Thus begins our 19-hour passage to Bangkok. As we roll out of Sungai Kolok our anguish starts to wash away. Once underway, we can open the window without too much rain seepage. Half-naked boys run splashing beside the train, arms outstretched for any token we'll toss them. Moving through the outskirts of town, we watch the train-window spectacle that would define our trip.
People love to ham it up for the train.
They come out of their huts and shanties to see us pass, and everybody smiles and waves. Even the children stop their can kicking and stick-fights to shout, jump, and be noticed. I turn to the old man. He puffs his cigarette and smiles a tooth-missing grin. Suddenly, all my frustrations with the rain, the smells, and the getting stuck in third class dissolve.