Next step after Nan was Den Chai, the closest town with a train station. I was already loving Nan and during the walk to the bus station I continued to encounter really nice places and people, and almost decided to stay for one more day. When arriving to the bus station I find a mini bus from Nan that leaves around every hour (when it is full) and takes 2,5 hour (price is 94 baht). Again, like the trip to Nan, the driver asks me where I want to be dropped off, this time thanks to a guy with a computer and translation software.

Breakfast for 20 bath (50 euro cent)

Nice cafe run from a guy’s old garage

Restaurant on the yard of a woman’s house, with the neighbors dropping by

Man in the mini bus to Uttaradit who translated what the bus driver wanted to ask me through his computer software

When we arrive to Den Chai there are only me and the driver left in the mini bus. The town is small and the driver stops near the train station to ask the locals for a guesthouse or hotel. There is none in Den Chai. I tell the driver that he can drop me here, with a plan to check the train times and then walk around to search for a place to sleep for the night. The driver insists to drive me the last 20 meters to the entrance of the train station, and even follows me inside but then finally disappears. Luckily there is a train leaving what is supposed to be within 20 minutes, but what actually is 1½ hour. I finally take that train to Uttaradit which the guy in the ticket counter tells me is a bigger city.

The trip takes about an hour and cost 11 baht (30 euro cent) for a 3rd class open seat, probably the cheapest train trip I ever took in my life, and still very enjoyable! According to the train table my trip should be only two stops but it was probably 15 stops, so for a while I thought I was in the wrong train.

A very empty train station in Nan

Asians can’t get enough of Angry Birds

Smiling food sellers on the train

Soup lady

People swimming everywhere in the rivers we pass

Cure train station

Arriving to Uttaradit in the afternoon I manage to find a hotel for about 200 Baht (5½ euro). Uttaradit is also a really nice town and almost the whole town is built up from outdoor markets of all kind and at all hours.

Here is the train time table if somebody have use for it. For what I understood rapid trains cost about 2-4 times the price of a normal [slow] train. 1st class is usually fixed seats with AC, while 2nd class mostly have fixed seats with fan. 3rd class are open seats with fan. Not all trains have all classes available and the specific classes can differ from train to train.