The adventure is slowing down...

So here I am now in Bangkok (with all that that entails/offers).  The last 2 days were hard work travelling - up at 6am on Wednesday to vacate the apartment in Phnom Penh (Da is moving into a cheaper one - she doesnt need airconditioning and the new one gives her parking for her and her brother's motorcycles).  Then it was a 7 hour bus ride to Poipet - with some gastric distress along the way - I had to make a run at one rest-stop and make the bus wait for me.  A peaceful night at a nice clean hotel was followed by crossing the border into Thailand - I still find it surreal walking across aborder expecially between two countries whos governments are increasingly hostile to each other - meanwhile the people cross fairly freely - the Khmers have a market in Thailand and with a border pass and a payment of a thousand riel (25 cents) they can cross as long as they remain within the 1km border zone.  Khmers were being searched by Thai soldiers - I wasnt touched at all - neither was Da as she was with me.  Then I had to leave Da as the train station is 5Km from the border - an 80baht ($2.25) Tuk-tuk ride took me to the station where I then had a 2 hour wait for the train - why am I always so paranoid about being early for trains and planes?  The third class train to Bangkok departed at 13:55 - the 6 hour ride cost a grand total of 48baht - yes that is $1.50 for a 6 hour train ride - I had a 4 seat area to myself so it ws very comfortable - I even found soft seats unlike the wooden seats I had 5 years ago when I made the same trip in reverse.  Periodic checks by very serious looking heavily armed (automatic weapons) soldiers occurres during the first houir or so as we left the Cambodian border - again I wasnt questioned or searched but anyone with a Cambodian passport was intensively questioned and their bags searched - illegal immigration and drugs from Cambodia being an ongoing issue - plus it gave the Thai goons the cnace to intimidate their poorer weaker neighbors - a favorite sport. Spectacular views of the Thai farming countryside in the hot sunshine were the order of most of the day - the train being cool (out of the direct sunlight) due to the windows dropping completely down to chest level.  It was of course dark by the time we reached Bangkok - (19:55) and the trip became a kaleidoscopic rush through an amazing light show (think the StarGate from 2001) - as we approached Hualumpong Station the slums along the tracks encroached ever closer - I guess the land isnt owned or used by anyone but the SRT so the illegal squatters use every meter - literally peoples washing and homes were within touching distance from the windows - I even saw one impromptu bar where the pool table was set up such that one would have to stand on the railroad tracks to play a shot along one side of the table. The voyeurism of looking into peoples homes is really weird especially when the train would pause for a few minutes on the approach and people would go on with their evening routines - washing, eating bathing the kids etc. I shot a hell of a lot of video which tells the whole journey from Aranyaprathet to Bangkok - I will need to split it up into 3 or 4 videos to conform to YouTube's 10 minute limit but I believe the effort will be worthwhile as some people may be interested - I know that outside of my friends/family people have watched some of my videos - my Soi Cowboy video from 2 months ago currently has a view count of 450 and I know train videos are popular worldwide.  So I guess my day today in Bangkok is to be devoted to video editing - I have done all the tourist things - dont need to shop and it is awfully warm - this is the cool season now - but Bangkok deserves its title as the worlds hottest city - it is 33 degrees today (91F) - while it is true that other cities get hotter - Bangkok overall year round has the highest average temperature - and when it is hot in BKK it is REALLY hot - the humidity and the traffic and concrete ensure that - Phnom Penh was equally hot but it has breezes - BKK is just stifling.  So I think I will lay low in the rom with TV and aircon and wait for the wild life to come out after dark.  Videos later.