It is late in the afternoon. We are sitting on a small terrace in front of the station in Bangkok. By now we have bought the train tickets for the longest train journey we have ever made. The ticket cost the equivalent of 17 euros. In the Netherlands you can't make the trip Maastricht - Eindhoven for that. We are very curious about the events that lie ahead. Slowly but surely more travelers begin to gather. What strikes us immediately is that we are raising the average age of the group of travelers. A cautious estimate tells us that 80% of the group are in their mid-twenties. All the chatter we hear shrinks to a cacophony of the most divergent languages, which in fragments seems to betray the various nationalities

By now we have bought the train tickets for the longest train journey we have ever made. The ticket cost the equivalent of 17 euros. In the Netherlands you can't make the trip Maastricht - Eindhoven for that. We are very curious about the events that lie ahead. Slowly but surely more travelers begin to gather. What strikes us immediately is that we are raising the average age of the group of travelers. A cautious estimate tells us that 80% of the group are in their mid-twenties. All the chatter we hear shrinks to a cacophony of the most divergent languages, which in fragments seems to betray the various nationalities. You can never be sure where someone comes from. What we do know for sure is where they are going. Chiang Mai....the terminus of the train we are about to board and on which we will plunge into the next adventure.

We eat another Pad Thai, a delicious noodle dish with egg and peanuts. After all, you don't know what to expect on the train. The scheduled departure time is 18:10 and we are expected to arrive in Chiang Mai tomorrow morning around 7:00. It does say in the headline this article '13 Hours ChooChoo train' but it ends up being more 'Choo, chug and chuff !!!' What an impressive journey and what a different world. In the Netherlands I think 7,012 km of track is surrounded by 7,012 km of fencing. "That's for safety, otherwise people will walk on the tracks." It almost makes me laugh when I look out the window of the train. It would take little effort for us to fish laundry off the wire in the passing of the houses. The train really does run right through the neighborhood and right in front of it. After an hour, we gradually exchange the urban landscape for a wider view

The scheduled departure time is 18:10 and we are expected to arrive in Chiang Mai tomorrow morning around 7:00. It does say in the headline this article '13 Hours ChooChoo train' but it ends up being more 'Choo, chug and chuff !!!' What an impressive journey and what a different world. In the Netherlands I think 7,012 km of track is surrounded by 7,012 km of fencing. "That's for safety, otherwise people will walk on the tracks." It almost makes me laugh when I look out the window of the train. It would take little effort for us to fish laundry off the wire in the passing of the houses. The train really does run right through the neighborhood and right in front of it. After an hour, we gradually exchange the urban landscape for a wider view. We pass one village after another. By the way, the door of the train is open. That gives some cooling. In the end it is just 35 degrees. This temperature is beautifully combined with a humidity that makes you feel like you are swimming in a fishbowl. Especially if you can sit comfortably in the doorway with legs outboard, it is wonderful to feel the wind between your toes. Try to imagine this in my country between Den Bosch and Utrecht?

It's starting to get dark and suddenly we smell the aroma of Thai cuisine. When we go to investigate it turns out that the next carriage is a real restaurant. Our amazement reaches a peak when we see the menu. A written polonaise of the most delicious dishes. And 'last but not least' they also served a cool pint. The dining car was a 'star restaurant' on wheels that has not yet been discovered by the Guide Michelin. Making contact with the fellow travelers goes like clockwork. Everyone is like-minded but also in the same mood. In no time at all we were playing cards with three students from Berlin and a girl from Canada. At the table opposite us sits a couple from Italy talking to a boy from Denmark and they tell about their journey through the Andes

Our amazement reaches a peak when we see the menu. A written polonaise of the most delicious dishes. And 'last but not least' they also served a cool pint. The dining car was a 'star restaurant' on wheels that has not yet been discovered by the Guide Michelin. Making contact with the fellow travelers goes like clockwork. Everyone is like-minded but also in the same mood. In no time at all we were playing cards with three students from Berlin and a girl from Canada. At the table opposite us sits a couple from Italy talking to a boy from Denmark and they tell about their journey through the Andes. And all this on the train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. In a word.... amazing!!!

