Blogs from Kanchanaburi, Western Thailand, Thailand, Asia

Here we are for another fun week-end outside Bangkok. I would first like to thank Shane for giving us the idea in the first place. This is the blog that bring us here . I have to admit, Shane pictures are way more impressive than mine! We spent two days and a night just outside of Kanchanaburi, staying at Elephants World. Julia decided to join us last minute for this serious session of fun. The week-end ended between having fun with the elephants, learning about them...and relaxing in the middle of nowhere. First step, we took a taxi to Tonburi bus station just outside Bangkok. There we boarded a bus for the two hours ride to Kanchanaburi where the people of Elephants World we waiting for us. Most people will come to Elephants World for the ... read more

The change of trainstations in Bangkok was rough ... 45C and thus hid out in the 7/11 airconditioned supermarket ... the 2.5 hr ride took about 4 and obviously was sitting at the wrong side of the train ... best to watch the pictures again ...... read more

About 4 hours Drive West from Bangkok is kanchanaburi Province. Our accomodation was bordered by the River Kwai which flowed quickly and carried everything from speedboats to floating houses and restuarants. Our firstday trip was to the Erawan waterfalls, 7 tiers and 5km of pathways... each with pools deep enough to swim in. Plenty of locals as wellas tourists and school groups spent the scorching hot day in the cooling pools and showers on water from the mountain. Even while you swim small fish bite at your ankles; the same fish they use in massages in the street in Bangkok. The next outing was to one of Kanchanaburi's many temples. This one required a steep climb through the body of a concrete dragon up the mountainside. Inside we were blessed by the resident monk and learned ... read more

We are now in some place that I cant spell. Kanchanaburi. There you go. Lots of walking around today. We also went to the war museum and railway line (pictures to follow). We have been fairly good, walking everywhere and getting local buses as much as we can. Currently listening to random songs on you tube, it seems that i just cannot go without getting my music fix. We are staying at a lovely guest house called sugar cane 2. It is right on the river and I suddenly felt really excited, it finally sunk in that i was travelling. I think the Chang (beer) may have helped as well (although i think the small bottle and heat helped). I think we may be going to the Zoo tomorrow, not sure. We never plan too far ... read more

We started our journey through north Thailand leaving Bangkok from its Southern Bus Terminal and were introduced to the concept of a bus hostess, prancing down the aisle in her high heels handing out water and biscuits. Something National Express is definitely lacking! Our first stop was Kanchanaburi, home to the Bridge over the River Kwai, no longer made of wood, and has actually been destroyed twice since first being constructed. We decided the best way to see and experience the rickety railway was to take the train from Kanchanaburi over the bridge, through some fantastic scenery and the cliff hugging bends to Namtok. At Namtok we visited the Hellfire Pass Museum, a memorial museum and walking trail dedicated to the 100,000 workers who died building the Thai-Burma “Death Railway”, under the Japanese occupation during the ... read more

Arived in Kanchanaburi yesterday. This is the third time i have visted and i still love it, it feels like a trip to a beach as a kid, similar but still exciting. Today I settled in to the Jolly Frog backpacker Hostel. This place is awesome and has great prices and an amzing view of the river. The riverside is just one street with everything you need on it, from laid back cafes to book stores. Compared to bangkok it is much more relaxed while still offering everything that a traveler might need. There is almost nothing better than sitting down by the River Kwai reading a book and chatting with other travelers. The scenery is gorgeous and as the sun sets the orange hue it cats over the water is almost magical. Kanchanaburi for me ... read more

On Wednesday, Griff and I did a tour that took us to Kanchanaburi Province, about 120km from Bangkok. The tour was to include some war history, traveling on the Death Railway, an elephant ride, and going to a tiger sanctuary. We were told that we’d be picked up by the tour company at 6:30am. Sooooo early. What made it worse was that they were early picking us up. I gulped a banana (grown locally – so good!) and hopped into the van. We drove through Bangkok for maybe half an hour, and then the driver told us we had to switch vans. We were right across from a hotel with these two girls waiting outside, but we didn’t pick them up. At the time, I was thinking that maybe they were doing another tour, but no, ... read more