Kanchanaburi

One of the waterfalls at Erawin National Park.

This past weekend, I went with a group of Lertlah teachers to the inland town of Kanchanaburi, not far from Bangkok.  We hired a van to take us there for a very reasonable rate (less than $20 each), and stayed in a hotel called Pong Pen.  A middle-aged Thai woman (who spoke English quite well) ran the hotel.  Although the rooms were nothing special, they were very affordable and of pretty standard quality.  I was very excited to go to Kanchanaburi because it boasted some pretty appealing tourist attractions.  When we arrived Friday night, we signed up for an all-day tour (about $36) for the next day.  The tour guides picked us up at our hotel and drove us first to Erawin National Park, where we hiked up a large hill, along the side of a seven-tier waterfall.  The water was very clear, and the falls were beautiful.  We were able to swim in the pools at the bottom of the waterfalls as we progressed, and had our feet nibbled on by the schools of fish crowding the water.  It was a weird sensation, and although it didn’t really hurt, it was fairly uncomfortable.  I was surprised that while we were hiking we didn’t feel the heat to a greater extent, but the paths were mostly shaded and we were able to cool down in the pools.  One of the waterfalls featured a natural slide, and we were able to climb up the side of the rocks and slide into the water below.  

The fish in the pools at the base of each of the falls.

A different set tier of the falls.

After our hike, we returned to the entrance of the park and had lunch at one of the restaurants there.  We had a typical meal of stir-fried veggies and chicken over rice, but as a twist, I ordered mine sweet and sour.  We then piled into the van to go to our next stop – rafting and elephant rides. 

A monkey at Erawin National Park.

Our rafting experience was pretty short and sweet.  The rafts were made of barrels covered by a bamboo pole floor, with canopies over top for shade.  We were towed up the river a little ways by a teenager driving a motorboat (by which I mean a metal craft with a large exhaust-blowing engine on the back).  We were then set loose to drift back down the river, as another young boy paddled us in the appropriate direction. 

The other half of our tour group on one of the rafts.

Alice and I riding an elephant.

After the rafting, we got to go on an elephant ride.  Each elephant was harnessed with a bench for us to sit in, and was guided by a trainer riding in the front.  Alice and I were paired together, and had a very funny guide, who mocked our high-pitched voices.  The elephants walked a circuit that was not very long, but which took us first to wade in the river.  After that, our guide graciously jumped off the elephant and let each of us ride up front by the elephant’s head in turn.  I gave him my camera, and he took about 50 pictures of us as we posed on the elephant, for which I was grateful.  The elephant was very tame, and content to follow the guide, while stopping wherever it could to pick up some food.  I enjoyed riding on the elephant a lot, and found it very different from a horse.  You could really tell the size of the animal by the way your body shifted as it took its large strides.  It’s skin was fairly tough, and covered in sparse, coarse hair.   Seeing elephants was something I really wanted to do while in Thailand, and I think that when our group visits Chang Mai in June that I will try to visit the elephant sanctuary there as well.

After our elephant rides, the tour moved on to a station along Death Railway.  Our guide told us that it is called Death Railway to honour all of the Thai people who died during its construction.  Beside the station, we had an opportunity to look in at a golden budda statue set in a small cave.  Ironically, the train we were supposed to board never came (it broke down), so we had to face some danger and walk to the next station along the railway.  It would not have been so monumental a walk, if the railway did not run along a high, narrow bridge the entire way.  At times I was scared I would trip, because the metal forming the path in between the rails was not securely bolted down at spots.  During the walk, I kept looking for places I could jump to for safety if the train showed up, but I think I would have been toast if that happened. 

The section of Death Railway we had to walk across.

Our final stop on the tour was at the bridge over the River Kwai.  I know that this bridge is famous for being in a movie, but I have never seen it.  Sections of the bridge were bombed during a war, and were replaced by the rectangular sections of metal.  I have also heard that the bridge we visited is not the real bridge over the River Kwai, but the one famous for being featured in the movie.  Unfortunately, I did not pick up on much of the history surrounding the bridge. 

The bridge.

That night, I was fortunate to accompany another U of M Lertlah teacher while she got a bamboo tattoo.  The experience was very different from what I understand to be the norm in Winnipeg.  She didn’t need to make an appointment for the tattoo, and the artist was even willing to start it at 8:00pm.  Also, the tattoo parlour consisted of only a room at the front of a bar, surrounded by glass windows.  As my friend was being tattooed many curious onlookers observed her.  The bamboo tattoo process was very interesting to see.  The artist held onto a thin hollow stick, with a needlepoint at the end.  He had to poke with the stick to make every individual dot of ink in the tattoo.  Also, the artist was incredibly accurate.  The tattoo had a lot of detail work, and required perfectly straight, thin lines to form a harp.  The artist was able to hold steady, and place each dot exactly where it needed to go.  Although I won’t be getting any tattoos any time soon, it was a very unique and interesting process!

The next day, I just took a day to relax.  In the morning, I had a wonderful American-style breakfast from the hotel, complete with iced caramel latte.  Thai coffee is generally much better than coffee in Canada, and I have started drinking it much more often.  I then explored the markets by the bridge over the River Kwai, just down the street from our hotel.  There were a lot of jewelry and clothing stalls to visit.  Afterwards, I relaxed by the pool, reading a novel, until we boarded the bus back to Bangkok. 

Overall, it was a very fun and relaxing weekend.  I would not hesitate to return to Kanchanaburi, and if I do, I will try to visit the Safari Park.  Kanchanaburi also has a Tiger Temple, where you can pet and sit with real tigers, but I have heard better things about a similar place in Chang Mai.  There are rumours (probably true rumours) that the tigers there are all drugged, which is really unfortunate.  That being said, however, Kanchanaburi is definitely worth a repeat visit!