In Chiang Mai we look for a place to sleep. Fit as a fiddle we are waiting for Jim the next morning. He is our guide for the coming days. Our belongings are loaded into the jeep. The road to Pai is an adventure. It is also called "The 762 curves road. We didn't count them. That is, somewhere at 90 we lost count and there may well have been a few more or fewer. Fortunately, Jim discharged the car very competently over this curvy mountain road. With sailor's legs we got out 2

He is our guide for the coming days. Our belongings are loaded into the jeep. The road to Pai is an adventure. It is also called "The 762 curves road. We didn't count them. That is, somewhere at 90 we lost count and there may well have been a few more or fewer. Fortunately, Jim discharged the car very competently over this curvy mountain road. With sailor's legs we got out 2.5 hours later at a spot at the edge of the forest. At the bottom of a narrow mountain path, in a large pool of water, lies an elephant bathing. A young elephant stands by, watching. Our guide thought we would enjoy this. They were not elephants living in complete freedom but they were in their habitat. A man was busy scrubbing the elephant's back in the water. We were asked if we wanted to help. Then we went ahead and played the tourist. It was impossible to resist touching such an imposing animal. It was very unreal to suddenly stand in the water with rolled-up trouser legs and to scrub an elephant's back with a brush as big as a broom

Our belongings are loaded into the jeep. The road to Pai is an adventure. It is also called "The 762 curves road. We didn't count them. That is, somewhere at 90 we lost count and there may well have been a few more or fewer. Fortunately, Jim discharged the car very competently over this curvy mountain road. With sailor's legs we got out 2.5 hours later at a spot at the edge of the forest. At the bottom of a narrow mountain path, in a large pool of water, lies an elephant bathing. A young elephant stands by, watching. Our guide thought we would enjoy this. They were not elephants living in complete freedom but they were in their habitat. A man was busy scrubbing the elephant's back in the water. We were asked if we wanted to help. Then we went ahead and played the tourist. It was impossible to resist touching such an imposing animal. It was very unreal to suddenly stand in the water with rolled-up trouser legs and to scrub an elephant's back with a brush as big as a broom. We are not quite rid of this tourist attraction yet. What we don't know yet is that our elephant is being prepared for a trip through the jungle with us on its neck. Goodness gracious, how high you sit then. Quietly and thoughtfully the elephant begins to walk uphill. The path is barely one meter wide and the elephant is really much wider. It is very exciting but also very enjoyable. After an hour this adventure is over. Jim had arranged it well after all. The elephant was not a tourist attraction but our transfer from civilization to the edge of the jungle.

the ready on the way to the Hill Tribe Village. When the trail goes downhill, we really need a stick to lean on. We don't walk, we slither and slide from tree to tree and down steeply. This is really something else than a brisk walk in the woods. Out of breath, exhausted and soaking wet with sweat, we rest a few hours later. Jim doesn't seem tired at all and tells us all about jungle life. Beetles, spiders and other insects go about their business imperturbably. Jim cuts a bite out of the bark of a tree with a machete. We taste the white sap that flows from the tree. This tastes like pure paracetamol, which is true

We don't walk, we slither and slide from tree to tree and down steeply. This is really something else than a brisk walk in the woods. Out of breath, exhausted and soaking wet with sweat, we rest a few hours later. Jim doesn't seem tired at all and tells us all about jungle life. Beetles, spiders and other insects go about their business imperturbably. Jim cuts a bite out of the bark of a tree with a machete. We taste the white sap that flows from the tree. This tastes like pure paracetamol, which is true. Jim tells us that when people are in pain somewhere they take some of this liquid as a painkiller. The jungle turns out to be one big pharmacy. Hey ho, let's go, says Jim. He reassures us. The next part of the trip we don't have to descend steeply anymore. From now on it is only uphill. My goodness, what a trip. Our legs seem to have lost all their strength. Completely worn out, we arrive at a bamboo hut on stilts in the evening. Food is simmering in a kettle on an open fire

