I, TKJ, have leftovers from yesterday’s Thai rice party, so my meals today will be all Thai foods again. Today’s article is about Ayutthaya and Chiang Mai in Thailand. This trip to Thailand took me to three cities, Bangkok, Ayutthaya, and Chiang Mai, but I went to Ayutthaya after Bangkok.
Ayutthaya Related Articles
After Ayutthaya, I took the sleeper express to Chiang Mai. There is also a way to get train tickets online, but this time, I wanted to use cash and there were not many empty seats since I tried to book the day before, so I bought the tickets directly at the ticket counter of Ayutthaya station.
I saw on the Internet that the second class berth is better because the lower bed has a window, so I thought about booking it online, but it was fully booked. However, when I went to the ticket counter, I found that there were some seats left even in the lower beds of the second-class berths, so I guess the number of seats reserved is divided between online and at the ticket counter.
Today, I’d like to share with you what it’s like to be in such a Thai sleeper train car, the dining car, and how to get to the old city after arriving in Chiang Mai.
Departing from Ayutthaya Station
At Ayutthaya station, there is a bulletin board hung with Japanese notation. I’m grateful for the Japanophilia. For your information, Chiang Mai, Pisarnulok, Lop Buri, Pak Chong, Nakhon Ratchasima, Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani, and Nong Khai are marked for the north, and Bangkok, Suvarnabhumi Airport, Don Mueang, and Ban Bain are marked for the south.
Also, on the side of the station building, there was a recent timetable that was fairly easy to understand. The following are the items displayed.
- TRAIN
- TRAIN TYPE
- STATION/DEPARTURE
- STATION/DESTINATION
- DELAYED
- AYUTTHAYA STATION/TO
- AYUTTHAYA STATION/PLATFORM
The rumored sleeper train was more comfortable than expected.
When I boarded the sleeper train from Ayutthaya to Chiang Mai, the bed had already been transformed. I wanted to see how it transformed from a chair type to a bed type, but I had to wait until the next morning. The bed was equipped with LED lights, drink holders, a folding desk, and a net for small items.
When I strolled through the train, I found some of the seats still intact. This is what it looks like before it transforms into a bed. The upper bunk is folded up and stored in the ceiling. When I made my reservation at Ayutthaya station, there were only two lower bunk beds available, so I thought the train might be full, but the front and rear of the carriage were unnaturally empty. It may have been left empty on purpose for the employees. It was also used for chatting by other passengers.
The aisles of the sleeping cars are large enough for two people to pass through. It is a little crowded when boarding, but during normal times, you can come and go without any stress.
If you have a lot of luggage, there is a luggage storage area above the aisle that you can use.
dining car
Actually, as I mentioned in “Why I stayed 3 nights at a recommended guesthouse in Ayutthaya, Thailand.“, I tried to board the train from Ayutthaya station with enough time to spare, but due to various troubles, I didn’t have time to eat. So, I decided to go to the dining car as soon as possible.
It was a small dining car, with a capacity of 32 people, but it looked like it would be crowded when a lot of passengers come. However, there were not many passengers who came to eat, so I could take my time and enjoy my meal. By the way, there is no WIFI in the cabins, only in the dining car, so if you want to surf the internet, come to the dining car.
Snacks for when you get hungry, available for 35 to 40 baht.
I don’t remember what I ordered, but they made me order one of the dinner sets that was not sold out. The lady in the cafeteria gave me a banana cake, saying, “It’s special just for you,” but I found out after writing this article that it was not special or anything because it was on the menu.
Menu of the dining car
Dinner set A: 210 baht
- Jasmine Rice
- Fried Vegetables and Prawns
- Soup / Hot Soup
- Sour Soup Chicken in Coconut Milk
- Fruit
- Banana Cake
Dinner set B: 210 baht
- Jasmine Rice
- Fried Chicken and Cashew Nuts
- Soup / Hot Soup
- Roast Duck in Red Curry
- Fruit
- Banana Cake
Dinner set C: 210 baht
- Jasmine Rice
- Sweet and sour chicken
- Soup / Spicy Soup
- Pork curry with oyster sauce
- Fruit
- Banana Cake
Dinner set D: 210 baht
- Jasmine Rice
- Fried Pork and Oyster Sauce
- Soup / Hot Soup
- Green Curry Chicken
- Fruit
- Banana Cake
The dinner sets are a flat rate of 210 baht. The actual food is not as good as the pictures on the menu, but I can’t turn my back on it.
