trip report: kanchanaburi province

Originally, my plans for this weekend were to visit the "dark heart" of Thailand, the rich forest and national park of Khao Yai. However, on Friday morning my plans changed drastically after Tyler didn't feel up to the trip. So... I hopped onboard another traveling group for the weekend and took the first bus to Kanchanaburi.

Upon arriving at Kanchanaburi I soon realized that the trip group was too big of a group for my tastes. I've been on some reasonably sized excursions but I decided early that this group was just too big. Skylar was of a like mind regarding the too-large size of the group, so we set off on our own. Our first stop was to rent some motorbikes in Kanchanaburi. And, as chicks dig scooters, Vanessa hopped on Skylar's bike and came with.

At this time in the story I need to mention a sub-plot regarding FATE. You see, many of my comrades started poking fun at me after they discovered a fantasy book amongst my belongings in my room called "The Dragonbone Chair." Ever since, I have acquired a sort of self-depreciating humor regarding dragons; constantly referring to them as my favorite thing. Skylar, on the other hand, actually has a legitimate fate centered around his holy number of "four." He decided that after numerous instances of four playing a part in his life, that he would adopt it as his "fate number," so to speak. Therefore, he uses it as his lucky number, and constantly notes his run-ins with the number. He even has a tattoo, circular with four wings made up of four rods each (see later picture). Vouching for his instances with four, at dinner we were numbered off to keep track of bills. True to his trend, Sky was number four. You may wonder how my dragon-liking fits in here. Well, after renting our scooters, Sky approached a table full of helmets to pick his out. All helmets were plain... except one. Of course, it had a dragon painted on it. As Sky didn't know abot my dragon-jokes, he snatched it up (as any sane person would) and tried to put it on. By this time I had begun to weep slightly as I wouldn't receive the dragon helmet. Providence was on my side, and the helmet did not fit Skylar. Needless to say, it fit me perfectly, thus becoming mine. Things were looking down for Sky, until we sat on our scooters, realizing Sky was on number 18 and I was on number... 4. This was obviously some sort of astrological error, so we switched bikes. Fate!

But I digress!

We set off on our super-fun Wave 100's for "Hell's Pass," build by the same POW's featured in the motion picture "A Bridge Over the River Kwai." Sadly, the park was closed upon our arrival (only 100cc engines on our scooters!), so I will have to come back another day (which is easy because Kanchanaburi is only a few clicks away from Bangkok)!

So, we continued our ride north, soaking in the scenery and relishing being away from Bangkok. I even saw a corn field! This wasn't the only thing that reminded me of home this trip. While riding my scooter, I got cold for the first time ever in Thailand. As we rode, there was a slight sprinkling of rain.

This, coupled with the higher altitude and wind from the scooters, gave me a chill which felt just like autumn back home. This had the surprising effect of making me miss home quite a lot, in particular the fall, which is my favorite season. Here the colours do not change; the weather does not change (except to get even hotter); and there is no Labor-Day visits to orchards!

We bedded down in a northern city (I believe called Tha Pa Phum). As we bedded down for the night I realized something funny about our covers (I have a feeling they were made in Thailand). True to my caracterization of Thailand and bad translations:

"We want to sleep and make us happy dreams."

Now, because the second part of this entry deals with a waterfall, I know what everyone is thinking. True to what I've said about Thailand, it is (apparently) made up of three things: badly translated signs, waterfalls, and monkeys. Believe it or not, we didn't see any monkeys this trip, but we did see a: badly translated sign eluding to the presence of monkeys, which I think counts. Oh... and it was at a waterfall.

And what a waterfall it was!!!

It was made up of seven tiers (count them with me!): ...

7:

6:

5:

4:

3:

2:

1:

I know you may think I have digitally alterred these photos. Let me clarify that the water you see here is the natural colour of the water. It had some mineral in the water that made it a very bright blue. You may also see photos in black and white with blue as the only colour, this was not coloured in, but was taken with a special setting on the camera which isolates a colour and removes all others. It worked very well here as the water was so blue!

The waterfalls were in Erawan Park in Kanchanaburi (a very nice scooter ride away from the town proper). I do recommend it if you would like to see a park that looks man-made it is so nice. It is best described as a delightful collection of scenic waterfalls, rocks, roots, vines, and (the cherry on top, so to speak) butterflies fluttering everywhere. It looks far more like something Disney created than anywhere I've ever been. I don't know if I'll be able to match the caliber of this waterfall on the rest of my journeys, so I took a lot of pictures (they're free).

Vanessa and the blue water.

Nice freeze-frame of the second tier.

Sky in a cave behind a waterfall (almost as good as ruins with monkeys!).

Me getting ready to dive in for the swim back (these fish nibble at you BAD!).

Emerging from swimming with the fishes on the fourth tier.

Sunlight filtered through the forest.

Nice shot of the fifth tier.

Me gingerly climbing the falls (which were very grippy where the water flowed fastest, but dangerously slippery where the water slowed).

Sky and Vanessa playing.

Sky and his tattoo of fortune fate four.

Me saying goodbye from the falls!

