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Published: December 27th 2010
Because of our tight schedule, we decided to get a tour to Kanchanaburi rather than try to do the trip ourselves. We had to be back the same day because of an early flight the next morning. So we did it the easier and probably more expensive way. If I can get back to Thailand I would like to explore Kanchanaburi a little more but this time we did a tour. A big van picked us up in Bangkok at 6am. We had a 2 hour drive until we arrived in Kanchanaburi and picked up our tour guide. She was a young Thai woman who grew up in the town.
The first thing we did was go to the bridge over the River Kwai. I tried to find good information on this online and didn't. Basically, the Japanese needed a railroad built quickly during the war in order to get war supplies, because the Allies were controlling the seas and they couldn't get anything in by ship. They had to build the railroad- called death railway, through the middle of jungles, mountains and rivers. The Bridge over the River Kwai was built by prisoners of war so the railway could
pass through. It had to be built in a ridiculously small amount of time and it was thought to be impossible. But with the death of thousands and thousands of soldiers, it was completed, only to be bombed a short time later. Anyway, really interesting stuff that I didn't even know about before I went there. It's definitely the main attraction in Kanchanaburi though. There are many museums you can visit to learn more about it. Maybe I should have 😊 BUT we didn't have time.
SO after the Bridge we headed to Erawan Falls which was basically the number 1 thing I wanted to do in Thailand. I heard about it from Amanda and it seemed pretty awesome. I love waterfalls and hiking so I was excited. There's a National Park in the jungle and mountains with a 7 tier waterfall, Erawan Falls. It was unbelievable! You hike up to each tier and they are all impressive and gorgeous. The water is an incredible blue and there are little and rather large fish all over. You can swim in most of the tier's and we did! If you stop swimming for too long, the fish nibble on you.
Gross! I know! But Dr. Fishy in Korea had semi-prepared me for it. We also saw lots of monkeys hanging out in the trees above the falls. I thought it was amazing to be able to hike that little (about an hour) and see that much beauty! It was awesome! I loved it.
As we hiked back down, hundreds of tourists were heading up. We were the only ones swimming at first so that was cool that it was basically empty. But everyone showed up within a few hours and I'm glad we got in and out of there before they did. The timing was perfect! After the falls, and being awake for 6 hours without breakfast, we had a nice Thai lunch that consisted of far more food than we could ever eat. It was great and our tour guide was there holding our hand the whole time. Ha ha. She took pictures and told us facts. It's definitely the way to do something if you don't have any time!
After this, we drove about an hour to an elephant camp. This was Jake's thing. He really wanted to ride an elephant where I was more eager
to go to the Tiger Temple. BUT since I planned the trip and got to do most the things I wanted, I did whatever Jake wanted to do because he only had 2 things. Ha ha. So we went to the Elephant Park and rode an elephant for about 20 minutes. The young guy riding it with us and continually stabbing the elephant in the head, took my camera and said he would take pictures for us if we paid him 100 baht. A ridiculous price I'm sure but I was like whatever, because he was being demanding and sliding down the elephant as he was yelling the price. He got off and walked on the ground for a while and took pictures of us. Then he got back on and asked if I wanted to ride on the elephants head. Of course. So I did and it was poky and terrible as most elephant heads are, I'm sure. There was blood all over the elephants ear and I was trying to keep that from rubbing all over my leg. Really the whole thing was really sad. And I'm not known for my love of animals. I'm sure there are
some people that leave that place in tears.
After the elephants, we floated in a bamboo raft down the river. The scenery was gorgeous and again, it was just Jake and I so it was very peaceful, quiet, and relaxing. Earlier in the day I had aked my tour guide when we were picking up other people, (we're driving in this huge van) and she said, "oh there is no one else because you have the private tour." There was definitely not a private or public tour option on the website, ha ha, I just signed up to go to Erawan and the elephants! But, it was private. We felt special for the day 😊 Between every stop we had to drive a bit and Jake and I were both asleep the entire time. I guess that may not have been possible with a van full of loud anxious tourists.
After the bamboo raft we drove to a small town where you can ride on the Death Railway train. There were tourists shops set up everywhere and millions of hungry mosquitoes. This is where my itchy week began. We bought some ice cream (THEY HAVE MAGNUM BARS IN
THAILAND!!!!!!!!!!!! BEST NEWS we could ever have! We haven't had them in almost 3 years- since SOUTH AFRICA) and wandered around. There's a huge cave near the railroad that the prisoners turned into a hospital and shelter from the bombing. It now has a large buddha and prayer mats. You can walk on the tracks out over the water and it's quite sketchy actually. It's very old and rickety, with many large holes so you have to be careful. I'm not sure they could allow this kind of tourism in America. After a while, the train came and we got on it. Very old and cool. Locals still use it for transportation but it was mostly tourists. We rode it for about 30 minutes through a very rural area. It was neat to see the farmland and small huts where people live. The mountains were beautiful, everything was so green, and the sun was setting. And we were nearly falling asleep after a long day and the constant rocking of the train.
After the train ride, we drove back to Kanchanaburi and dropped off our tour guide. Then we were driven the 2 hours back to Bangkok and dropped
off at the door of our hotel. Another reason we did the tour was so that we could stay in the same hotel 2 nights...because checking out and carrying all your luggage everyday is not fun. The longest we ever stayed in one place was 2 nights, so we did our fair share of carrying our stuff. We did our best to pack light. The problem was that we needed our winter coats and shoes for China and Korea. Thailand was the easy part: sandals and a swimsuit.
I don't know if I've ever needed a shower more than that night. Bloody elephants, fish eating my skin, hiking, sweating, and a very long day. Showers and then food! We had some more pad thai along with shopping on the street, a pedicure (1st in ages) and of course, Jake needed another massage. It was a fabulous day! The weather was wonderful. We never had to wait for anything. We beat all the tourists to most places and we had sufficient time at each stop. It was perfect!
And now it is CHRISTMAS EVE in Korea. How will I celebrate? I will go to work until 10pm, as
3rd tier
swimming againalways. YAY!!!! Immediately after work Jake and I have got to catch a bus to Seoul. We're meeting up with my friend Ashleigh and staying 2 nights in a nice hotel in Myeongdong. Shopping center of Korea. I'm pretty sure the only thing Korea cares about regarding Christmas is shopping so it should be very busy!
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE to everyone! I'd love to be home these next few days but since I'm not I'm looking forward to an adventure here. It's my first Christmas in another country! Love and miss you all!
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Amanda
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Yay! I heart Kanchanaburi! Taking the tour was probably a smart move. It's to bad you guys didn't have more time! Usually we ride motorbikes from the city to the falls, it's such a relaxing and beautiful ride. Looking at your pictures makes me want to go to the falls so badly. Then next I assume you went to the beaches in the south since you flew? It's such a mystery! Can't wait to hear more :)