18th – 24th September
Samart and I arrived here at 7am and did what most people do - made plans to leave. His tour group are scheduled for one night here and as they are paying handsomely for his expertise, I won't be tagging along but I will be heading in the same direction so tomorrow we move to Kanchanaburi with it's historical tribute to the WWII Death Railway from Thailand to Burma and one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Thailand. The day peaks at around 35C and then the skies darken and the inevitable storm hits around 3pm – although I've seen dozens now, I still adore storms but they do remove any ambition to leave the room so apart from heading out for some food and a gawp at the dozens of street girls (never gets old!), the day in Bangkok slips away.
2 hours from Bangkok (north, south, east or west I'm guessing) is Kanchanaburi - a small town built around a river with one main street and a few resorts on the outskirts. It is peaceful and undemanding but also hotter than hell so I spend the afternoon by the pool to prevent myself from collapsing in the street or doing any more budget damage before an early start the next morning to fit in the museum and waterfalls. The museum is pretty sobering, it's not a subject I knew much about before coming to Thailand, but it's a ridiculous length of railway that connects the countries and was built by prisoners of war around the clock until completion. Hundreds of thousands men were forced to cut through mountain side with manual tools, build bridges and lay tracks for the Japanese and they did this with no medical supplies, in only loin cloths on the brink of starvation and through the most appalling and inhumane conditions. Needless to say, the majority died. The museum is run by an Australian who sorted me out with an audio guide of survivor's stories and mosquito repellent to walk down to the section called 'Hellfire pass', which was nicknamed due to the visual connection of the emaciated men cutting through the mountain by bamboo torchlight. When you stand in this manmade gorge, in the beautiful sunlight and surrounded by peaceful jungle, it is impossible to really grasp the concept of what happened here. The stories tell of the men surviving through the beauty of their surroundings and the compassion of the other prisoners alone. It is quite a place.
The afternoon requires more light-hearted entertainment so head to the 7 tiered waterfalls. Initially I was going to walk to the 3rd or 4th and swim but when I get there, I decide to aim for the top. Fortunately, I meet a few Israeli guys who are heading the same way (as always, better equipped) and I get a helping hand in the climbing and wading where denim shorts and flip flops just aren't cutting it. It's 1550 metres to the top and takes around an hour to get to there but is more beautiful and a little cooler at each level and it's not too long before we see the 'end of trail' sign. The joy of swimming under a clear cool waterfall and into the cave behind, trying to avoid the full body fish spa while we're at it, makes the sweat lost en-route well worth it! Then once we've all freshened up and after our clothes have dried (no, not from swimming...), we get the time to go signal by the colour of the sky and start the journey back down.
Back in Bangkok the next afternoon, calves aching like never before, and wandering down Khao San Road that night, it struck me how much I have adapted to this life and how much ground I've covered since I first set foot on this street back in May. I no longer feel like people can spot me as the novice traveller, so obviously daunted by this intense foreign city and who is bound to missing out on something. I don't feel that everyone is having a more authentic trip or more fun and I definitely don't think that everyone else knows how to cope with heat, avoid scams and read maps more competently. Actually, I no longer feel like anyone here has anything over me and although I don't exactly know this place and still get lost within minutes, I'm finally content to go with it. But beware of Bangkok; she can leave a bitter taste. It is the biggest tourist trap in South East Asia – probably 80% of foreigners pass through here at some point and probably 80% of locals see you as a gullible walking cash point. Temples do not close mid morning for no reason (I just fell for this one), the meter on the taxi is not broken, the tuk-tuk will not give you special price (without a few stops at gem stores and tailors that is), the drink is not free, the bag is not real leather and the jewellery is not real silver. Basically, the less people you trust, the better you'll get on with Bangkok. With that said; if you can rise above the shadiness and use it to appreciate your blessed position in life instead then there is still a certain allure here. More cultural than the South, more famous than the North and with no end of vibrant lanes, stunning temples, diverse courses, evening markets, funky restaurants and all night entertainment, you're unlikely to struggle for things to do and when you do meet decent people, they are some of the best imaginable. This was my first and will be my last stop for South East Asia and it's a good milestone, I might even miss it!
