{"id":131781,"date":"2023-02-11T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-11T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/#article-144692"},"modified":"2023-02-11T14:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-02-11T14:00:00","slug":"soapbox-i-scoffed-at-switch-lite-then-i-backpacked-through-south-east-asia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2023\/02\/11\/soapbox-i-scoffed-at-switch-lite-then-i-backpacked-through-south-east-asia\/","title":{"rendered":"Soapbox: I Scoffed At Switch Lite, Then I Backpacked Through South East Asia"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they’ve been chewing over. Today, Rory details how Nintendo’s smallest Switch finally won him over…<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Bangkok<\/a>
Image: Rory Cocker \/ Nintendo Life<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cYes sir, it\u2019s definitely a sleeper train. Don\u2019t worry.\u201d<\/p>\n

The lady at the ticket office chuckled to herself as her colleagues gave her a knowing smirk. There I was: another clueless westerner, fresh off the plane to Bangkok and bamboozled by\u2026well, everything, to be honest with you.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlrighty then, if you say so!\u201d<\/p>\n

With (slightly) renewed confidence, I head back to the platform and climb aboard the train for a second time. I squint out of the grubby window to confirm the platform number, and I pore over the information on my ticket for what feels like the fiftieth time.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, I\u2019m in the right place. This is definitely the 10 o\u2019clock to Chiang Mai.\u201d<\/p>\n

But I still don\u2019t see any beds. My back starts to ache at the prospect of spending the next 14 hours in an upright position. But I keep faith in the ticket lady\u2019s words.<\/p>\n

For a moment, I prise my eyes away from the impressively plump rat that had been scurrying around the tracks, and I look up to see a train guard sporting an immaculate green uniform, and an equally uptight expression.<\/p>\n

He reaches up to the overhead luggage compartment, and, with a turn of the special tool hanging from his neck, reveals\u2026oh, Christ<\/em>. Not a luggage compartment at all, but my bed for the night. It\u2019s like a dinner tray! Little wonder I hadn\u2019t seen it.<\/p>\n

\"Sleeper<\/a>
Thai trains are not designed with the very tall in mind. I know this now. \u2014 Image: Rory Cocker \/ Nintendo Life<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I clamber my way up a rather sketchy-looking ladder and have a giggle to myself as I try to wedge my six-foot-four frame into a definitely-not-six-foot-four<\/em> space. To further compound my misery, it\u2019s September in Thailand, and the humidity is punishing.<\/p>\n

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I always said a Switch that couldn\u2019t be docked was a non-starter for me.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Two nights of (very) solid partying at the Mad Monkey hostel ensure that my sleeping pattern is in tatters too, and, as the train pulls away, screeching and bouncing as it goes, I realise that the carriage lights are staying on for the whole journey. It\u2019s going to be a long night.<\/p>\n

At this point, I\u2019ve already demolished the Citrus Twist Lay\u2019s (absolutely elite, btw) and double-stuffed Oreos I\u2019d bought for the journey, so I can\u2019t even eat the boredom away. Luckily, I have an ace up my sleeve.<\/p>\n

Pre-flight checks<\/strong><\/h2>\n

You see, a few weeks previous, I had been carrying out last-minute packing rehearsals, and it turns out that cramming your entire life into a 40-litre Osprey backpack doesn\u2019t allow for quite<\/em> as much opulence as you might like.<\/p>\n

My \u2018going out\u2019 shoes are the first casualty, but with each zip-seam-busting attempt, it is clear that I am going to have to make some pretty severe cutbacks. Either that or buy a bigger backpack, but honestly, ain\u2019t nobody got time for those checked luggage fees.<\/p>\n

So, as I deliberate on which three t-shirts to take and which seven to throw out (I\u2019m new<\/em> to this, alright<\/em>?!) my laptop makes way for a slimmer tablet and mini Bluetooth keyboard. At this point, the weight reduction is becoming a bit of an obsession. I feel like a McLaren engineer.<\/p>\n

I unzip the front compartment and see my OG launch Switch and its big, bulky case staring back at me. To my newly-obsessive eyes, it\u2019s monstrously huge. I begrudgingly start to envision nine months (!) without a second playthrough of Metroid Dread<\/a>, and\u2026actually, you know what? That doesn\u2019t seem so bad.<\/p>\n