NIGEL'S WORLD: En route to Laos

A couple of weeks back, I made my first foray into Laos, that land locked country bounded by Thailand, Myanmar (Burma), China, Vietnam and finally Cambodia. My visit was to Vientiane, the capital and was two fold. First, to renew my Thai visa and second to visit the home of Bruce, my close friend, whose family hails from here.

Vientiane is about 525 km NNE from Bangkok and lies on the banks of the great River Mekong. We had three options of travelling there; plane, bus or train.
We chose the train option, the least quickest of them all. But the most fun. Requiring, as it did, of an overnight journey, a further short bus journey to the frontier station that lies across the "Friendship Bridge" which crosses the River Mekong. and then a further ride to Vientiane.....

I enjoy train travel for there is something inherently 'romantic' about them, conjuring up a bygone age. Also I am able to stretch my legs and not feel cooped up and restless, that I always experience when travelling by road. Here in Thailand the railway system is old and in dire need of modernisation. The carriages, I am sure, belonging originally to the railroads of China and Korea. The sleeping cars are cramped and noisy, but the couchettes surprisingly comfortable, (on the lower berth only). And, strangely, I am reminded of the night train scene from the 1959 movie "Some like it hot".....!! But alas there is no Marilyn Monroe or Jack Lemmon on this journey.
I slept fitfully as the train crawled through the night to its destination of Non Kai on the Thai side of the River Mekong. At Non Kai, we were given an unexpected lift by an old acquaintance of Bruce's, to the bus station, then a short journey by public bus took us through the Thai border formalities, crossed over the bridge into Laos and after more form filling and visa fees, I found myself in a new country...... Here, Bruce's brother-in-law took us into the city in his pick-up truck and a much needed lunch stop.....