Kanchanaburi

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Having left the scenic yet very sweaty train journey behind we caught a no less sweaty swangthaew (van-taxi) to Blue Star Guesthouse on the banks of the river Kwai in Kanchanaburi. Gordon had booked us into
some beautiful wooden bungalows with air con and a balcony that overlooked lotus flower swamps.

Kanchanaburi felt relaxed and at ease with itself. No touts or go-go bars just a few guesthouses, travel agents and the ever pleasurable 7-eleven nearby (as all 7-eleven's seem to be) for that refreshing Beer
Chang that could be enjoyed by the river for sunset.

The next day we hired two longtail boats to take us on a tour down the river. However these were no ordinary longtail boats, they were longtail powerboats. The wind was certainly in our hair as we raced
along the river to the caves. Once there we walked into an impressive and humid cave where Buddha statues sat and bats hung. Back in the boat we went to the JEATH museum which chronicled the tribulations of the POW that worked on the Bridge over the river Kwai. JEATH stands for the five main nations that were involved; Japan, England, America, Thailand and Holland. It was shocking to read accounts of how they were treated and the illnesses they developed. One hundred thousand Asian labourers and sixteen thousand POW died under a strict Japanese rule. This was brought home by our subsequent trip the the cemetry where grave stones lined the green lawn in the midday blaze. Our trip
concluded at the infamous bridge that we walked accross bearing in mind all we had learnt. It was surprisingly small yet had an aura about it that the work deserved.

We enjoyed great meals at some of Kanchanaburi's atmospheric restaurants. It was great sharing our love of Thai food with them all. We were still struggling with stomach problems which we did not want them to share in. However sometimes in Thailand it comes with the territory. We also went to the bustling Night Market where we sampled the delights of stall food. Ordering 7 dishes at a street stall is never easy though especially as some include meat and some don't which the Thai chefs found rather confusing.

The next day we had arranged to go on an organised trip to Erawan Falls, Hellfire Pass and the Death Railway and were picked up early at 8am. We headed straight for Erawan Falls that fell 2 hours north of
K'buri. Our cheerful guide Avinga soon mastered our names if not the size and dynamics of our family and lead us up to the first tier of the waterfalls where she then stopped and let us make our own way up
the 7 tiered falls. A clever choice indeed.

We headed to the first swimming pool at tier number 2 where we jumped in the refreshing aqua water much to the delight of the picnicing locals. We then clambered to tier 3 where there was a big fall that
could be used as a back massage. The swimming pools also housed a few nippy neighbours in the form of schools of fish that took pleasure in nibbling your feet. On the Khao San Road in Bangkok you can pay up to 200 Baht for fifteen minutes of fish nibbling your feet but here it was free.

Each tier of the seven we climbed had something unique about it, one having a slime formed slide, but it was extra special at the top. The water was a limestone colour coming fresh off high cliffs above. It was a rewarding icey cold temperature after the slog up there and didn't have any nibbly fish which jessie was pleased about. Han and I have been to quite a few waterfalls on our trip but this was by far the best. Even in the dry season it was gushing with water, fish and happy families. A truely magical place to be!

After a spot of lunch we got back in our much appreciated air con minibus and went to Hellfire Pass. The heat that hit us as we walked through the cliff they had cut was stifling. It brought home how tough it must have been to work in those conditions on 18 hour shifts. It was, however, an incredible feat by the workers who built the railway in 15 months with little more than picks and shovels but saddened by the fact it was only in use for less than two years.

The Hellfire Pass was followed by a trip on the Death Railway riding over the rickety viaduct looking out over a fast flowing river.

It was so nice to be with family and to experience this amazing country together. They were certainly getting there fair share of hot weather as the temperature stayed above 40 degrees most of the time.
Harriet's most used phrase in those first few days was "I'm so sweaty" or "SULA" meaning sweaty upper lip alert.

We left K'buri for Bangkok after three great days in the relaxing yet thought provoking town. Our sleeper train to Chiang Mai was that evening but once back in the city of dreams Han and I had to collect our Vietnam visas we had applied for.

We boarded the 7:30pm sleeper train to Chiang Mai minutes after I had rushed to a 7-eleven to get Chang's. We all had double cabins that opened up onto each other where we sat and enjoyed our Chang before they brought us dinner. It was great fun and a special occassion to all be doing this together. We went to bed and woke up with the train delayed by four hours. Hey this is Thailand after all!

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Comments

[Josho]

Beard
Pleased to see it's back!