Adventures in Kanchanaburi

Our arrival at Kanchanaburi was greeted by a tuck tuck driver who saw us step down from the train. We bounced along a long road and came to our hostel, U Dee Room and Coffee. It was hot. Scolding. Kanchanaburi reminded me of small Portuguese towns: front porches of homes freshly washed, foliage lightly burnt, dogs aimlessly wandering the streets, a breeze of warm air. I remembered the man on the train telling us of the Portuguese in Uthai Thani, a town a few hours north. "Portuguese smeet and caaake, very good!" 

After a 15 minute walk, The World War II & Jeath War Museum, at only 40 Baht a ticket, was oddly quiet in comparison to the Khwae Yai Bridge (The Bridge over River Kwai), where locals and tourists lodged in their selfies. At the museum, there was beautiful artistry and a recount of the history of the Death Railway. We had a stunning view of a pagoda across the bridge, where we later wandered to in hope of escaping the other tourists.

 

Matt found it difficult to adjust to our change of plans. We discovered that Kanchanaburi gave us access to some great day trips. We had already planned to go to Hellfire Pass, but learning about Erawan Falls, we decided to stay an extra day. The train to Hellfire Pass is described as one of the most scenic journeys in Thailand. It certainly is beautiful, though the 3 Brazilians we later shared a tuck tuck with would disagree for being too similar to their own land. After a 5am alarm, we caught the 6:15am train and enjoyed the cool air and the wakening landscape. The museum itself was modern and informative, although lacking in a cafe. So we had to make do with a Cornetto ice-cream for breakfast. We`re not ashamed. 

 

 

Hellfire Pass itself was a 40 minute walk or an extended 2-hour hike. If we wanted to do the hike, we needed to take a walkie-talkie so the staff at the museum could inform us of any weather changes. They never did. A light patter of rain turned into a deluge the moment we hit the Pass. Pacing back in the heavy rain, we found ourselves surrounded by endless bamboo trees. Surreal to think that only a few metres away, over 70 years ago, POWs and romusha hacked away at the rock in similar weather conditions and there we were retreating to the shelter of the museum entrance. 

  

At the entrance, Matt was told that the bus back to Kanchanaburi would leave from the main road, "At the shelter with the yellow roof." The Brazilians we met earlier had been waiting there for nearly an hour; they said the bus shouldn`t be too long and that it would be yellow. Earlier, they told us, there had been a red bus that had slowed down in front of the shelter but they let it go because it was the wrong colour. Then they looked on in dismay when Kanchanaburi was written on the back. They were disgusted with the lady at the museum for her misinformation. The perils of two people communicating in English as their second language. 

Erawan Falls was an hour and a half bus journey from Kanchanaburi`s Bus Station. After a 7am tuck tuck ride through the town, we tipped our driver for dealing with the chaotic traffic: cars, mopeds, tuck tucks and bikes treating a junction like zebra crossing, with no one sticking to the correct side of the road. We stood facing each other like warriors ready for battle and when the time came to charge, everyone glided into spaces you wouldn't even believe existed. We came out alive, so that was worth a tip of 20 Baht. 

The Falls were stunning. A hike of 3 hours to complete all 7 tiers. The higher we were, the harder the trail. Our skin glistened with the humidity, we attempted to rub it off with a towel but only a dip in the pool at the seventh waterfall got the job done. Although refreshed, we were never quite at ease in the pool. We discovered that the cute fish turned into foot nibblers as soon as we stood still. Now the yelps we heard as we were hiking up made sense.

 

 

Back in Kanchanaburi, we lounged over coffee and watched the monsoon rains fall while our laundry was being taken care of by one of the locals. On the way back, after the rains had stopped, a sudden abundance of flies had attracted a number of lizards outside a bookshop. As we stood chatting to the owner, it dawned on us that tomorrow we would be attempting to cross the border into Myanmar. The real reason for our travels was about to begin.