World Thailand Kanchanaburi

Vix & Alan in S E Asia Thailand & Laos 08-09

Kanchanaburi Province & The River Kwai Feb 21, 2009

Home of the famous River Kwai, Kanchanaburi attracts a strange breed of tourist. We arrived after a 24 hour journey from the island of Koh Lanta, luckily discovering just in time before crossing on the car ferry that we'd left our passports and wallet in the safe at Fisherman's Cottage. A quick phone call and motorbike 'courier' and we were reunited for our onward journey by night train from Trang to Nathom Pathom (near Bangkok) where we then caught a local train into Kanchanaburi. The journey took 15 hours, but we were in Kanchanaburi early enough in the day to arrange local transport for our journey into the countryside. We had hoped to pick up a motorcycle but none available so after a little haggling, picked up a Toyota Pick-up, left one rucksack and off on a 48 hour adventure. We headed further North to the border with Burma with the aim of exploring the three National parks within this region. On the way, we stopped at Hellfire Pass which has a moving memorial and museum to the many allied POWs and conscripted slave labourers who lost their lives in the construction of the Pass.

As our diesel engine chugged slowly onwards, the roads became steeper and more mountainous. The roads were in good condition and after about 120km we finally entered the first National Park, Sai Yok. We gave the waterfall signs a miss as the rivers are entering their dry season. Late in the evening we finally arrived at Sangkhlaburi, the largest settlement some 20km from the Burmese Border. The scenery was magnificant, although the tops of the mountains were shrouded in a heat haze. Found a really nice hotel by the lakeside (massive dammed reservoir) within this ethnically diverse community. Such a contrast to the beaches and islands of the Andaman Sea..