Travel Days on The Race are always unique and different. I never really know what to expect. The first travel day with my new team, The Golden Girls, was from Penang, Malaysia to Bangkok. It’s a good thing these girls have good senses of humor and low-key personalities.
May 4th, 2017. 3rd class, no a/c, 16 hour train ride to Bangkok, Thailand.
Min. 1: kicked a family out of our seats. #awkward
Min. 3: beast-liked creature (insect) causes mass chaos within the Golden Girls after crawling out from underneath Dakota’s seat. Cary saves the day.
Min. 4: the smell of urine from the nearby bathroom fills our noses.
Min. 5: we sanitize our space with wet wipes. Outcome on the wipes…horrifying.
Min. 9: two of the 7 Golden Girls lose their tickets and are unable to prove they’re allowed on the train.
Min. 12: both tickets are found.
Min. 13: starts to rain. Windows must be closed. No air flow on train.
Min. 16: the other foreigners on the train move away from us. Couldn’t handle our rambunctious personalities.
Min. 21: Liz buys a snack and finds a staple mixed within the food…after almost eating it.
Hour 1 Min. 3: train suddenly stops and we smell something burning.
Hour 1 Min. 4: bug interrupts serious conversation
Hour 1 Min. 7: Golden Girls sings theme song for entire train to hear.
Hour 1 Min 23: Dakota receives first lesson in Thai Language. Becomes fluent…kinda.
Hour 3: Liz buys a “mango”
Hour 3 Min. 5: Liz exchanges “mango” for pineapple. Still gross.
Hour 3 Min. 9: Dakota tries cayenne pepper salt. Gags.
Hour 16 Min 36: little girl with fake eye pops eye in and out of socket. Golden Girls are transfixed and can’t look away. They are also scarred.
Hour 17: train finally arrives in Bangkok.
