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Tuesday, 3:30 AM I woke up in a cold sweat and could not go back to sleep. I started thinking about the day we were going to have in Bangkok. The plan was to enjoy a full day of sightseeing and take the overnight train to Chiang Mai. When I took the overnight train 4 years ago, I walked up to the counter and bought a ticket right before the train left. When planning this trip, I figured I would do the same thing. My internet search at 3:30 AM indicated that the whole process had recently been automated and tickets could now be purchased on line. Consequently, the tickets for the night train, and almost every other train that day, were sold out. We didn't have a hotel booked for that night because I had planned on the overnight train. Our hotel in Chiang Mai was non-refundable at this point so the longer we stayed in Bangkok, the more money we were going to waste. I couldn't book a same day flight and the buses were all full. By 6:00 AM I was so anxious and tired that I was crying. I decided to hop in a tuk tuk and go to the train station and see if they had any tickets they hadn't sold. I woke my two teenage boys and told them what was going on. I asked them to pay attention to their phones in case I needed to get ahold of them. The tuktuk ride was fast and furious and I got to the train station quickly. Sure enough, they were sold out of the overnight tickets. The only option they had left was an 11 hour day train, which left at 8:30 that same morning. I got the last tickets for the air-conditioned car....thank goodness. I ran back out of the train station and stood in the taxi line. I was super unlucky and was assigned a driver who said he knew where our hotel was, but he didn't. Fast forward to 7:20 AM and I was sitting in bumper to bumper traffic and not moving. I was now very concerned that we were going to miss the 8:30 train. I felt the panic rising again. I had purchased a SIM card for my phone so I was able to see where I was at least. I texted the boys and told them they needed to pack up quickly and get breakfast because we were leaving on a morning train. I inched along in bumper to bumper traffic. In total and complete frustration, I paid my driver and jumped out of the taxi. I ran several blocks towards a major street that crossed the one I was on. I ran several more blocks in the direction of the hotel trying to catch a taxi. I finally caught one and we made our way toward the hotel. I was a sweaty, anxious mess at this point. The traffic continued to build as we drove. We pulled up at 7:35 and the driver agreed to wait while I ran inside to pack my clothes. I passed the boys who were eating breakfast. I yelled at them to grab their things, check out of the hotel, and get in the taxi. I am certain that I looked like the running screaming crazy lunatic that I was in that moment. I frantically threw my stuff into my luggage. The day before had been a long, hot, muggy and rainy day in Bangkok. There wasn't time for me to change my clothes or even brush my teeth. We shoved our luggage into the waiting taxi and crossed our fingers that we would be able to navigate through traffic quickly. We made it to the train station with just a few minutes to spare. We used that time to pop into a convenience store and grab a few snacks for the long train ride. We boarded, stored our luggage, and collectively took a deep breath. We were going to make it to Chaing Mai a bit sooner than expected but at least we had seats, snacks and air conditioning.