Kanchanaburi Part II
The second day in Kanchanaburi started early with a trip to the bus station to catch a bus to Erawan National park. We were headed there to see the famous Erawan falls, seven steps of falls that run out of the mountains and form a tributary of the River Kwai. The bus from Kanchanaburi was a Mercedes Benz model from the 1960s, and we traveled the whole distance with the doors open and the windows down, as there was no air conditioning on this bus. It took a little more than an hour to get to the park, and once there it was a short hike, about 700m, to the first step of the falls. 
They were extremely impressive. It was much like stepping into a postcard or one of a thousand inspirational posters found in college dorms across the country. The place was gorgeous in every way, and unlike many other tourist attractions I've seen in this country, this place was swarming with locals. The blue hue of the water, due to the calcium carbonate in the water from the limestone it is eroding, made the sight even more surreal. We hiked up nearly a kilometer and a half to the sixth step, but found the rest of the trail flooded, due to the recent
rains and it already being the high water season. We decided to hike down to the fifth step and go for a swim. In the pools beneath each fall were schools of fish I have yet to identify, though they were very aggressive and would not hesitate to give your toes a nibble, though they weren't painful, they made swimming a bit interesting. 
There were signs along the trail that indicated that monkeys were common (and we were NOT to feed them) but we saw no monkeys, nor anything else besides the fish and a few skinks. By the time we had decided to head down the trail again to pick up the last bus out of the park, it had started to rain. By the time we reached the second step, it was pouring, and continued to do so till long after we had reached our bus. The falls had already swelled by nearly 50% by the time we reached the first step. I guess that's why they call it a rainforest.
Tomorrow: The Tiger Temple
They were extremely impressive. It was much like stepping into a postcard or one of a thousand inspirational posters found in college dorms across the country. The place was gorgeous in every way, and unlike many other tourist attractions I've seen in this country, this place was swarming with locals. The blue hue of the water, due to the calcium carbonate in the water from the limestone it is eroding, made the sight even more surreal. We hiked up nearly a kilometer and a half to the sixth step, but found the rest of the trail flooded, due to the recent
rains and it already being the high water season. We decided to hike down to the fifth step and go for a swim. In the pools beneath each fall were schools of fish I have yet to identify, though they were very aggressive and would not hesitate to give your toes a nibble, though they weren't painful, they made swimming a bit interesting. 
There were signs along the trail that indicated that monkeys were common (and we were NOT to feed them) but we saw no monkeys, nor anything else besides the fish and a few skinks. By the time we had decided to head down the trail again to pick up the last bus out of the park, it had started to rain. By the time we reached the second step, it was pouring, and continued to do so till long after we had reached our bus. The falls had already swelled by nearly 50% by the time we reached the first step. I guess that's why they call it a rainforest.
Tomorrow: The Tiger Temple
posted by Ryan at 5:27 PM
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