- BBQ chicken: 150 baht
- Chicken roll: 120 baht
- Chicken roll chili: 120 baht
There is also a trendy pasta menu and a breakfast menu. The pictures on the menu are designed to show that the dishes are just microwaved packages (laughs).
Pasta
- Spaghetti and chicken, black pepper: 120 Baht
- Spaghetti and chicken sauce: 120 Baht
- Spaghetti and shrimp in chili sauce: 120 Baht
- Spaghetti and chicken green curry: 120 Baht
- Spaghetti and carbonara sauce: 120 Baht
Breakfast
Breakfast comes with fruit, juice, coffee/cocoa/milk/tea (black coffee/espresso/americano), and banana cake.
- Rice soup with chicken/pork/shrimp: 170 Baht
- Sandwich ham and cheese: 190 baht
- Egg/chicken ham/sausage: 190 baht
Breakfast (continued)
- Chocolate cake: 180 baht
- Steam bun and dimsum: 140 baht
Thai food
- Stir-fried chicken with basil and jasmine rice: 60 Baht
- Stir-fried chicken with garlic and pepper rice: 60 Baht
- Clear soup with tofu and minced pork: 120 Baht
- Spicy chicken soup: 120 Baht
If you are not particularly particular, the menu in this price range is also quite good.
Coffee: 60 Baht (hot), 75 Baht (iced)
- Espresso
- Americano
- Latte
- Mocha
- Cappuccino
Italian soda: 75 baht
- Blueberry
- Kiwi
- Raspberry
- Apple
- Strawberry
Tea
- Iced apple tea: 75 Baht
- Iced lemon tea: 75 Baht
- Iced peach tea: 75 baht
- Iced matcha green tea: 80 baht (hot), 90 baht (iced)
- Hot tea (Vanilla, Jasmine Green Tea, Earl Grey, English Breakfast: 50 Baht)
Others: 60 baht (hot), 70 baht (iced)
- Cocoa
- Fresh Milk
- Pink milk
Spend the night on a sleeper train
As the sun rises, I can see the scenery outside. A sleeper train speeding through the great outdoors.
As the view from the window becomes brighter, it is time for the bed to transform into a seat. A staff member comes and transforms them as needed. They are very experienced.
There’s something about early morning country roads that is very charming.
There are also power outlets in the seats for someone like power-refugees, and WIFI is available in the dining car.
Arrive in Chiang Mai. Take a bus to the old city.
When I took the bus from Ayutthaya, I thought the “2” on the left side of the photo was the car number, but you have to check the panel on the right side for the car number.
Elephants are famous here, so I was greeted by an elephant. Despite being a famous tourist spot, Chiang Mai Station is surprisingly small. However, there are souvenir shops and Buddha statues.
When I left the Chiang Mai train station, a red songthaew said, “It’s 30 baht to the old town. You’re Japanese, right? There’s already a Japanese person on board,” he said to me. I decided to explore the area a bit more, since I hadn’t finished my walk around the station yet and there were too few passengers, so I figured that even if I got on, the songthaew wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon anyway.
Chiang Mai Station, taken from a distance. This is a station where many passengers get on and off, carrying the thoughts of many people.
I was even able to witness the raising of the flag.
I walked north from the station building and found a bus stop near the hoisting platform. The information board was written in Thai, so I didn’t know where I was going. Luckily (?!), I hadn’t booked a room for the day, so I just thought it would be a good idea to go to the old town. A few people who looked like Thais were standing in line at the bus stop, so I decided to take advantage of them and get on the bus.
After waiting for about 20 minutes, a small bus called B1 arrived. I had no idea what to expect, so I gathered my courage and boarded the bus. There was a route map in the car, but I hadn’t done much preliminary research, so I didn’t know where to get off. I told the conductor that I was going to the City for now, and gave him about 10 baht. The following are the arrival points on the route map.
- Bus Station
- Railroad Station
- Tha Phae Gate
- Prasinh Temple
- Suan Dok Temple
- Thongpayom Market
- Chiang Mai University
- Chiang Mai Zoo
- Rajamangala University
- Prasat Land
- Suan Dok Hospital
- Phra Singh Temple
- Waroros Market
- Railroad Station Park
The bus passed through the Tha Bae Gate smoothly, and just as I was thinking, “Maybe I’ll just go to Wat Phra Singh and visit the temples,” I was somehow dropped off at the place shown on the map above. I think he got the message that I said “City” and that I would get off here.
After that, I searched for a place to stay for the day on Agoda, and was baptized by the inaccurate location of the lodgings, as is the case with Agoda in Southeast Asia, and the guesthouse I arrived at was shocking, so I would like to share it in my next article.
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