The route offers endless water views that some passengers have described as a scene from a Studio Ghibli film.
A lone boatman watches Thailand’s so-called “floating train” pass by as selfie-seeking passengers enjoy the water views, disembarking from carriages stopped on a narrow bridge.
Rail adventures are gaining popularity in the kingdom among tourists seeking off-the-beaten-path trips experiences away from the hordes visit temples and beaches.
Saturday was the first State Railways of Thailand “Rot Fai Loi Nam” service from Bangkok to Pasak Jolasid Dam, marking the end of the rainy season.
Hundreds of bleary-eyed passengers boarded the train at Bangkok’s century-old Hua Lamphong station before dawn.
Lotus ponds, jungles, temples and paddies they whizzed by as tourists in third class leaned out the window and took photos while enjoying the natural air conditioning.
Endless water views and unique selfie opportunities
Enjoying the day trip with her mother, Lily Piratchakit, 11, said the view of the water was “endless.”
“It was fantastic,” he told AFP. “It’s nice to travel, be outdoors and get some fresh air.”
Yellowing Thai aunts would sail to Ayutthaya, the ancient capital of Siam, to sell cotton candy and pad krapow, a popular stir-fried basil dish.
Three and a half hours after leaving Bangkok, the renewed Japanese train hauling more than a dozen carriages they crossed the Pasak Jolasid reservoir on a series of viaducts, stopping for 20 minutes of selfies.
Taiwanese university exchange student Wei Wu, 21, said it was exciting to pose for photos on the railway tracks.
“It’s very beautiful. It’s the first time I’ve taken a train in Thailand,” he told AFP. “Most tourists will only see stereotypes of Thailand.”
An unknown but unique experience
For much of the year, cattle graze under the bridge, “but from October to January the water is high on both sides, which gives the impression that the train is floating on water,” said a British expatriate from long time, train enthusiast and travel blogger. Richard Barrow.
“I’ve done it many times and I’m already booked to do it three more times this season.”
Other passengers describe the trip as something out of a Studio Ghibli filmscomparing the path that runs alongside the dam to the famous train scene from Spirited Away.
“I think in Europe and America, and certainly in Japan, there is a train culture, people want to travel by train as part of their holiday,” adds Barrow.
“But the problem is there Thailand, all trips like this today, are only advertised in Thai language. There’s nothing in English, and the same goes for the steam excursion that goes six times a year, nothing in English, so it’s kind of a missed opportunity.”
Later in the day some passengers visited Pasak Jolasid Dam and enjoyed picnics.
The dam is used for agriculture and flood prevention and is fast becoming an attraction for tourists with popular train trips running from November to January.
For Mail, 28, and her boyfriend, the floating train experience was the perfect compromise with the water view.
“I don’t like the sea, but he likes it. That’s why we came here,” she joked.
Image:Getty Images
