Blogs from Kanchanaburi, Western Thailand, Thailand, Asia - page 55

So I left Bangkok and got on a bus to go to Kanchanaburi. I met this Dutch couple, Bram and Karen, on the bus who were my age and we ended up staying at the same place. They were on a round-the-world trip as well but they had already been traveling for 6 months. There trip sounded amazing and made me jealous. But they're not going to Africa, so ha. Our guest house in Kanchanburi was perfect. It was sitting in the River Kwai so you had to take a boat to it. It was really secluded and peaceful. It was just me, the Dutch couple and this gigantic Polish guy. Bram, Karen and I went to see the sites together. The first day we went to see a bunch of museums and tours about the ... read more

For our final night in Bangkok, we headed downtown to the Skybar at the Sirocco, an open-air restaurant 64 floors above street level- a world record. From here, you can lean over the railing while you sip your Cosmopolitan and drop cocktail olives on those less fortunate below you. Linda got chatted up by a drunken Finn; to reassert my authority I led her to the dance floor and we shuffled about to the strains of "On the Street Where You Live"- the singer complimented us on our efforts (we were the only ones dancing!)- those of you who came to our wedding will be aware that this comment was directed at Linda, not me. We left Bangkok then next day, bound for Kanchanaburi. This is a small town about 100km west of the capital, whose ... read more

Today we did quite a lot - and as its my first full day with out a nap, I'm pretty tired so please excuse any and all typos. I'll get pictures up next time.....there are Germans waiting to use the computer. This morning we headed off in what was pretty much a converted pick up truck, It had partly cushioned benches and a roof - but that was the extent of the amenities. We went over to the Jeath War museum to check out the WWII exhihit. We walked on the Bridge (well, not the real one as that was blown up, but one nearby). Did a little gift shopping - got a great outfit for my nephew (he can't read so I can write that here) - and a couple of other small things. Then ... read more

Well, here we are in our next stop - Kachanaburi. We arrived here about 3pm today after a long bus ride and much reflection. First thing this morning, we met our group at 9am and headed off to the river where a long tailed boat was waiting to take us to Wat Pho before we began our journey to Kachanaburi. Yeah, I was there yesterday, but mainly for the massage :) Our guide, Prik, took us through the many buildings and monuments that made up the Wat and gave us insight into the history of Thailand and the influence of Buddhism on the Thai culture. We in the U.S. really have no relative knowledge as to what depth history can have and how it shapes a peoples' ideals, outlook on life, and expectations of appropriate behaviors. ... read more

Last night a bunch of Thais showed up at our guesthouse for a karaoke party. I've never heard anything like it. When we lived in Clovelly, there was a mangy old cat that used to sit on the garage roof at night and call out 'Woooooooooowwww, wooooooooooowww, wwooooooooowww'. It nearly drove us to distraction. Even so, that cat was more tuneful than this bunch. The aim seemed to be to sing louder and more balefully than your predecessor. I've seriously never heard anything so bad, and that includes the Adorable concert that I've still not forgiven Luke Barrett for taking me to. This morning they're all sitting around playing acoustic guitar. Badly. After getting very little sleep, Stuart made the comment, 'The problem with guitars is that people feel the need to use them.' Other than ... read more