Kanchanaburi - a hidden gem in Thailand.

Tim and I arrived at our hostel in Kanchanaburi on 26.02.18 around 11.00 in the morning. After a 24-hour journey, we were happy to finally be there. The overnight train was very comfortable. The small beds were super cozy, and we arrived well-rested. We will definitely do it again!

When we walked to our hostel, we were shocked at first. Dozens of huge cockroaches were running around the courtyard and entrance area. It was almost impossible to pass through without stepping on one. We were quite alarmed. The hostel owner, an older man, saw this and reassured us immediately. He apologized and mentioned that they had already sprayed something, and soon all the cockroaches would be dead :D Indeed, after half an hour, they were all lying on their backs, dead. Thank goodness. The rest, including our room, is very clean and nice!

We then rented a scooter and went for a ride. First, we went to a Chinese temple. It was the most beautiful temple I have seen on this whole trip. It is located on top of a mountain and beautifully adorned. There is a huge golden Buddha in the middle. It was truly impressive, and you couldn't help but be in awe. The view from the top was amazing, and we could see the mountains clearly. The scooter ride was really enjoyable. In general, I find Kanchanaburi to be very unique. It feels very warm and diverse to me. The roads lead through mountains and along the River Kwai (we will visit this tomorrow). By the way, there is also a movie about this river and the bridge, which is quite sad. It is called 'The Bridge on the River Kwai'. After visiting the temple, we went to the cemetery of World War II. Contrary to my expectations, it was actually a beautiful place. Soldiers from the Dutch and English colonies are buried there. Some of the inscriptions on the graves were quite poignant. In the evening, we had a delicious dinner and went to bed.

Today (27.02.18), we rode 71 km on the scooter to Erawan National Park. Before that, we actually had breakfast at McDonald's. It was really tasty, just like home :D The ride went really well. Once we were out of the city, it was just the forest. Suddenly, there were these yellow road signs with elephants on them, just like the ones you see in Australia :D There were warnings everywhere: Be careful: Elephants crossing. We were really hoping to see some, but unfortunately, that wasn't the case. When we arrived at Erawan Park, Tim quickly went to the toilet, and suddenly, the sky opened up, and it started pouring rain. At first, we were annoyed and thought it would rain for 20 minutes and then stop. Well, we were wrong. So, after some time, when it was a little less intense, we went ahead. The national park has a 7-tiered waterfall. You walk 2 km through the jungle and can swim in the pools at each level. It would have been a dreamy experience without the rain. But it didn't stop raining, in fact, it kept getting heavier, and after 10 minutes, we were soaked to the bone ☹ And when it started thundering and lightning, that was it :D I turned back at the fifth level. It wasn't easy because the entire path was covered in giant puddles, and everything was muddy and slippery. Tim bravely made it all the way up to the seventh level. When we were back down, we tried to dry ourselves as best as possible. Once again, the large towel came in handy. I made myself makeshift pants, which looked like a diaper, and I had a dry top in the scooter. When I got it, I saw the next problem. We had left our helmets hanging on the scooter, and they were filled with water right up to the top :D So, I quickly put a plastic bag on my head, under the helmet, and looked extremely ridiculous, but oh well :D Then, it actually stopped raining. We started riding again. Unfortunately, the weather was not on our side today. We rode exactly where the thunderstorm and rain wanted to go. So, after 10 minutes, it started raining again, and it didn't stop for the entire 70 km. It was torture. The raindrops felt like needles on our skin and faces, we were wet down to our underwear, freezing, trembling, and constantly afraid of not seeing potholes under the puddles and falling. And then, in the city, we ended up at 2 traffic lights that were red for 158 seconds, passed by a serious car accident, and a stray dog chased after us. The ride was pure horror!! Our hands and feet were swollen, like those of a drowned body :D When we arrived at the hostel, we ran and stripped off our clothes and immediately jumped into the hot shower. It felt like heaven. We were really exhausted afterward and waited for the rain to stop before going out to eat, which was really comforting. Tomorrow evening, we will continue to Chiang Mai. Hopefully, the weather will be more favorable to us now :D