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Published: January 17th 2013
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I checked out of the Rambuttri and set off for the Royal Hotel nearby, where the minibus from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi departs. Given the heat and the weight of my rucksack I decided to flag down a taxi and take the hit of the £1 fare. The minibus was scheduled to leave at 12 and I thought I was in good time, but then I didn't factor in the infamous Bangkok traffic. Thankfully I was saved the infamous Thai trait of never rushing or keeping to any kind of timetable. We departed around 20 to 1, fully laden with passengers and cargo and arrived in Kanchanaburi mid afternoon.
Having splashed out on a hotel room in Bangkok, I was looking to stay somewhere cheap, however, I hadn't done any research beforehand and quickly realised that hunting for the best deal with a massive rucksack wasn't going to be fun. Luckily there was a helpful local who suggested a couple of places. The first was incredibly cheap, with beds from 70 Baht (about £1.50) a night but unsurprisingly it was full. The only room the second place "T&T Guesthouse" had was a twin for 350 Baht. While I knew there would
be cheaper places, this had a great view over the River Kwai and would free me from my rucksack, so I went for it.
I headed out to check out my surroundings and take a look at the bridge featured in the 1957 film Bridge over the River Kwai, which was just up the road. The bridge itself is unremarkable; the interest lies in the story behind it, which I was soon to learn more about.
I had planned to stay in Kanchanaburi for two nights and use my full day to visit the Erawan Waterfalls, however, I fell asleep after my walk for 13 hours and when I got up it was too late for the Erawan tour. It turns out that the friendly man who helped me find accommodation works for Good Times Travel, the main tour company in the area. He was called "Tok" and was incredibly laid back and very good at not selling tours. He said I could take the public bus to Erawan, but I wanted to go on his tour, as it included a ride on the infamous Death Railway, (of which the Kwai bridge is part) and would provide an
easy way to meet people. So, despite Tok's insistance that the public bus would be much cheaper, I booked a place on the tour for the next day and extended my stay in Kanchanaburi an extra night.
Later that day I visited the Death Railway Museum and cemetery opposite to get a better appreciation of the Kwai bridge story. The museum provided a fascinating account of World War 2 from an Asian perspective, which I and no doubt the vast majority of people in the West don't have much of an appreciation. It told of how POWs and labourers were forced to build the railway by the Japanese to provide a supply route from Burma. With undernourishment and a brutal work schedule over 100,000 died (including over 6,000 British POWs) during its construction. Later, I ate at a great little restaurant over the river called Apple's Retreat and had the yellow curry, (as recommended by the Rough Guide to Thailand).
The next day I went on the tour to the Erawan Waterfalls and Death Railway. I was joined by an American called Matt, a German couple, a Norwegia/Danish couple and 2 girls from London. I walked around Erawan
with Matt, who had been living in Bangkok for the last 8 months, teaching English at a college. We managed to get lost for well over an hour on an "interpretive trail" which seemed to lead nowhere in particular, so ended up rushing to see all 7 levels of the waterfall and only had time for a short swim in the seventh pool. This was long enough however, as there are fish which come up to you and bite your feet, which is a very odd sensation (although some people pay good money for it)! After lunch we went to look at the Death Railway before riding the train for a while, although unfortunately not over the Kwai bridge.
In the evening I met up with Matt and we went to a buffet where you pick up raw meat and cook it on a mini barbecue on your table, which is apparently a very popular restaurant format here. I enjoyed the food but there was a slight relief that I didn't get food poisoning! We then went to a couple of bars and were drawn to one in particular with a big sign saying "Get drunk for 10 Baht",
which served a number of Thai whiskeys (such as "McClan", "Hong Thong" and even "Obama"). With an early start and a long day of travelling to come, I realised this could be dangerous, but thankfully I mustered some self-control and headed to bed at a reasonable time.
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Duncan
non-member comment
Great blog Graeme, really well written! Sounds like you're having a great time. I liked the 'get drunk for ten bhat' sign!