Off to Hua Hin we go....

Bangkok & Hua Hin, Day 19

So we had quite a relaxing morning just finishing up the last of our packing and our final tidying up before we left the apartment for the last time and got in our taxi to the Bangkok main railway station.

Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal

This is also known by its former name Bang Sue Grand Station, and is the central passenger terminal in Bangkok and the current railway hub of Thailand. The station was opened on 2 August 2021. It is linked to the Bang Sue MRT station via an underground walkway. It is the largest railway station in Southeast Asia, with 26 platforms. The station will offer 274,192 m2 of usable floor space.

We arrived in plenty of time as we decided to leave the apartment at lunchtime, and it took about 25 minutes to get to the station by taxi (270 Bhat/£6.22). We had planned to just have a wander around the station until our train at 15.10hrs. The station is absolutely massive, but it was not very busy at all, so it felt like only a tiny part of it was being used. There were several food vendor stalls about, and we managed to get some BBQ pork and sticky rice, which was delicious for our lunch. We'd also brought along some snacks, fruit and drinks for the 3.5-hour journey to Hua Hin. The cost of our return tickets from Bangkok to Hua Hin were about £27 and we bought these though 12GoAsia but there are other ways of buying tickets including on the day at the station I believe but just check the train times as this was the 2nd train of the day available to us as the first left at 07.00hrs (way too early for us retirees!).

The boarding gates opened 20 minutes before departure, and we were extremely impressed by the efficiency of the train staff. There was a member of station staff at each of the automatic gates, a senior-looking Uniformed Supervisor was overseeing the whole operation, and there was even a First Aid staff member clearly identifiable within the group. Individuals needing assistance to get to the upper level were given priority and permitted to use the lifts. The rest of the passengers accessed the electronic barriers with their QR codes (either on tickets or electronic devices) and proceeded up to the next level via the escalator. As soon as you got off the escalator, there were Uniformed train staff checking your ticket to advise which direction to go for your car number. Each train car had a uniformed member of staff assisting passengers onto the train (including metal ramps at all door points). It was so efficient, the staff were so smart in their uniforms and their help - we were very impressed.

Once on the train, the Uniformed train staff (and they are more like military police as they carry a sidearm on them) checked everyone's tickets and marked something off on a sheet. Little did we know that as we were coming up to our station, the officer was informing any passengers that were due to leave that this was their stop coming up. Again, it was something really simple but so, so impressive. Once stopped, the guards/train staff stood outside the train and helped everyone off. I've since read that the railway is known as the State Railway of Thailand, so perhaps that explains the more military-like look of the train operatives.

There is an option to travel to Hua Hin by the old Bang Sue train station for a cheap amount if you use the 3rd class local trains. We decided that we wanted to experience the trip by train, but we opted for a slightly more comfortable 2nd class car, so we had more comfy seats, but we still had fans on the ceilings and all the train windows open for the duration of the journey. It was a great experience, we had fab views, it certainly was not cold in the slightest -it was still too hot in fact, but on the more negative side, it was pretty noisy, but we both ended up using our noise-cancelling earbuds and listened to stuff during the journey. I couldn't help but think that if anyone stuck their head or any part of their body outside of the open window, they would likely lose that appendage with the various objects along the line.

Throughout the whole journey there were food and drink sellers going up and down the train selling various foods. They didn't speak any English and we had no idea what they were selling so we just stuck to our own rations - we're not quite that brave yet!

The other really cool aspect was watching the changing skyline as the sun was going down; it was lovely.

By the time we got to Hua Hin it was just before 19.00hrs, so we ordered a Grab taxi for the Hotel. It was practically pitch black by this time and we were a bit exhausted from our day, so a quick sort out of our stuff, a shower and change of clothes, then it was out to find something to eat.

Another mall, another food card and this time I had my first ever Thai beer, which was quite good.

Then back to the hotel to get some sleep and see what the place looks like in the daylight...

8 Dec 2024

Hua Hin, Thailand