Pulau Penang and Train to Bangkok

I arrived in Penang around 7 pm and set off looking for a hostel, I stumbled upon a Chinese restaurant on Lebuh Cintra and stuffed my face with beautiful steamed dumplings, a lot of other strange seafood treats and soft steamed buns filled with red bean and custard. After dinner I kept looking for somewhere to stay, after checking out many shitty, hot, small dorms I found a place which was quiet with air con for only 20RM on on a little street called Love Lane. I decided to get a night train in the morning up to Bangkok to meet Danny and Jasper, and head back down to Southern Thailand after they leave, it cost 110RM and was a 16 hour trip. In the morning I walked around the makets in Chinatown, they were crazy! lots of produce (including chicken feet), clothes and food stalls, I found a stall selling my favourite sweet tofu, then went for yum cha. Then I set off to find train to Bangkok, this involved a ferry over to Butterworth where I found the train station and was able to buy a ticket. The train was nice and comfortable for the first hour after that it filled up with lots of local people, we travelled past miles and miles of rice paddies, lots of people were fishing along side, it reminded me Luke Nguyen cooking a mud fish on a stick in the rice paddies in Vietnam. I had a sweet family with a little child sitting with me, very cute and kept me entertained until we reached the Thai border. Getting through customs was very straight forward but I was a bit nervous as people had said mixed things about fighting on some parts of the border and it was in the middle of nowhere so I would hate to get stuck there if I couldn't cross border. The train ride was pretty easy, I met a nice Indian guy from Australia so we chatted a lot and stayed up having a few beers and chatting about travel. I got a sleeper carriage and was quite comfortable so I got a really good night sleep. Woke up for breakfast around 9 am it was ok, fried eggs with toast and jam, from there it was an interesting ride through lots of small towns into Bangkok. I met a nice couple from Scotland and chatted about travelling up to the highlands of Scotland as it is nice and quiet and cheaper during the holiday period in Europe so might do that. Hope you guys back in Australia are well, im very happy, eating great food and having lots of fun in Bangkok with Danny and Jasper. Love you all xxx

Lady serving dumplings out of massive bamboo steamer, Chicken feet stall- men cutting off toes, One of the mad old ladies on motor bikes, Ferry to Butterworth, Looking back to Pulau Penang, Sleeper train to Bangkok, My bed.