Bangkok at 3am

Why it took 12 hours to reach my guesthouse in Bangkok

14:50 – Scheduled departure of train from Ubon Ratchathani

15:50 – Actual time of departure

23:45 – Train arrives in Bangkok

1:45 – Catch a bus,that, according to my guide book, will bring me somewhere in the vicinity of Kao San Road. Being the stubborn, 'I can do it myself' person that I am, I was determined to use the buses to get to Kao San Road (7 baht bus vs. 60 baht tuk-tuk or 100 baht taxi). I never did see the bus that I wanted to take, so I alighted on my 2nd choice bus, only to be told by a very nice lady on the bus that we were not going where I needed to go. She told me to get off at the next stop, cross the street and take a bus going in the other direction.

2:05 - Wait around for the # 82 bus. I have NO idea where in Bangkok I am, but there's plenty of traffic going by and while I waited, a ladyboy (or perhaps he/she was looking for a happy ending, I couldn't tell) approached me, said 'hi' and wished me well on my journey. :) The first #82 bus goes right by, the second bus isn't the right one, but I manage to flag down the 3rd one.

2:45 – Hop on the RIGHT bus going in the RIGHT direction

3:00 – Arrive at Kao San Road

3:10 – Arrive at the guest house I'd stayed in the last time I was in Bangkok. They were full

3:20 – There's a cheap hostel around the corner that I remember from last time. They have room

3:21 – Use their loo. I can't even think about checking in until I relieve my bladder, which has been complaining since before I even got off the train, three hours previously. :P

3:40 – Finally lay my head down to sleep!!!!

I'm sure I could've walked to Kao San Road in the time it took me to take the bus, but it was an experience. And Bangkok at 3am is in interesting sight. The flower market was getting set up and there were still bars/clubs open on Kao San, and plenty of drunken tourist stumbling down the road. Crazy.