intermittent dosing I manage to see the red men got a win which allows me to dose off at about 230am to be awakened at 600 telling us we're an hour from Chiang maiRead more