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Published: September 27th 2011
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After the hustle of the Bangkok streets, Charlie and I headed west to the Tiger Temple.
We were due to be picked up at 6.30am, being the prompt British people we are, we landed downstairs at the reception of the hotel at 6.25am expecting a taxi to be waiting for us to take us there. This was our first experience of Thai-time! Breakfast at the hotel started at 6.30am and had we known about Thai-time, we would have sat down and enjoyed a hot meal before the journey. 45 minutes later, and us starving, an air cooled minibus screaches to a halt outside the hotel for a little Thai lady to step out, open the door of the hotel and shout "Mr. A-rexander?!". Finally we were about to set on our way. Fortunatly, we were given packed lunches from the hotel that we had pre booked the night before. As I got into the minibus, I started on mine! Soft salted chrisps and plastic cheese sandwich. One thing I did notice is that Thai's cut all the crusts off the sandwiches before serving!
Due to Charlie's travel sickness, her plan was to try and sleep most of the journey and with
all of our luggage in the minibus, off the driver sets at speeds unsuiting of the volume of traffic at that time of the morning. Tearing around a corner and pulling up to another hotel, he picked up the last couple and we started making our way out of Bangkok.
I think our driver was on some kind of speed related bonus, the quicker we got to our destination, the more he was paid! As we travelled past the Bangkok airport the little Thai lady turned around to all the passengers and started telling us of the fun filled adventures we had signed up for. In typical Th-english, she explained that booking a trip to the Tiger Temple also includes a stop at one of the WW2 cemetaries, an hour long trip along the Death Railway (a line built by the Japanese using prisoners of war and local citizens to allow materials to be transported between Burma and Thailand and called this as 60,000 people died in creating the line), a visit to the Tiger Temple, a stay on the river in shack/boat type accomodation and trips to two waterfalls for swimming and hiking along the way.
As we approached
the first of the many attractions we had in store over the next two days, the Thai lady again sat up to talk to the sleepy passengers. "To your reft is the war cemetary, we here for 20 minute and den off to lailway."
20 minutes of looking at graves of the fallen passed and we jumped back on the minibus to the Death Railway.
The Death Railway was a typical tourist attraction with the streets filled with minibusses. We disembarked and looked around the museum depicting the creation of the railway and the suffering inflicted on the PoW's and local people. Museum done and charlie and I were starting to feel the late morning heat! We sat outside the museum before being called to the railway station to sit and wait for the train that was meant to be on time.
20 minutes after the supposed time of arriveal, the train pulls into the station. The sight reminded me of the news coverage of any Indian train we see at home, people everywhere. Not on the roof though! for 1 hours, all the seats were takenand Charlie and I had to stand next to families and older men hogging
all the seats! Every now-and-then and Thai would come down the train trying to sell us anything they could!
The Death Railway has some amazing sights as it is cut into a mountain and has views of villages along a river the otherside. Finally, 1.5 hours later, we got off the hot and sweaty train to be greated by the same crazy minibus driver that we started the day with.
We ate lunch on the floating restaurant. Very good sweet and sour chicken!
In the afternoon, Charlie and I, along with a Dutch couple, headed off to the Tiger Temple. This was what we thought we had only booked, all the other parts were a bonus!
Just as we were about to set off from the floating restaurant, Charlie was informed there are strict dress codes in places like this for women. This being the first we had heard of this, Charlie had to use a selection of clothing, both mine and hers, so as not to offend any of the Monks on site. We got to the tiger temple at aroung 3pm and enjoyed pictures with the tigers and a walk around to grounds of the temple. Only the
tigers were chained up and a Bear in a cage, other animals on the other hand had free reign of the area. Cattle, pigs and dear all walk by with no fear of humans.
The Tiger Temple only takes an hour to look around as there is not a lot there!
Back to the floating restaurant for dinner. Then a group of us, the Dutch couple, and Australian couple, Chralie and I stepped onto a traditional long Thai speed boat to travel up the river to stay in the accomodation.
When we got to our room, we looked around to see a cold shower, and a toilet with no flush but for a bin full of water for pouring down the toilet as a make-shift flush. After a could of drinks at the bar with both couples, we headed to bed for a floating nights sleep on a rock solid matress!
The next morning, we woke for breakfast on the boat. Another cold shower before fighting the days heat was required after a hot nights sleep. Off the accomodation we headed and pff to a 1500m waterfall.
The waterfall was the Erwan waterfall in the national park. The water fall
is split into 7 levels that, after many steps, you eventually reach the top. Charlie and I travelled to the top! after a very humid walk and being followed by a bus load of Russians, we reached the top to find fish that eat the dead skin off your feet. Charlie enjoyed having her feet dipped in the water and laughed most of the time as it tickled.
Eventually, many pictures later, we made it back down the bottom of the fall to find a lagre area of bright blue water, again with the fish in! I swam a bit, anc charlie spent the while time with her feet in the water getting tickled/eaten by the fish!
This was the last thing of the day before heading back to Bangkok and try to relax.
Next up, Chinag Mai, Tattoos, Jungle trekking and the night bus!!!
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Vicky Inda Hood
non-member comment
Oh Herrrowww
Wow looks and sounds like your having a fab time, keep up with the blogs, your making it sound like a carry on film rather than a trip of a lifetime. Keeping me entertained. Have fun and look after each other. Take care. xx