Nature's not so bad

Captain Mauch: One more thing. Do me a favor. Don't go chasing waterfalls.

Allen Gamble: Is that accidental or are you trying to quote TLC on purpose?

Captain Mauch: I don't even understand the reference.

Allen Gamble: You don't understand what you said?

Captain Mauch: I don't know what that is. Get out.

- The Other Guys

With some time off and a few relaxing days in Nakhon Pathom, I figured it was time to do some traveling. There were a decent amount of CIEE people heading to Kanchanaburi for the weekend so the timing was perfect. I had been there the week before but it’s huge and has a lot to see. I made plans to meet up with Claire (who lives there) and her roommate Pi-Jane (Most Thais take on English nicknames).

After waiting an hour for the 81 bus that allegedly comes every 15-30 minutes, I was on the road. We met up at the station and tried to grab the 9:30 AM bus, which apparently had left 10 minutes early. Thai time yet again. This gave us some time to walk around the area, which was filled with markets and restaurants.

We eventually arrived at Erawan National Park. The park is known for its seven-tiered waterfall. As you follow the trail, you reach several different waterfalls, with each ascending one being more beautiful than the rest. I could try to describe it but the photos speak better.

So we made our way up the waterfall, stopping occasionally to go in the water or just observe. Anyway at about 2:30 PM we realized we were at the 5^th tier and that the last bus left at 4:00 PM. If we missed it, we either have to try to find a close hostel or hitchhike – neither sounded ideal. So we began booking it to get to the top and finally made it around 3:00 PM. We took a few quick photos and started running back. It was actually a blast jumping and weaving down this mountain. Poor Pi-Jane was not ready for this sprint down and probably hated us for doing it. We made it with about 15 minutes to spare.

Awesome.

We eventually arrived at the hotel on the River Kwai. The room was actually located on a raft which was pretty neat. The confusing thing for me was the toilet.

It took me a good 5 minutes to come to the realization that it didn’t flush. So I tried using the hose to shoot the business down the drain. It didn’t really work. I found out a day later that you use the hose to fill the bucket and then pour it in the toilet. Essentially this just puts all your waste into the river. Sorry environment. I never had a choice.

The area around there was pretty fun and obviously geared toured tourists. There was about a 2 mile strip filled with bars and restaurants that were pretty fun. The next day we relaxed and ended up walking around Kanchanaburi city. We tried going to the War Museum but it was closed. Here’s a picture to show the attempt we made to go there.

Around dinner time we met up with 10 other people from the program who were there for the weekend too. It was really fun to catch up with everyone and hear stories about their respective living situations. It made me reallyyyyyy appreciate my apartment and school. Washing machines and flushing toilets seem to be a luxury.

We ended up having a long dinner since everyone was having a good time talking. We then decided to go to some of the bars on the street. Our group started walking down the road but noticed something weird. Every single bar and restaurant was closed. This was incredibly confusing considering it was a Friday night and we had seen everything open the night before. A Thai man on the street explained.

Supreme Patriarch Somdet Phra Nyanasamvara had just passed away the previous day at the age of 100. He’s the equivalent of the pope for Buddhism in Thailand. Currently Thailand has called for a 30-day mourning period. Due to this, bars now close early and don’t play music out of respect. Government workers are also expected to wear black and white during this time. Since I’m now technically a government worker, I might have to go out and get a new wardrobe since none of my button-downs are black or white.

On the way back, I hopped on the 81 bus again. But it was a different type of 81 bus and it ended up taking an alternate route back. I spent half the ride craning my head through the windows trying to find my stop before I finally gave up and got off the bus. I luckily found a great cab driver who told me that I was in the next town over and gave me a ride back to the apartment. 25 minutes later, I was home. I’ve really got to figure out directions.

Well that was my first attempt at traveling! I’m resting up now and getting ready to start my first real job on Tuesday. Yeah baby!

Mark

P.S. Still no post from Davis. It sounds like his Defense Against the Dark Arts homework has really been piling up :(