train to Chiang Mai

Now I am waiting for the train to depart that bridges the gap to all the possibilities ahead, new faces, different places, strange situations that no doubt I will get into. I pause a little on this just to recap from a previous experience, hmmmm yes must not do that this time, no definitely that will not happen..avoid monkeys....yes, this is a good one. I nearly lost a finger to one of these cute, vicious little things in Thailand last year, now I have a severed tendon that needs sewing back together when I have a free 6 months or so of doing nothing......I entertained myself this way for some time whilst waiting for some movement, then slowly came around to the present. I had been in Bangkok now for over a week getting visas and equipment together, now I was sitting here waiting for the train to leave for Chiang mai, but already loaded with a head full of sleepless nights and a good coating of Bangkok`s finest filth inside my delicate alveoli`s. Big cities were never my thing, with that and spending too long in the south of France I think all that clean air had done me no good, it has made me weak, vulnerable and susceptible to filth I think. Hence the pollution quickly got the better of me, sore throats followed, then fever and hacking up big lumps of Bangkok for 3 consecutive nights. I was feeling pretty drained in the end so I decided to give into medication. I went to a pharmacy and asked for some sleeping pills. They said "these are velly good, take two you will sleep no problem” Ok so I took 4 to be sure and yes I went out like a light but woke up 2 hours later dripping with fever and spinning around my bed like some possessed horror movie extra. Sleep had sidestepped me again for the fourth night. I hoped the train would rock me to sleep tonight. The train started to move and I revelled in this feeling just as the airplane engages its thrust, we are off, here we go again. I never get bored of this. This feeling to be in transit, to be in motion, to be getting closer to somewhere, to something...... the uncertainty.......but now I really want to sleep, please....... Amazing how life comes up with these situations how creative it can be when you are vulnerable in some way, kind of immature and spiteful at times it can be, so this time it seems I am to be the only one who has the dodgy light fitting directly above me strobbing in a perfect way that would cause the strongest mind to go into a seizure, with that and synchronized with the manic 3 year old opposite, complemented the orchestra of annoyance designed to irritate a sleep deprived individual with.....hmmmm yes thank you life, I can see how funny it must be to you. Finally I managed to sleep a little and woke at around 7.30am the train chugging along happily completely un-phased by annoying light fittings and hyperactive children. Thick green jungle foliage now casually brushed past the windows, real banana leaves wave at me playfully, and my excitement hormones duplicated themselves in anticipation to breathe this heady tropical concoction, perfume for my soul at last.