This is really something else than a brisk walk in the woods. Out of breath, exhausted and soaking wet with sweat, we rest a few hours later. Jim doesn't seem tired at all and tells us all about jungle life. Beetles, spiders and other insects go about their business imperturbably. Jim cuts a bite out of the bark of a tree with a machete. We taste the white sap that flows from the tree. This tastes like pure paracetamol, which is true. Jim tells us that when people are in pain somewhere they take some of this liquid as a painkiller. The jungle turns out to be one big pharmacy. Hey ho, let's go, says Jim. He reassures us. The next part of the trip we don't have to descend steeply anymore. From now on it is only uphill. My goodness, what a trip. Our legs seem to have lost all their strength. Completely worn out, we arrive at a bamboo hut on stilts in the evening. Food is simmering in a kettle on an open fire. Gratefully we accept the meal. We have no idea what we are eating but this 'meal of gallows' tastes better than anything else. After dinner we fall dead asleep on our mat in the hut. Sawing beetles, screaming gibbons and two snoring Limburgers, make the sounds for that night in the jungle in Thailand. Early the next morning we sit by the fire with a cup of coffee. Fit, but to be honest, with a lot of muscle ache. The stage on day two is shorter and less demanding. We walk along enormous rice fields. The light is exceptionally beautiful. It looks like a silk cloth swirling on the wind over the landscape

Out of breath, exhausted and soaking wet with sweat, we rest a few hours later. Jim doesn't seem tired at all and tells us all about jungle life. Beetles, spiders and other insects go about their business imperturbably. Jim cuts a bite out of the bark of a tree with a machete. We taste the white sap that flows from the tree. This tastes like pure paracetamol, which is true. Jim tells us that when people are in pain somewhere they take some of this liquid as a painkiller. The jungle turns out to be one big pharmacy. Hey ho, let's go, says Jim. He reassures us. The next part of the trip we don't have to descend steeply anymore. From now on it is only uphill. My goodness, what a trip. Our legs seem to have lost all their strength. Completely worn out, we arrive at a bamboo hut on stilts in the evening. Food is simmering in a kettle on an open fire. Gratefully we accept the meal. We have no idea what we are eating but this 'meal of gallows' tastes better than anything else. After dinner we fall dead asleep on our mat in the hut. Sawing beetles, screaming gibbons and two snoring Limburgers, make the sounds for that night in the jungle in Thailand. Early the next morning we sit by the fire with a cup of coffee. Fit, but to be honest, with a lot of muscle ache. The stage on day two is shorter and less demanding. We walk along enormous rice fields. The light is exceptionally beautiful. It looks like a silk cloth swirling on the wind over the landscape. We take our time to photograph. In the distance we see some huts. The Hill Tripe Village, we are here! The suffering is rewarded.

Early the next morning we sit by the fire with a cup of coffee. Fit, but to be honest, with a lot of muscle ache. The walk on day two is shorter and less demanding. We walk along enormous rice fields. The light is exceptionally beautiful. It looks like a silk cloth swirling on the wind over the landscape. We take our time to photograph. In the distance we see some huts. The Hill Tripe Village, we are here! The suffering is rewarded.

People clean vegetables, work in their flower gardens, children run after each other and mothers do laundry. An elderly couple sits contentedly on the sidewalk in front of their house and a sweet old lady sits behind her loom. The beautiful light gives everyday things a special glow. Our appropriate restraint allows us to photograph undisturbed. Again, we feel privileged to be included in the daily scenes. We take pictures of the friendly old couple sitting contentedly on the sidewalk in front of their house. The woman who is weaving is already half an inch further with the weaving of her beautiful piece of royal blue fabric. We have really only met beautiful people. The photographer's eye has been terribly spoiled. At this point we know that a wealth of beautiful images will travel home with us

The beautiful light gives everyday things a special glow. Our appropriate restraint allows us to photograph undisturbed. Again, we feel privileged to be included in the daily scenes. We take pictures of the friendly old couple sitting contentedly on the sidewalk in front of their house. The woman who is weaving is already half an inch further with the weaving of her beautiful piece of royal blue fabric. We have really only met beautiful people. The photographer's eye has been terribly spoiled. At this point we know that a wealth of beautiful images will travel home with us. At home in the studio it will take many hours before a picture is approved to show to anyone who wants to enjoy our journey through Thailand.

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