In the next entry I'll talk about the name Erawan and connect it with my apartment (I'll explain later).

fix

Fixed the picture links from Krabi part II trip report. Sorry!

trip report: krabi province, part III

Well this is the last of the epic three-part recalling of our tale of Krabi Province. The morning of our flight back to Bangkok from Krabi "International" Airport, we visited Wat Tham Seua, very near the airport. It turned out to be a very good decision, as the temple was very interesting. Wat means Temple, Tham means Cave, and Seua means Tiger; put it all together and it means Tiger Cave Temple. We jokingly said (with excitement): "Temple! ... and Caves?!? ... AND TIGERS?!?!?" There were no tigers there (unlike Tiger Temple in the north), but it was very interesting. The main area of the Wat proper is inside a cave, and behind this area, there are 1,237 steps leading up a mountain to where there is a footprint of Buddha on the mountain-top.

What really struck me about this visit was just how nice the monks are. In my experience, a monk has never had a "holier than thou" attitude; they do not mind if you are not Buddhist, and they are generally very friendly and down to Earth. Most of them are happy to take pictures with you (or of you!) and these monks happily showed me their "Sak Yan" (Sak=Tattoo, Yan=a sort of Ward/Prayer/Script/Mantra). I really love some of the tattoos here in Thailand and the monk was more than happy to oblige me with a photo.

There is a fantastic photo of His Majesty the King entering the monkhood which is very popular in Wats around Thailand. I really like the photo because it reminds me of the conduct of wai-ing (bowing) between the king and monks. In Thailand, one generally bows to someone of more respect, and, if they are deserving, the person will return the bow (wai). However, everyone bows to monks, and the monks do not return these bows. Including the King. This is important because it shows that, for all the King's wealth and power and wisdom on Earth, he is still only the equal of monks in the spiritual realm.

As I've said, the monks were very kind, and because we donated a very modest amount to the temple they gave us little bracelets that were blessed by the monks.

We also had the opportunity to hear the monks chanting, which was a really great experience for me as a music education major. Check it out:

The other most notable part of this trip was our epic trek to the top of the mountain behind the temple, to see the footprint of Buddha. There were 1,237 steps, which doesn't seem like a lot, until you see the very healthy steps we were taking. At one point we had to use our hands and feet just to make it up a few steps nearly 3 feet deep. I hoofed it to the top before everyone else so that I could start a project on my way down. There was a bell to ring at the top (and numerous other bells, as per Thai tradition), and it was actually pretty gratifying to ring after the 30 minutes of arduous exercise.

Oh yeah, there were monkeys. Surprised? Didn't think so. Watch their funny antics. These ones were very nice, nicest monkeys we've encountered I'd say.

Listen to me huff and puff in these videos!

Oh yeah, Brian had another famous quote about monkeys which seems to hold true. "Monkey's love Wats." They do. Here Brian is on the top.

Here is Buddha's footprint (yes, I made the trek for you).

We came all the way from those fields to this, the 1,237th step (and down).

The view from the top:

I wanted to emphasize the length (or rather, height) of this trip, so I took a photo every 5 steps (or so) on the way down, then organized it into a simple stop-motion movie. Its at the end of this post, I hope you enjoy it! It goes to the top of the mountain, looks at Buddha's footprint and the view, then comes back down.

trip report: krabi province, part II

Ah! I forgot to include my customary map of where we were in Thailand. Useful for those of you unfamiliar with the country (okay, me too)!


You know, I really am beginning to think that Thailand has more beautiful waterfalls per capita than any other country. You can't go anywhere in Thailand without running into waterfalls (okay, and monkeys). We visited the national park Khao Phanom Bencha during our time in Krabi and were refreshingly rewarded with no tourists in sight! The only other people at the park were children playing in the waterfall (who were amused by our antics, I do believe). The waterfall was enormous, with several tiers. The photos do not do it justice because there are so many levels it must be photographed from the air to get the full impression.

One of our Thai friends posed at one of the tiers:

The force at the foot of this fall with amazing!

Our friends pointing (probably at a farang).

On the largest fall of the falls, where the current was quite strong, there was a piece of bamboo put across the falls. I assume it was there for the purpose of being the goal of a last grab in case someone got pulled into the flow!!

Needless to say, its probably my favorite sign ever:

("Don't Entry")

I caught one of the kids in midair on this one (yes, those specks are kids).

More of our friends. Did I mention there was one who was about 10 years old and who had multiple tattoos?

There were also caves after a little walk in the park. It was a semi-surreal walk to them, with jungle on our right and karst filled with caves on our left. We were thankful for the boardwalk that was being constructed, as off the path was quite muddy (in fact, we were reminded of the alienness of our surroundings when we saw elephant tracks in the mud). We didn't see another soul the entire walk, minus a somber crew of Thais, presumably on break from constructing the boardwalk.

