We were told about Kanchanaburi by a fellow Australian on the flight into Bangkok. We hadn’t heard about it before but he said that it was a great place to learn about Australian history and to pay respect to our fallen soldiers. Kanchanaburi is known for its beautiful scenery and its unfortunate role as the setting for the construction of the death railway during WWII.

We spent our first day visiting Hells fire Pass; now a memorial to the POW’s and Asian workers who died during the construction of the Thai-Burma railway. The railway’s purpose was to establish a supply route for the Japanese from Thailand into their army camps located in Burma. This involved cutting through mountains and jungle to create a 145km long railway track from Bang Pong to Thanbyuzayat. Conditions were so brutal and treacherous that it resulted in the deaths of 12,399 POWs and between 70,000-90,000 misled Asian labourers.

The memorial is extremely well done, you can request an audio headset while you walk around the museum and we definitely recommend it. It adds another level to this already confronting and emotional site. You can also choose to walk to the “Hells fire Pass” or Konyu Cutting (named after the shapes and shadows created by the fires at night) or continue walking 4km further down the railway. We chose to walk the 4km and were provided with a radio so we could keep in contact with the museum. The audio continued as we walked out into the jungle and was a great source of information and anecdotes. When we reached Hells fire Pass, we could see the flags and mementos left from the ANZAC Day service that had just passed. Walking through we passed dozens of red poppies placed on the rocks and Australian flags decorated with the message, “lest we forget”. It was incredibly emotional seeing all of this and reaching the plaque at the end of the pass with stories from POW’s playing on the audio. It certainly was a memorable and humbling experience.

We walked on for a few more hundred metres before we noticed dark, ominous clouds in the distance. “Does that look like rain?” Tim asked me. “Sure does”. So we decided to turn back and we had gone maybe 50 metres before it hit. It hit hard. I have never been caught in rain like that before in my life. By the time we returned to the museum we looked like drowned rats and handed over the soggy audio headset praying that we got out deposit back. So, unfortunately we didn’t get to walk the entire length but as Tim remarked later, “Well, we will just have to go back one day”.

On our second day in Kanchanaburi, we headed out to Erawan Waterfalls. This is a spectacular natural set of 7 waterfalls, located in Erawan National Park. The water is a brilliant, turquoise blue and it is about 2.5 kms to reach the last waterfall. You can swim in the pools at the bottom of the falls but beware that the fish in this water loooove to nibble at you. It was a great source of entertainment to watch people trying to get into the water and come out screaming. Unsurprisingly, I couldn’t do it. I put one foot in, felt the fish bite and I was out of there. Tim was more zen about it and after a few initial screams, he calmed himself and became “one with the fish” as he so eloquently put it. We walked all the way to the top passing dozens of tourists along the way, some in an alarming state of undress. No one wants to see you in your speedo and sandals.

The day was a blast though and I highly recommend going. However, DO NOT eat any food at any stage of the falls. Not even in the section you are allowed to. I saw my first ever wild monkey and he chased after me for my packet of chips. He didn’t even eat them either, just sat in the tree throwing them on the ground. Little bugger, I had only eaten one before he stole them.

We also did a side trip to the island of Koh Tao for five days. We had researched diving in Thailand and not only is Koh Tao the best place to dive in Thailand, it is also one of the best places in all of South East Asia. Unfortunately, over the past couple of weeks I had made the decision that scuba diving wasn’t for me. I had pushed through to get my certification and I am proud of that but I am happy just sticking with snorkelling for now =). So, we began the 14 hour journey to Koh Tao. This was 10 hours on the overnight sleeper train, 1 hour on a bus to the pier and then 3 tortuous, nauseating hours on the ferry. Once we had arrived and pushed our way through the loud and pushy crowds of taxi drivers advertising their services, we headed to Scuba Junction to book in some dives. The guys at Scuba Junction were fantastic and a great dive centre if you’re interested in diving whilst on Koh Tao!

Unfortunately for me the first day we went out, there was a storm while we were out on the water. Which is not a problem if you’re diving, but on the surface it is not so pleasant. All in all though, the water was crystal clear and the marine life staggeringly beautiful.

This is how we spent our time in Koh Tao; diving/snorkelling, late lunches, afternoon beers on the beach followed by dinner and maybe more beers. It was a pretty tough week.

We headed back to Bangkok on the VIP bus because the train was fully booked out and although we were hesitant to take this option, we were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the trip. It was faster than the train and it was extremely comfortable. Plus, Tim was super excited that they played Tintin on the way home. As you can imagine, the red heads in Asia are few and far between;)

We spent our remaining few days in Bangkok sticking to our usual routine although with a couple of notable exceptions. The first being the discovery of decent coffee. We had been wandering down Samsen road aimlessly searching for a place for our caffeine fix (as our beloved bakery was closed on Sundays) and we came across the cutest cafe. Full of exposed beams heaving with chandeliers, quirky, mismatched furniture and mirrors hanging on the walls we settled in for some delicious coffee. Our barista was so sweet and while we were pretty sure he didn’t speak any english, over the next few days he memorized our orders and as soon as we walked in, he would bring us our coffees. Amazing. Do you know how much time and money you have to put into a cafe in Sydney to get that kind of service?!

Another brilliant discovery was a blues bar on Samsen Road. Now, I’m not usually into blues music but outside they had a barbeque cooking marinated ribs and wings(the best chicken wings I have EVER HAD), so let’s say it did not take much convincing to get me inside. Plus, this place is PACKED every night which is always a good sign. Adhere the 13th Blues Bar (13 Samsen Rd, Bangkok) is an awesome venue for incredible, ‘makes you wanna dance’ blues music with the perfect atmosphere. Heaps of tiny tables and chairs are crammed inside decked out with tablecloths and inviting candlelight. The drinks list is pretty massive, a jaw dropping amount of cocktails and a good selection of beer. The music is fantastic! There is a house band that plays every night with a different support act beforehand. This is classic blues with a few covers thrown in – the musicians genuinely love what they do and their talent is indescribable. It made me a massive convert to blues music. (Note to self: must.learn.more.about.blues.music).

We are sad to leave Bangkok, it truly felt like a little “home away from home” for a couple of weeks but we have to move on.

Next stop, Chiang Mai!

Staying: Kanchanaburi; Ploy Guesthouse. A relaxed, cheap hotel with a fantastic pool overlooking the Kwai River. Koh Tao: Sairee Sairee Guesthouse. A stylish little place on the top of an Italian restaurant. Order the pistou pasta, delish! Bangkok: Sivarin Guesthouse. See previous post on Bangkok.

Getting there: Bus to Kanchanaburi from Bangkok, takes around 2-3 hours. Koh Tao: caught the sleeper train to Chumpon and then the Songserm ferry to Koh Tao.

Tip of the trip: On the way back from Koh Tao, we were forced to take the VIP bus as the train was booked out. This turned out to be a fantastic option, don’t automatically overlook it! Also, if you go to Kanchanaburi, definitely visit the Hells fire Pass memorial; a fitting tribute to all POW’s that worked on the railway.

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