Day 3, 27th February - Bangkok

Uncomfortably Lazy....... Life resumes today for most people after a long three-day weekend including for the relatives we came to visit. We've made ourselves as comfortable as we can at Baan Payai Hotel but now it's time to return to Bangkok and take stock of things. That doesn't mean an uneventful day however, as we will continue our searches for building land and of course, mess about on the railway if circumstances permit. It's late morning and those circumstances do permit.
Pak Chong Railway Station....... Goodness knows how many times I visited Pak Chong Railway Station but there is usually activity here. One rapid train is due and I will be content with that but with another arriving within half an hour well, you know how it goes? One thing leads to another and on platform 1 a cement train arrives projecting my visit here well past the time that I expected. At this point what is my plan anyway? While I will continue to look for suitable land but after yesterday I'm not feeling that enthusiastic given what I found out about the price of land in Pak Chong District. Nevertheless, we'll give it another go now that we have more freedom to extend the range.
The extra time at this railway station means it's appropriate to take an early lunch which we do so in the town. That leaves a full afternoon as there's no need to rush our return to Bangkok.
Promised Land....... One area of Pak Chong district that has not yet been explored is an area to the northwest, and we follow Road 2243 which heads out of the province and into Phattana Nikhom District of Lopburi where we started our recent northern Thailand tour. Traveling around along this road we soon identify building land for sale in a most pleasant part of the district with good mountain views. Surely this will not work; the land price is bound to be too expensive but surprisingly as we start inquiring the land here's not a million miles away from my budget. We are though much further away from the popular Khao Yai National Park. I pause for thought as this is a lovely place with good views and cooler air. Under the right circumstances I'm prepared to bend a little. The cost is not the only consideration. It has to suit my partner too and reconciling our needs will not be straightforward. Land rights are a big factor as not all land for sale gives you absolute rights of ownership. There is some really cheap land here but there are many hoops to jump through to secure absolute rights and provide the infrastructure needed to start building a home. Katoon wants a safer bet but the more secure rights means the price of land is much higher. At the end of the day there's no pressure to commit to anything especially as we'll be traveling together to the UK in April. Then there's the onset of the rains season meaning the optimal time to start a project would be much later in the year.
Without considering further options I decide to take a break and reconnect to the railway again, this time in the adjacent province of Saraburi.
Muak Lek Railway Station....... We arrive at Muak Lek Railway Station via a more scenic route rather than the obvious one. By now I'm a lot more familiar with the train schedules and my arrival here is affected by my recent experience when I took the train from Pha Sadet to Pak Chong noting that this is a passing point for trains over this single track.
. My visit here allows a much better view of the activity at exactly the same time as this happened two days ago. As I arrive at this station waiting for these two services to cross I get a bonus. A CSR SDA4 rumbled through the station with a train of empty wagons heading for Hin Lap freight terminal. It's not long before the first passenger service arrives. As expected this is the rapid service from Ubon Ratchathani and it has to wait here for line clearance. 20 minutes later the ordinary service for Surin arrives. This is the same train and actually the same locomotive that was used on that service that I took before. To see three trains in a short space of time is wonderful as I continue to add more interesting videos for my YouTube Channel. It's not even 3.00 pm, so we might as well continue where we left off.
Word of Mouth....... It's become clear to me by now that selling land in Thailand without going through an agent is a popular option. Selling land by word of mouth somehow helps the vendor avoid paying tax and agents fees. The problem with that is you really need some local knowledge and to obtain that knowledge is something my partner is excellent at. Entering into conversation with local people is possible in a number of situations but where better than at a railway station? Very soon we get some advice on where to find land in Muak Lek District, and we able to spend a good two hours searching around in an area that has good views and great potential. The lead takes us into an area with a number of options and my partner is soon on the phone. Into a second session my searching around for building land is looking even more promising. I'm starting to get hooked on this area. Between Muek Lek and to the edge of the Pasak Chonlisid Reservoir there is great potential with a cooler climate, relatively easy access to the rail and road network, good views and laid back atmosphere. Another advantage of this location is that we are just two hours from Bangkok so why am I procrastinating? Well, there's still time to explore this area more thoroughly before I return to the UK and that's exactly what I intend to do. Should something become available at the right price then it would be great to secure something before my return and set in motion steps necessary to begin development when I return in the autumn. In terms of land hunting, this day has been more productive than I expected but there is one more duty to perform.
Kaeng Khoi Railway Junction Depot....... Kaeng Khoi is another favorite place of mine due to the railway depot here. In the past I've been given permission to walk along the railway tracks here and view whatever locomotives are in the maintenance facility. However, today is a weekday and there is far more activity in the depot than I expected: There may be as many as a dozen locomotives here all needing some form of repair. These engines travel considerable distances and it's remarkable that the engineers here keep them running. There's so much activity going on that I'm not surprised they refused me permission even to take a few photographs but then health and safety is a great concern as it should be.
We now cover the remaining distance to Bangkok, and we arrive at the residence just after 7.00pm. There has to be a pause now. We've been traveling for 20 days and that's unsustainable. As regards what's happened today I'm eager to repeat it having an identified something I can work with but that may have to wait awhile as there's another long distance tour is waiting in the wings.
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