Kanchanaburi Trekking

We had what could be the most relaxing trekking tour last weekend. It was another long weekend for us since Sunday was the death anniversary of the former King Chulalongkorn (the kid in the story of Anna and the King), so we booked an overnight trekking tour to Kanchanaburi via a travel agency in Khao San.

We started our day at 5:30 in the morning for the scheduled 7AM pick up at Khao San only to be picked up at 7:30. Sounds like a bad start, right? But that’s fine coz all through the 2 hour drive from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi JM and I were fast asleep at the backseats of the van. It was quite a comfortable ride, save for minor bumps in the road.

We finally came to a stop at the War Memorial Cemetery. This is a burial ground and memorial in honor of the prisoners of war who died during the construction of the railway that connected Thailand to Burma.

Then we went on to the Bridge over the River Kwai (which is the railway built by the POWs) and the War Museum. Here we learned about the plight of the prisoners of war during the World War II, how they were forced to labor by the Japanese to build the bridge and how most of them died during construction and during bombings as they worked. There were pictures of the POWs at work and during breaks and it was really disheartening to think of what they went through during the time.

After that we had our bamboo rafting at River Kwai. It was a really hot day and I got myself burned, but I wouldn’t complain as it was one experience I’ve been looking forward to. I would’ve enjoyed it more if had done the rowing ourselves and if it had been just me and JM on the raft. It’s one thing to be on tour with strangers, sometimes you’re not too comfy coz you can’t really do what you want and that was one reason JM and I had opted to do the Europe tour by ourselves.

Finally it was off to lunch. We were tired and hungry and were so much looking forward to it. But when we got to the guest house, surprise! Lunch was a vegetable buffet! All the faces of our companions looked dismayed and some were brave enough to complain. Then again, what do you expect from a 900 baht tour package that included everything from transpo to accommodation to meals. So complain we cannot. Instead, we placed an extra order of omelet to fill our hungry stomachs.

It was time to check in after that. We were really looking forward to staying at a raft house but when we saw the room, we just had to sadly turn our backs and choose the garden room. For one, the raft house room looked really musty. And the bathroom was a shared one which was across a short bridge at the garden, quite inconvenient, especially for JM who always gets up in the middle of the night to pee. The only benefit really from getting a raft house room would have been the view of the river and how peaceful it would be to sit on the deck and just look out to the river, which we could afford to skip.

After check-in, we were driven to the Elephant Camp where we could enjoy a 40 minute ride on an elephant. This was a truly delightful experience, now I can say my experience of Thailand is complete. At the beginning of the ride, a guide was on the elephant with us but after we had entered the foresty area, he dismounted to take pictures of us. And then he told me to get off the seat and take his place on the elephant’s bare back. I was a bit on edge at first; it felt like I was going to fall off and the elephant’s prickly hair were making me itch, but I managed to get myself comfortable after a while. I loved it!

Our elephant’s name was Somboon, he was 37 years old and weighed 3,000 kilos. As I got comfy I managed to try prodding him when he stopped and to talk to him, calling him Mr. Elephant. I also wanted to feed him coz he seemed hungry which was why he kept stopping to pick food but I could not pull some hefty leaves from the trees so I never did manage to give him food. At the end of the ride though, we bought a bunch of bananas to feed him.

Our next destination was the Sai Yok Noi waterfalls. The moment I saw it, I couldn’t help but gasp. Water was gushing down these huge boulders and it felt so invigorating in the heat. I wanted so much to bathe but I didn’t really come ready so I settled for a face wash. Some of our companions though could not resist taking the plunge and went into the water in their jockeys!

Our service then dropped us off at a cave, to see some stalactites and stalagmites they said. But when we got there, it was a really unimpressive sight that we didn’t even stay long.

After we were delivered back to the guest house, we were free to do as we please. Most of our companions decided against having dinner at the guest house after having been disappointed with lunch. But JM and I decided to check out the food first before going off and so only the two of us feasted on chicken curry, stir fried pork with basil and chili and some really yummy veggies that I could not recognize. It was only then I realized how hungry I was, I had two huge servings of rice.

Then we went out to inhale some fresh air and have a look of the neighborhood. I was looking to have some iced coffee while JM was yearning for beer. There was a nearby 7-11 outlet from which we managed to fulfill our cravings. After paying for our stash we strolled to a nearby bridge to the other side of the river and then back.

Back at the guesthouse, we sat ourselves at the deck of the raft house and enjoyed our beer and chips amid the sounds of the flowing river. Totally relaxing and peaceful - I had decided then that I wanted to come back, well maybe not at the same guesthouse though.

It was another early start for us the next day. We got up at 6AM in time for the 7AM breakfast, which was again a disappointment. Breakfast was comprised of coffee, toast and some unappetizing scrambled eggs. I guess I have to mention at this point that I am very particular with the way my scrambled eggs (and even fried eggs, which only my mom and sister can prepare to my liking) are done, I want them soft and fluffy with a bit of cheese in them – and those that they served were just way, way below my standards. JM placed another order of rice and omelets.

Our first activity for the day was canoeing. We were taken to this really quiet lake that seemed like heaven to me. I felt could paddle forever and never want to leave. And they do have jungle huts there; the only catch is that there is no electricity. Bummer!

When we reached the other end of the lake, our guide was waiting to take us to the Erawan waterfalls. This is said to be one of the highlights of the province of Kanchanaburi as it consists of 7-tiers of cascading water that form pools at each drop. When we reached the national park, our guide handed out packets of our supposedly picnic lunch and then left us to roam the park by ourselves. JM and I decided to have our lunch before heading up the waterfalls so we’d have less to carry. But when we opened the pack, we were again dismayed – lunch was composed of fired rice with egg and tomatoes (not even meat!) and pineapples for dessert! We merely ate one pack and began our trek. As we progressed higher, I began to doubt if we really could make it to the topmost tier, but then I would tell myself that I had already come so far, what’s a couple hundred meters more?

And now I can say I do not regret having hiked that far. It was all worth it. When we got to the 7th waterfall, we managed to find for ourselves our very own pool on a flat boulder, where we just lay down and let the water rush past us. Heavenly! After about 10 minutes of this divine bathing episode, we headed back down and rain started to pour.

Our next stop was the tiger temple. We paid 300 baht to pat a tiger, get our pictures taken and then walk out. Whew! Was this one worth it? Charge it to experience. And take comfort in the fact that the fee would go to the Buddhist monks’ project to build a natural environment for the tiger cubs.

Our guide then took us to the Death Railway for a 15-minute train ride. Their local train was something else; it’s so unlike the PNR trains back home that one would fear for his life to take a ride in. This one was clean and well-maintained. The ticket master even had on a uniform reminiscent of the old days. And this train was not just for show or for tourists, mind you, this was the regular transport system that the locals would take.

That was the last part of our tour. Our guide picked us up at the train station to bring us back to the guesthouse so we could pick up our backpacks and head for home. I was once again asleep for the whole duration of the trip and woke up to see the familiar neon signs of Khao San road.

It was another trip well worth the effort, the cost and the time spent with my husband. It was another sweet leg of our honeymoon expeditions.