Also worth mentioning is the bar we relaxed at night in Krabi. We happened to be next door to "Smoody Bar," and it was mentioned in LP, so we thought we would check it out. Though we were the only people there for a long time, it was an extremely nice night, and we had the pleasure of meeting the nicest bar-owner I have ever met. "An" was probably the nicest person I have ever met, to be honest, and I highly recommend her classy and relaxing joint. Her hospitality wasn't limited to kindness in serving drinks or surrounding us with fans, or wai-ing constantly; she let Vanessa borrow a bicycle to go to 7-11, and upon Vanessa's return without what she was looking for, offered to drive her in her car to wherever she might need to go! We enthusiastically recommend Smoody; the people are certainly the nicest we've encountered! This is particularly rare because we were still in tourist territory, therefore we were doubly refreshed by her kindness and generosity.

Only one part more on this epic endeavor! Will post soon!

trip report: krabi province, part I

On the first part of this, our most ambitious trip, we engaged ourselves with an aquatic adventure. As such, I'm going to style this entry with a Team Zissou feel. Furthermore, the scope of our trip was so large that I have divided my recounting of the trip into three sections: the first deals with our aquatic adventure to Koh Phi Phi, the second deals with getting away from tourist Thailand with a giant waterfall and the nicest bar-owner in the world, and the third covers our arduous trek to see Buddha's Footprint and Tiger Cave Temple in the Krabi Province.

We stayed in bungalows, like always.

Tyler had diahrea.

This was our vessel: The Belafonte. It is equipped with a spa, snooker table, cutting room, and studio. Its powered by a diesel truck engine adapted for aquatic use with a hilariously long drive shaft attached to a propeller.

I can't remember our pilots name (I'm sure his nickname was one syllable and his given name was ten or more), but he was quite skilled with the longtail boat, occasionally steering with his feet, with his genitalia only inches away from open and spinning belts on the engine. (Again, my oft-uttered phrase of "that's Thailand's style" comes to my mind.)

To be honest, this part of the trip isn't very conducive to a good story. It lends itself far better to amazing pictures. "We hung out on a real nice beech" just doesn't sound great. But when you see that beech...

I guess it makes a little more of an impression. Needless to say, the beeches were amazing and the water really was "the most amazing shade of turquoise."

There were monkeys on the island (surprised? we weren't, there are monkeys EVERYWHERE here). However, it was a good experience because we finally got to see Brian with monkeys for the first time. This takes some explaining. I would say that, since I have been here, Brian has said the phrase "I just LOVE MONKEYS" about a thousand times. He had seen them in Thailand before we had, so we knew he was for real. However, while we were on the beech with the extremely angry and ill-tempered beech-monkeys that were constantly scaring us into the water, we asked Brian: "I thought you loved monkeys?!?" He replied "I do love monkeys, I just don't like to be AROUND them!"

I couldn't blame him! These were the meanest monkeys I have ever seen. The scary thing about monkeys is, they aren't afraid to just run after you and grab on to you. However, these monkeys got a taste of their own medicine, with hilarious results. You see, Thai people are pretty good with monkeys. Especially if they are used to saving dumb tourists from monkeys. A boatfull of such tourists came upon Monkey Bay (I wonder why they call it that?) while we were there on the beech, intermittently running into the water to get away from the furious monkeys. They ran their speedboat onto the beech, and proceeded to run to the bow to see all the monkeys on the beech. They got more than they bargained for when a large monkey ran straight up to the boat and jumped onto the bow. Its a funny thing watching a bunch of people looking down over the bow of a boat suddenly want to not be there and run to the back of the boat altogether. The driver, no doubt experienced with this sort of thing, ran to the front of the boat and proceeded to try to grab the monkey. The monkey narrowly escaped. Here's my point... most people are afraid of monkeys grabbing onto them. This guy just totally turned things around on these guys by sprinting up to a monkey and trying to grab him!!! What do you do if you get ahold of the monkey?!?!? I don't know what he would have done, but I'm pretty sure the monkey wouldn't want to find out. Also, this guy had the legs of an Olympic sprinter (I feel weird saying that, but you would have noticed too!). Anyway, the overall point is, monkeys appear, chaos ensues.

The only other really notable part of this trip was the visit to the beautiful Maya Bay (where "The Beach" was filmed). Koh Phi Phi Leh is a very nice place to see, and its just beautiful all over there. The snorkeling was very enjoyable, with extremely clear water and lots of fish (though sometimes they all seemed to be the same species!). There were those wonderful parrot fish that you can hear as they chomp coral and pointy-nosed fish and clown fish and all the great stuff that goes along with snorkeling. I put my dry-bag to use, as we had to jump off the boat, swim to a hole in the karst-wall of the island, where we trekked about 1/4 mile to Maya Bay proper.

I did have one interesting run-in with an interesting creature of the sea. In Maya Bay I spotted a sea-snake under the water. It was very interesting to watch, and had stripes. Nobody else wanted to get too close to it. It was a prudent decision on their part; this snake turned out to be the highly venomous Banded Sea Snake. The closest I got to it was about one foot. Luckily for me, they are not hostile in nature and I was not bitten. Still, this is a reminder of how dangerous the wild can be! If anyone knows a good resource for identifying hazardous animals for different of regions, please let me know!