Kanchanaburi

With the new year, I've found a revitalized urge to explore. Even though Sam and Joe have to coach hockey on the weekends, I've also got a great friend, Beini, to wander around with who is equally eager to see new places. Our first weekend warrior trip was to Kanchanaburi, a province about 2 hours west from Bangkok. It is home to the Death Railway and the bridge over the River Kwai, as well as a blossoming backpacker haven with a wonderfully relaxed vibe and one of Thailand's most beautiful waterfalls nearby.

Our wonderfully cheap, relaxing guesthouse on the River Kwai.

A happy sight after long days out in the sun.

Beini and I were most excited to get out of the city and breathe some fresh air into our lungs, so we didn't make any ambitious plans. We left everything up to how we were feeling, tired (sit by the pool with a book), hot (grab a cold Leo beer), hungry (eat lots of surprisingly tasty pizza) and treated ourselves to some leisurely walking in an easily navigable small town - a nice change from Bangkok.

Coffee stop near the railroad.

I thought this sign was a typo, turns out it stands for Japan, England, America, Australia, Thailand and Holland, representing the nationalities of the prisoners of war (POW's) who were forced to work on the construction of the famous "Bridge On The River Kwai". We visited the Death Railway Museum with our parents back in November. I had never really known about this side of the war and it was an impressively curated museum which gave a chilling insight into the conditions of the workers in this place. I definitely recommend a visit to the museum for those going through town here.

Flowers make me smile.

Cuteness all around!

The roads in the tourist part of town are
all named after countries with
little representations of their flag to boot.

While being super lazy all weekend, we did manage to check a major tourist attraction off the list: Erawan Waterfalls. Supposedly one of the most beautiful in Thailand, Erawan boasts a 7-tiered waterfall which took us about 2 hours to get up and down.

We made it!

The first level, lots of Thais having a Sunday picnic.

The waterfall is not a place for shampoo or soap, FYI.

Huge fish in the pools were a bit too comfortable and wou

Hanging silk dresses at a spirit dwelling along the path.
Thai people believe their ancestors dwell in specific places and
will leave offerings of clothing, food, drinks for them. 

Almost to the last tier!

A sweaty duo: Beini and me on our way down the waterfall.