Breakfast was brought over by speedboat, it consisted of cold meats and a cold fried egg on toast. To be honest, the egg wasn’t too bad and I gave the ham, bacon and sausage to The Tootster, who was quite happy to eat it as well as his own - I think the snoring gave him an appetite.
After breakfast we said goodbye to the river as we were ‘tugged’ back to shore where we climbed on board our awaiting mini vans and started to make our way up to Kanchanaburi; a city found in the West of Thailand where the rivers Kwai Noi and Kwai Yai meet. And a place infamous for the WW2 ‘Death Railway’ running from Thailand up to Burma as it crosses over the bridge on the River Kwai.
On route, we stopped off to take a look and possibly swim in the Erewan waterfalls found in the National Park in the Tenasserim Hills. Erewan is the mythological three headed Hindu elephant of which the waterfalls are said to resemble. At this point you should know dear reader, that when I say waterfalls I do mean it in the plural; there are seven of them and each has its own name. Or at least we were told seven, but having climbed up each of the tiers; 1,500 meters (roughly 4922 feet!) we discovered there are a couple of smaller ones ‘thrown’ in between. The terrain is pretty rugged in places, but there are also steps and railings in some parts. Put it this way, it’s a pretty good work out amongst absolutely stunning scenery.
The first waterfall (Lhai Keun Lung) is easy to get to, possibly too shallow to swim in, filled with lots of tiny fish, that I, quite sure would be happy to swim alongside you. The next waterfall (Wang Matcha) is slightly deeper and more inviting for bathing. Walking further up, we bypassed waterfall number three (Pha Nam Tok) as it was a little way out to the right and we were on a roll to get to the top, so continued up the steps and over the limestone rocks until we reached number four (Oke Nang Phee Suer). We stopped briefly to take in the sights and sounds of the cascading water before setting off for number five, also known as Buer Mai. It was now getting quite busy with visitors; tourists posing in bikinis, trunks and even Speedos!
Waterfall six (Dong Pruek) was just as beautiful, but the trail was getting slightly harder for my untrained legs and by the time we reached the next one, I was feeling quite chuffed that I’d climbed all seven, only to be told we had only got to six and a half. Apparently, the seventh one (Phu Pha) was reached by wading through the water and up some ‘knarly’ rocks, (muttered by an Australian tourist as he passed us by). Well that was it, as soon as I’d heard ‘knarly’ I knew I was done, happy with 6 and a half, that was a good enough number for me.
The Tootster wanted to give 7 a go, so I sat with Lucy, one of the Aussies in our group and watched as other tourists made their way across, balancing and some even slipping on the wet rock, (no serious injuries just sore bums and dirty trousers).
It’s a pretty tranquil place, despite all the tourists making their way through, beautiful and serene and a must to visit should you find yourself out here.
Lunch was just at a local cafe - more noodles - before heading off to our next pit stop; The Death Railway.
The Thai-Burma Railway, better known as The Death Railway, was built in 1943 by British and Allied POWs and migrant workers who died from exhaustion, torture, starvation and sickness for their captors, the Japanese, during World War Two. It runs runs for 258 miles from Ban Pong in Thailand through to Thanbyuzayat in Myanmar (Burma). And although closed in 1947 a small section was re-opened ten years later. Possibly more for the tourist industry than locals as we seemed to be the majority commuters on board.
The history of the Railway is tragic, but more of that in my next post after we visit the museum. Suffice it to say that visiting the track before climbing on board was quite a sobering experience, standing in the searing heat - not even the hottest time of the year - looking up at the Rocky Mountain above that had been cut through with nothing more than hand tools and the deep water below, then thinking about the thousands of men who gave their lives building it under pain of death and torture.
We all climbed into the carriage and the train set off taking us on our final bit to Kanchanaburi. It was busy, filled with tourists as I said earlier, hot, sweaty and crammed like a commuter trip on the Northern Line on London’s underground. The only difference was seeing fields of Tapioca and sugar cane as opposed to black soot lined walls.
Finally, we reached our destination and clambered off the train just in timeto watch the sun slowly setting over The Bridge on the River Kwai.
That night we booked into The Good Times resort and that it certainly was! The beds were so comfy in comparison to the night before, the food was lovely and the sleep was welcome.
The hotel restaurant looked out over the river, dinner was delicious and I went to bed a happy ginger lass; I had been in search all week for proper Thai banana pancakes and that afternoon by the bridge I’d found a vendor making them! You’ve never really appreciated Thailand til you’ve had one of these and so with my belly full, I retired for the night, fulfilled and ready to sleep.
No comments:
Post a Comment