Kanchanaburi!!

Kanchanaburi was an unexpected journey that turned out to be one of the most memorable experiences we had! Just a couple hours west of Bangkok, it was a chance to escape from the hectic chaos of the city. The lead up to the decision to go was quite stressful, as we spent hours in the tourist agency after finding out we would have visa issues after our future trip to Cambodia! After a little bartering, we ended up with a great deal, and soon we would find out, we would end up having the time of our lives!

River Kwai Bridge

Train ride!

The 2 hour shuttle ride passed by quickly, and we were immediately dropped off in the heart of town. Brad and I made our way to the famous bridge over River Kwai that the Japanese built through forced slave labor during World War II. On our way we passed a baby tiger and leopard which stole my attention for what could have been hours if Brad didn’t pull me away…not before i got to feed the tiger some milk though! It’s uncanny how similar their mannerisms are to tiny house cats!

Aaanndd the bottle’s empty!

When we did make it to the bridge, it was quite pretty with the extraordinary green surrounding the river (which itself was quite the opposite…brown). Before we knew it, we were being hustled along with the group to hop on the train for a long ride through mountains. It was a super classic-style train, and although it did take ages, it was a nice trip! We eventually arrived at our home for the next 2 days, a floating guesthouse on the river!

Our new home – floating hotel!

We were given a massive amount of food, met our new friends and travel companions, and then headed to Sai Yok Noi waterfall. Some people could only stay 15 minutes, but since Brad and I chose the 2-day trip, we were able to relax and explore the waterfall for about 3 hours. Instead of following everyone up the footpath, we took off our shoes and waded through the water, climbing up the falls ourselves….way more fun! At this point, i was even happier i bought my waterproof camera, because we had tons of fun in the water! I kept my red pants on over my bikini, unsure of who i could offend, but it turns out Thailand is quite liberal! Surrounding the waterfall were caves, markets, temples, and plenty more to explore!

Fun in the waterfall!

Exploring…!

Eventually it was time to return to our floating hotel, where we were fed another scrumptious meal and had a couple beers with friends. We met 2 English girls who we planned to meet up with in Kho Phangan, Michael from Israel who we still keep in touch with, and an Aussie who owned a farm and belong to WOOF! Along with some great conversation came our dessert, Rambutan’s… the weirdest hairiest looking delicious fruit out there!

Rambutan’s!

Our next morning was early, as Brad and I took a long boat ride down the river to bath with the elephants! This was the coolest thing EVER!! We were allowed to hop on the elephants completely barebacked, and go into the water with them. They were just the friendliest animals, especially the little baby! It was swimming around in circles the whole time, coming up to everyone with its trunk to say hello….SO cute The owners kept telling the elephants to dunk down, trying to knock us off, and it completely worked!

Brad being knocked off!

Together!!

I was also able to ride on one just up to the bank of the river, where i was promptly sprayed over and over with water! A really really crazy experience. After it sprayed me a couple times, it would put its trunk up to me to kind of see how i was doing! I didn’t want to leave, but we had so many other things planned for the day, not to mention our 2 hour bus ride home. So we left, watching as the elephants very impressively trotted up this steep hill into the jungle.

Splash!!

Next in line was our bamboo ride down the river. It wasn’t quite as exciting as i thought it was going to be (the agency tricked us with different pictures), but it was relaxing and we were joined by good company! First a speed boat towed us up the river before we detached and floated back down….to our floating hotel! Water was spewing through the bamboo sticks as we went, and we all took turns with the paddle!

Bamboo rafting!

Then we were off to go for an elephant ride, which was really cool, but just didn’t quite compare after bathing with them. We sat in a seat, and slowly trekked through the jungle. It was fun to see the elephants eating everything green in sight…tearing down bushes with their trunks I love their trunks! We also got to chat a bit with our guides, and found out our 8-year-old elephant was his fathers pet before it was handed down to him. Such a different thought, having an elephant as a pet rather than a cat or dog!

Hello again!

After a quick break for ANOTHER delicious meal, our last stop was at a museum that exhibited just how brutal the Japanese were during WWII, and in particular to the Aussies. We saw “Hellfire Pass” where the train tracks were layed in the middle of a carved out mountain! It was really interesting to learn about the other side of WWII, as we do not hear about much in the U.S. with Japan other than Pearl Harbor.

Hellfire Pass

Before we knew it, we were on our way back to Bangkok, and sad to be leaving such a magical place! I highly recommend anybody who goes to Thailand to make it to Kanchanaburi! Only $60 each for accommodation, all meals, museums, waterfall, bamboo ride, elephant ride, and of course the best…. bathing with the elephants! Experience it!

Bye bye!