Day 1, Monday 3rd December - Prachuap Khiri Khan

Heading south..... Yesterday I was a bit concerned as my right leg was quite swollen as it is prone to do now in the heat. I've really been spending much longer than planned without air conditioning. It's time to make a move.
My plan is to spend at least a week in the south. Other than that, there is no plan I'm simply going to ad-lib it although up until today Trang was top of the list as a starting point. I had considered flying to Trang but still undecided, I couldn't get a good rate at short notice. Neither do I feel like making the long journey by bus, train or van in one go. By 9am I make a decision to compromise. I'm heading for Prachuap Kiri Khan Province with a vague plan to stay in the area of Ban Krut known for its beautiful beaches but how to get there? I've ruled out the minivan. Although the quickest way, I just don't like the idea of spending four hours in cramped conditions with my leg still a bit swollen. I could take a tour bus, but that means a long journey across town to the Southern bus terminal in Borom Ratchani Road. The train is the slowest method but the timetable I have, confirms that there is a train leaving Hua Lamphong at 13.00 arriving at Ban Krut at 19.28. However, it would be easier to catch this train at Bang Sue at 13.33. By 11 am I am on my way.
Bang Sue Junction..... I arrive at Bang Sue by taxi well before departure time but at the ticket office my lack of forward planning begins to tell. Part of the adventure, the romance perhaps of travelling in Thailand is being able to adapt, to be resourceful. The 171 Rapid Service to Sungai Kolok is fully booked. Fortunately, there is a plan B which has just been invented. Waiting in Bang Sue station is a service to Prachup Kiri Khan presently without an engine. This is the 251 Ordinary Service. Checking my older version of the timetable I don't see this service departing from Bang Sue. It's clear my timetable is out of date. The 251 Service is shown as departing from Thonburi station, so I'm fortunate things have changed as the original service would not have passed through Bang Sue. Also fortunate, is the fact that I did not book in advance any accommodation in Ban Krut. Although not too far from Prachuap, it's unlikely I'd find transport in the evening to Ban Krut. I'll find accommodation in the town. Departure time is listed as 12.40 arriving 19.20 at Prachuap Kiri Khan. However, I have noted this is an Ordinary Service which means it is a stop train just about everywhere and consists of 3rd class coaches only. The upside is the price; just 58 baht for the six and a half hour journey!
The engine arrives late at 13.05 but once married with its couches this ancient locomotive heads slowly out of Bang Sue, its train hardly full of passengers.
Passage to Prachuap Kiri Khan..... I settle down to this potentially grueling journey but like the journey back from Pattaya earlier I can rest my legs on the seat opposite. Still this sunny day will afford little respite except for the steady airflow from open windows often bringing with it more than just air. At two coaches back, exhaust fumes from the engine are often seen drifting through the carriage. From Bang Sue where the line splits to the north and west the train heads across the Chao Phraya River following the route of the Purple Line extension of the BTS (Bangkok Transit System) rail network. New stations are being constructed as far out as Taling Chan, allowing passengers for South Thailand to use the rapid transit systems to speed up their journeys south. The journey is generally uneventful. Time passes as I stare out of the window observing activity at the frequent station stops and in the compartments themselves as vendors ply their trade offering refreshments mainly of rice or noodles and iced drinks. The passage to Prachuap often gets interrupted as a reminder that all other traffic on the line takes priority. After Taling Chan, the line reverts to a single track. The 251 is obliged to wait at station sidings when up-line trains require passage. At one station Pak Tho, the 251 is obliged to wait for the Express behind to overtake. Oddly this train 171 was the one I originally intended to travel on. At Khao Thamon station before Cha-Am there are some unusual visitors. A monkey troop has taken up residence enticed by tit bits discharged from carriage windows. An orange sun starts to set over the western hills as the train approaches Cha-Am. Then it's into Prachuap Kiri Khan province and by the time it reaches Hua Hin, dusk approaches. It's still some way from the provincial capital but at 19.30 the 251 Service terminates. I'm informed that if I walk straight out of the station about 15 minutes, I will reach the seafront and find accommodation. Strangely there is little in the way of transport waiting at the station. This is certainly no Pattaya or Bangkok as I find the pace of life almost a culture shock.
Suksant Hotel..... I’m soon at the seafront and it's getting late, so I'm prepared to accept the 650 baht for a standard room at a rather imposing hotel on the beach road. It's rather showing its age and not in the resort category, many parked goods vehicles showing it is used as a stop-over for long distance drivers. I freshen up and venture out for a meal. At a nearby square, mobile food vendors offer a variety of foods. The Night Market culture thrives here particularly in the provinces, a most convenient way of sampling local dishes at very little cost. I hardly need a beer to set me up for a good night's sleep.
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