The train, the bus and on to Phimai

Well I was up nice and early to catch the train to Korat to get a bus to Phimai....The train has three classes...I st, obviously the best class..2 nd, the usual tourist hang out or better to do locals, and third...My choice!! Nothing better than being in with the local people, windows down getting covered in soot and dirt from the tracks...Also the cheapest option available.
I love to see peoples reaction when they see me on the carriage with them. It's like they've never seen a westerner before and there's much fuss and chatting to be had. I drew the plus card and got seated next to a old fella who was missing many teeth and wanted to tell me all his ailments. Thank god I don't speak Thai!! I was polite enough to fain sleep and ignore him as he hocked up phlegm and constantly spat out the window. Gladly he moved on to someone who could empathise with him about what ever it was that was killing him slowly and loudly!
Being foreign is a plus, people constantly offer you food to sample and drinks to try but refusal seems so rude but a plus for my health I think.

finally I arrived and caught a Tuk Tuk to the bus station, but not without the usual inquiring
questions from the driver...How old, where from, only one, why alone, why not married, why am I not being loved by some one, why traveling for so long????
I want to say "I'm not married because my bastard of a husband ran of for greener grass, my age is none of your bloody business and it's rude to ask, I'm traveling for as long as a bloody like because I'm richer than you and I bloody well can, No, Australia has more than two states (Melbourne and Sydney) and no Sydney is not the capitol, I don't know why I'm not loved but probably cause you bastards keep telling me I'm fat and my ego is as small as a pea thanks to you.....WHY DON"T YOU MIND YOU OWN BUSINESS!!!! AND JUST DRIVE YOU LUNATIC!!!
But I don't I just polity smile and answer his stupid questions. Obviously I lie in answer to most of them.
I arrived finally in Phimai and found a room at the Old Phimai Guest house. It's pretty rickety
but plenty of character and it's cheap.....(soon I'm going to splash out and get a room with air con!!) Nothing really goes on in this place at night so I decided to try my hand at the post office...I know I know..Malaysia kinda did for me in the post office department but I felt strong and up for a challenge. It wasn't too bad I actually got to send off 6 parcels in the space of an hour and there were no tears!!! Yes it's true... Not a word spoken in English, and I'm sure he was picking on me most of the time, but it was sent. I do thank some lovely lady who helped me pack my box and fill out the forms all with a charade of sign language and pointing. And don't worry I did get my own back with the fella in the post office by telling him very fast in English that he's a wanker and he may think I'm a stupid tourist but I'm not!!! All with a smile and a whay,(hands in a praying position and up near your face) which he thinks I was saying thank you. haha. Yeah, lets just see if my parcels arrive!
Today I went for a walk to the ceremony gate in the historical area...It was a long walk for little reward but the Wat was amazing!! It's in the Khmer period and pre dates Angkor Wat in Cambodia by at least a hundred years. It's believed that this temple was what Angkor Wat was designed from. They restored much of this temple in the late 60's and it's just beautiful. I got many photo's with monks walking through the temple and it's such a beautiful contrast of bright orange robes against the old rocks.
I was also accosted by a group of Chicky monks in stark white robes. They all hugged me and took photos and we walk arm in arm, hand in hand, and draping off me around the temple. I was really funny because we were trying to talk to each other but none of us could understand one another. We just laughed and laughed. The male monks thought i was so funny taking photos of them considering they can't touch me they just took photos too.
I feel rather "blessed" and it was a really lovely if not strange experience.
So tomorrow I am off again.......On yet another adventure