Erewan Falls

---

Hey everyone - hope all is well at home (sorry I haven't asked that before!). Feel free to add a comment or send a message to these blogs...so I know you're all still alive...

So, a bit of catching up to do...on Thursday morning we took a minivan to Erewan National Park which is about 80km out of Kanchanaburi. The main reason for visiting the park was to see Erewan Falls, a 7-tiered series of waterfalls which eventually feeds into a tributary to the river Kwai. The obligatory tourist shops were gathered at the bus station entry, and although I have been pretty good at ignoring the touts, I am now the proud owner of a small ceramic dish with Louisa and Sam's photo in the middle. Probably won't be the first crappy souvenir I buy on this trip (sorry kids).

Anyway, we spent the morning at the Falls, and it was brilliant. This place really is stunning and is a must for anyone visiting the area. As we only had 2 and a half hours there, and the 2 km hike uphill to the 7th tier and back takes 2 hours, we didn't attempt the full journey, but had a swim at levels 4 and 2. The water was beautifully cool and a weird green colour from the local limestone deposits. At one of the pools I saw a large water monitor slip into the water and glide away...thought it best not to tell Lou and Sam. The best part was that the pools are teeming with fish, some as long as your arm, but mostly smaller finger-length ones that nibble on your legs and feet if you stay still for long enough. They have no teeth so it doesn't hurt, rather extremely ticklish, but plenty of European tourists were squealing and jumping around when they had their first "bite". Great free entertainment.

Also, one of those spooky coincidences...a mother and son who shared our van were from Sydney...Baulkham Hills...Hilda Road to be exact. The son went to Jasper Road Primary School which for those of you who are not aware is directly across the street from my mum's house where I spent the first 20-odd years of my life. Bizarre!

That night we had dinner at the Jolly Frog Guest House, around the corner from where we were staying. As you'd probably know, Thailand is great for food and this was no exception...a whole fresh fish will sides etc for about $2.50....or a plate of the best Pad Thai you'll ever eat for about a dollar. It's no wonder we've come across plenty of folks who spend up to 6 months in Thailand every year; one we met yesterday even keeps an apartment in Chiang Mai which is so cheap (about $175 per month) she only stays there for a couple of months in the year. Surprisingly a lot of families are on the road also. A Dutch couple we met were home schooling their 2 boys (aged 10 and 8) while they travelled around Asia for 6 months. I wouldn't like my chances of getting Louisa or Sam to pick up a school book while we're over here...

Cheers xxx

---