Moving on Up Part One

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Okay, I've managed to hook my laptop up to an outlet, so hopefully this will let me catch up on my blogging. Continuing on from my last, slightly rushed piece, I went to the Sai Tai Mai the next day, the Southern Bus Terminal in Bangkok, all my baggage in tow. I got the government bus for 87 baht (~ €1.60) for a 2 and a half hour journey, although I heard some people complaining that this is the tourist rate, the Thai people pay less for everything. But I think I could let it go in this case! I, of course, sat in the squeaky seat, and blasted my mp3 player for as long as the charge lasted to stop myself going insane from the sound (thank you, Rory!). There was air-con, so it wasn't totally miserable, and the scenery was pleasant, but as my poor parents know from years of taking me on the continent, I'm not the most appreciative of scenery - give me a good book any time! Arrived at Kanchanaburi a bit earlier than I expected (I thought it was 3 hours) and stood around looking confused, which is a big mistake in Thailand. If you look like you know what you're doing and where you're going, you still get hassled, but looking confused means you get mobbed! But I decided to get a taxi to a local hostel, my bags were annoying me, but it was a good choice, cause it was a hell of a lot further than I thought by the map. The first place I went hadn't any rooms, so I ended up in Sam's House, where they have these little huts/cabins on stilts over the water, all in a row. Pretty basic, but it had air-con, a bed, a toilet and a shower, so everything I needed, really, and it was pretty clean. For 450 baht a night (~€9), I wasn't complaining. Got myself settled and then walked down to the Bridge over the River Kwai. It was a lot smaller than I expected, both the bridge and the river, I couldn't believe that it had been that urgent to build it. I went to the WWII museum first, which seemed to be a collection of stuff that japanese soldiers and officers left behind, and any unexploded munitions from that time. Interesting, some of the stuff, though. Then I walked across the Bridge, which was a little bit of a death-defying experience. There is a central metal pathway, which you can't really pass people comfortably on, so you have to step onto planks on either side. They are pretty secure, but just beside them are gaps straight down into the river, through which humans would fit quite easily, so although all you have to do is be a bit careful, it is a little nerve-wracking. There are platforms on either side every so often, where you can step off the tracks completely, have a nice look down the river, etc. I walked all the way across the Bridge, and back over again. I was busy getting out of other (mainly Japanese) tourists way, when suddenly people started yelling. I finally looked up, and saw a train heading towards us! I did not realise that trains still ran over the Death Bridge, but those platforms became even more handy at that point! So I survived the Bridge, and walked back to my cabin (wishing that I had booked into a place that had a pool, it was really humid).
I decided to head out to get myself some food - fruit will only sustain you for so long- and strolled the main backpacker street in Kanchan. Next thing I knew, I was hailed by an American voice "Hey, we've got a book store here, we buy, sell and trade any books, if you've got any books. We also have a bar here..." Well, I was sold - books and booze in the one place, why don't we have this in Ireland?! And that's how I met Big Jimmy from San Francisco, who opened the first trade in book store in Thailand, about 30 years ago. Sat down and chatted to him for a while before heading off to get myself some noodles, and ended back in his place again seeing as everywhere else seemed a bit dead. Jimmy's just has a short counter, but we managed to fit 6 or 7 of us around it, all on the pavement. There was David first, then Steve and Emma, and Mike and June, and this old Australian guy whose name no one knew but was referred to as The Pest when he wasn't around. David was a bit of an odd fish, from England, but seemed really reluctant to say that. Trying to pin him down on anything was kind of tough, which meant trying to have a conversation with him was a bit strange. Then Steve and Emma came along and rescued me, a couple from Gloucester, England, although they were just moving home from Sydney. Steve had been living there for 10 years, Emma for the last 2 years, and the number of Irish people there was commented on. In fact, Steve knew so many Irish people living in Sydney that he knew straight away what I was talking about when I referred to a D4-head! They were great fun, had loads of advice about the area, the top one being that the Tiger temple isn't all it's cracked up to be. That was a bit of a shame, cause that was one of the reasons I had decided to go to Kanchanaburi, but they said not to dismiss it totally, it was still an experience. Then Mike and June from Aberdeen joined us, and we kept the party going till about 1 that morning. I smapled some local white wine - can't say I'd recommend it, kind of vinegary and pricey for Thailand (650 baht for a bottle, ~€13, three times the price of Aldi or Lidl wine, which is much nicer) But vodka and coke only cost €2, so I stuck with that for the rest of the night. Took myself back to my nice cool room, and crashed. To be continued......

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