After checking out of our relative luxury hotel at noon, we had to get through the afternoon awaiting the night train to the south. Why not look at some different aspects of Bangkok? So we went to Sukhumvit road, the 5^th Avenue of Bangkok, close to the financial district. Sukhumvit road is the shopping centre of the town. Quite odd is that both sides of the road are separated by the sky train, an efficient though ugly transport system at 20 meters above street level.

In the Emporium shopping centre which was all dressed up for Christmas, we found the paradise for shoppers: all big mark shops you can imagine where present, and of course a posh public of dressed-up Thai. In a nice internet shop we uploaded the day 4 and 5 report and pictures to the web log.

At the Bangkok main station we were awaiting the night train that would lead us to Khao Sok, a national park existing out of 4000 km² tropical rainforest in the South of Thailand that managed as by miracle to keep outside the attention of the wood exploitants. It is protected now, but not after the energy company did destroy part of it for the construction of a dam.

The main train station was, though rather resembling to and ice skating hall, a very cosy and animated place. A local television station was broadcasting on a big screen, giving us a pretty good impression of what is hot in Bangkok , and of course the huge picture of ever present King Bhumipol was looking down on us wishing us a good voyage.

The train was an adventure on its own. Imagine yourself a Belgian stop train anno seventies. One compartment was shared by 2 persons, and they were open to the central corridor. we had 1,5 compartment for us, and shared the 2^nd compartment with Marcel, a Dutch guy heading for his mid life crisis. He was heading south for the famous 'black moon parties', which apparently are more exclusive than the full moon parties (which he would have missed anyhow due to bad planning). When I mentioned the Aids problem in some areas in Thailand he looked quite frightened. Apparently he had some interesting experiences already in Bangkok as he told us ('they are so nice and sweet, the Thai girls'), Little detail: a she-male personally accompanied him to his very seat in the train.

Around 10 o'clock the steward (we had 2 stewards for each wagon, one for the beds and one to prepare food and drinks upon request) prepared our beds, and after killing what we hoped was the last cockroach we were shaking asleep by the train movements.