Thailand Trip (Day 28)

Day 28:
Lat night (Thursday- Day 27) I ended up stopping at a Ex-Pat bar and met a guy from San Fransisco, one from Australia, and two girls from Australia. We had several drinks and some great conversations. At the end of the night I made the long walk back to Bamboo House and woke up what seemed to be 100 dogs. In the morning I woke up when the floating house started rocking from the boat cruises going by. After a night out it was a bit rough, so I headed off to the shower which was open air and had a nice river view! I decided to move to a different hostel the second night in Kanchanaburi, and headed off there after a big breakfast. Mid-morning I checked in a t Pong Phem Guesthouse. Pong Phem is nice and has a great view and pool. The best part is that the pool was probably built for the clients in the expensive rooms, but I was able to get a basic room for just 150 Baht (cheapest yet!). I think I will hit the pool early tomorrow morning. After checking in I decided to rent a motor bike (and helmet). It was a slick blue Honda and ended up driving real well. Jimmy from the bar had told me to check two things... tires and brakes. They looked good. Aboard the motorbike I headed off to Erawin National Park. The traffic was relatively light, but consisted of everything from pickup trucks full of water buffalo to motor carts toting whole families. At first driving was a bit scary with the traffic, but I got a hang of it quickly. Motorbikes stick to the shoulders and the other traffic is usually generous with space when passing. The first hour of driving was relatively flat and I passed through jungle, farmland, and some villages. The last half hour or so became more interesting with hills, dense forests, a massive dam, and a winding mountain pass. After just under two hours I arrived at the National Park and paid the "farang" fee + the motor bike fee. Still it was quite reasonable. Erawin National Park is home to the Erawin Falls a series of seven sections of waterfalls. It took about 15 minutes to walk to what I though was the first waterfall. It was beautiful with crisp clear water, lush forests, and rounded rocks. As I trekked on I realized that it was actually not the first waterfall, but just a smaller one. The first waterfall was even more impressive. At the second waterfall there was a crowd of people swimming and enjoying the water. The third may have actually been the most impressive. A stream of blue-white water was falling an incredible distance to a pool that was so clear that the fish swimming in it were completely visible. Past the third waterfall food and drink is not permitted and the terrain gets a lot more rough. The path became more of a rain forest trek and I had a great time watching birds, lizards, and brightly colored butterflies. The other good thing was that there was no litter past this point. The forth and fifth waterfalls were a bit harder to get to and I had to use the ladders nailed on the rocks. It was also helpful to grab the bordering tree trunks and vines. By the time I arrived at the sixth waterfall I was exhausted and realized that I had to cross the river. At first it was fine, but then after five minutes of moving between the slippery rocks I fell on my butt. Brushing off the dirt, I realized the my shoes were pretty soaked and that it was easier to walk through the streams with my shoes on. The final leg of the walk was exciting since there was no one else on the trail. The trek between six and seven is definitely the longest and took a good 15 minutes. By the time I made it to the seventh fall and pool I was drenched in sweat. At the pool a Thai family was swimming, and I decided to follow their lead. Luckily, I had a swim suit under my cargo pants. The water was cold and felt amazing. It was definitely on of the best swims I have ever had. I stood in the water for a moment, but soon jumped as the fish began biting at my leg. As I took pictures of the waterfall, the older Thai man in the family pointed out Erawin in the trees, rocks, and water fall. "Erawin" is a three headed elephant in Thai mythology. The image was easily visible and quite impressive. After trekking down, I made my way back to the main road for the long drive back. Once back in town, I had some delicious Indian food (recommended at the bar last night) and headed to the net cafe. Tomorrow I have the scooter for a half day and will explore some of the WWII sites in Kanchanaburi. In the early afternoon I return to Bangkok.