Part 2: 7th - 9th October - Otherwise known as Scott and the Flesh Eating Fish

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Day two of our trip to Kanchanaburi finally saw us at Erawan Falls, a place we had wanted to visit since our previous trip five years ago.

The falls are located in a national park in Kanchanaburi Province near the Thai/Burmese border.  Erawan falls are named after the three headed white elephant of Hindu mythology. The seven tiered series of cascades stretches about 2.5 km from top to bottom, and if you have a few hours to spare is well worth the trek to each tier.  Due to Scott's recovering broken foot we made it to the 5th tier and decided to stop here, while Yasuihiro, who had come with us, decided to take a look at the 6th and 7th tiers.  We decided to take the extra time to have a refreshing dip in the pools at the bottom of Tier 5.  Refreshing until the attack of the flesh eating fish that is.  

Naturally, spotting a life risking photo opportunity (ie I have the opportunity to take a photo while Scott has the opportunity to risk his life), Scott was instructed to jump into the pool and let them swarm while I snapped away! Back in Bangkok we had seen a number of fish spas, a new phenomenon since our last visit. For 150 baht (around $5 Aussie) with a cold Chang thrown in if you were a good negotiator, you could soak your feet for 30 minutes in a tank full of small fish that would delightedly strip the dead skin from your feet. I've been told that it does not feel as freaky as it sounds. Well Scott got to do it for free with much larger versions.

I, on the otherhand, found another way to relax. There was a fantastic natural spa where the water spilled over the rocks into a small but deep pool that bubbled and frothed like a hot tub on steroids. And it was minus the flesh eating fish.

Yasuhiro returned from his treck to the 6th and 7th tiers, then refreshed and contented we made our way back down to the bottom of the falls for the three hour drive back to Bangkok.

It had been a great couple of days and we finally got to tick off some of the things we'd missed on our first trip. And I actually managed to bring Scott back in one piece, even if he was missing some flesh!!!

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Comments

[Stephen Prince]

Hey Scott The pictures of Erawan Falls look awesome and seeing that you have braved snakes, tigers and flesh eating fish, I definately want to see a picture of you on a mountain bike during your trip. That should be a safe activity compared to the others encountered so far. At the very least, I am sure Shelly would like you to chauffer her around on a rickshall (on an especially hot and humid afternoon) while downing a cold one. Enjoy the rest of your trip. Cheers Steve