Furnace or Train?

---

Leaving Khao Yai I needed to get the 9:30am bus back to BKK in order to make it across town to Bangkok Noi/Thonburi train station.
Unfortunately, the American girls were not ready at the 9am ride to the bus station and I, along with the Dutch people missed the bus. To make matters worse, the 10am bus was late. Finally, we were on the road, but I was tense and nervous that I wouldn't make the train connection to Kanchanaburi. Furthermore, I was worried I wouldn't find a taxi to take me there as it's on the other side of town. In hindsight...I wish I'd have missed that train...which would've forced me to take a bus.
Ah well.

The taxi driver found me--immediately--and spoke English and said he'd take me for 300B. I stayed firm at 200B and off we went. He even took my (god it's so heavy what the hell did I pack?) backpack, slung over ONE shoulder all of the way to the taxi which was parked quite a distance away. Thank god it was an A/C taxi and off we went.
We made it to the train station with 20 minutes to spare and as I got out of the car...my bag broke. The clasp--yes, the side the cab driver had put off the weight on--snapped. I almost snapped too.
But, I tied it in a knot and hoped for the best. So far, so good.
The train pulled up and I thought... un oh.
The price, 25 B should've clued me in, but no.
This is an OLD train. With straight backed wooden seats, open windows and NO a/c. It goes so slow that sometimes there is not enough air moving to make a breeze. Whatever the seats have been shellacked with make your legs sweat so much it looks like you've wet yourself. OK, but I can handle it for 2.5 hours I keep telling myself. But the train ran late. I can't tell you how many times the voice in my head was saying "I'm going to die, I'm going to die." It was well over 100 degrees, no kidding.
Why didn't I take the bus??? Because I have this crazy love affair with trains. The love is wearing off, let me tell you.

Two stops before Kanchanaburi, a woman came by to show me a pamphet of her guesthouse. I had contacted 2 GH's, but surprise, they never answered me back! She was offering me a room right on the river with fan for 250 B plus free transport. I decided what the hell, I'll take a look.
I'm hesitant with these kinds of deals because I think sometimes they get you when you are weak--and HOT. I know because Kate and I fell into this trap on our honeymoon when we had been traveling all night on a train and then on a ferry to Ko Samui. The photos looked SO nice and my god it was a hellhole. An isolated Hell Hole. And we were so tired, we decided it wasn't that bad. But it was! We left at dawn and still laugh about it to this day.
Thankfully, this place really was nice and I decided to stay. I also couldn't bear the thought of going 5 more minutes without a shower! Sold!
It's called VN guesthouse and it's on the far end of the tourist part of the river. It's pretty quiet although you still hear the karoke places on the river as the sound travels. But you'll get that anywere on the river.

I had a beer and watched the sunset from the restaurant's balcony over the River Kwai with the mountains in the distance. It is really beautiful here. Later I met a English girl and her father and we got to know each other over dinner. They just met 4 months ago as he abandoned her and her mother at age 18. He decided to take her to Thailand to get to know each other. She confided to me she's really enjoying her 'father' but it's quite hard to forget the fact he was absentee dad her entire life. Still, I told her, my father never came around. She's lucky. Better late than never.
The owner has a chihauhau named Cheese. She really likes me and sits in my lap alot. Also, of course, the house cat found me and has already been in my room and on my bed!
It's nice here and I can't wait to see more.

---