What a beautiful little side trip!

I'm back! Safe and sound and in one piece. I have to say that my excursion to the surrounding national parks in Thailand was quite the amazing adventure. Unfortunately due to bad weather (its the rainy season right now) i elected to only goto one set of waterfalls (had to bail on the caves, other waterfalls, hotsprings) and then head straight for the little town of Sangkhlaburi.

The main reason for heading out there was to goto Three Pagodas Pass. This is central Thailand's crossing point into Burma. Although its known that this crossing is just to go into Burma and walk around a small town, I was still interested in going. However, due to recent events, the border was closed. I'm not crazy enough to still try to go in, especially with rumors that they've even killed a journalist.

Time to see all my pretty pictures! I'll go right into the first day of my trip.

Day 1

Erwan Falls National Park

I left at the crack of dawn (6:00 am) on a local bus heading in that direction and arrived at the park at roughly 7:30 am. I was quite disappointed that they charged 400 THB for foreigners and only 200 for locals. I should have just pretended that i was retarded and start speaking gibberish, then they might have just given me the Thai price. But that's ok, the ticket was good for one day to all of Thailand's national parks. After a quick pit stop for food I entered the park at 8:00 am. There are a total of 7 waterfalls which were all along a 1.7 km hike.

Step 1

This was my first jungle trek ever. And it is hot in there. But aside from the heat, the differences compared to our temperate forests back home are astounding. everything is different. The vegetation, the composition of the trees, the rocks, and the wildlife. Actually especially the wildlife. The squirrels of back home have been replaced here by little lizards/geckos. The standard drab sparrow has been replaced by colorful peacocks and other beautiful birds, and the curious raccoon has been replaced by curious monkeys (sorry, but all my monkey pics turned out bad)!

Step 2

As I was heading to the park on the highway i saw a few snakes crossing the road. i also saw what i swear was a large tarantula crossing the road. I'm not 100% sure but it was large, and definitely was a creepie crawlie.

Step 3

View of the surrounding area

Here's a nice little picture from a small clearing in the brush. It also gave me a chance to catch my breath in the steaming jungle.

Step 4Step 5

Step 7 (Erwan Falls)

Step 7 Pools

For those of you observant types, you may have noticed that there are no people in the photos. Why you may ask? Its because there was no one in the park but me. I left my guesthouse at 6:15 am and it was well worth it when i reached Erwan Falls. The photos i have taken do not do justice to the beautiful lush pools and flowing waterfalls. I'll only briefly describe the experience I had there since words cannot accurately describe.

One of the great things about traveling alone is that you're alone. Completely alone. See the picture above of the two pools? There were about 6 of these little pools at the 7th step alone. I swam in each and every one of them. I climbed through each of the waterfalls to the next pool (through, not around) . And i stood on the edge of the falls (not on the side mind you, in the waterfall) and stared out. Its an experience I will never forget, and unfortunately its an experience i can never accurately describe.

I left the falls after I saw the first tourist arrive. Fortunately i had just finished my climbing to the top of the uppermost falls. I had only seconds to enjoy the view. But i guess it was time to leave anyways lest some monkey steal all my stuff (they're very attracted to shiny things).
I headed up north to a small town where I would try some caving. It is here that there is supposed to be a beautiful limestone cave. The journey took about 2.5 hours and I ended in a small town known as .... It is here where my day turned bad. I walked around the town attempting to get directions to the cave. Very few people spoke English here and after about 30 min trying to search for the cave, i discovered that it was about 22 km away. Without enough money, and tired from the brutal heat I decided that i would instead head back south to the other waterfall i was going to visit tomorrow.

I went back to Kanchanaburi to spend the night at my usual riverside guesthouse

Look who came to visit me again!


Day 2

Sangkhlaburi, Three Pagodas Pass (Border crossing to Burma)

I was up again at the crack of dawn. With my stuff safely secured and left behind at the guesthouse, i made my way up to the town of Sangkhlaburi bout 240 km from Kanchanaburi. It was about a 6 hour bus ride generally on smooth straight roads. However as we approached the town, about 25 km away, the road became deadly. The turns were incredibly tight, steep, twisty, blind and unforgiving. Of course on top of that, Thai people seem to love to pass other cars on blind corners and up hills. So it was an interesting journey no doubt. A real experience for anyone who's interested in a little bit of adventure racing on a bus.

Sangkhlaburi

I wish i had more time to spend there, its a beautiful little town with very traditional people/lifestyles. One side of the river is Mon people, the other side is Karen. Traditionally, they don't like each other that much, but i guess now in this day and age they get along. I must admit though that i'm not really that curious about their culture. Maybe right now i'm too young to appreciate it? Anyways, at this point my reason for coming here was not to see the people but to see Burma through the Three Pagodas Pass. After going there, i arrived back at the town at dusk. Because it was dark and I didn't have any form of transportation besides walking I decided that i would just chill out and relax the rest of the night. That way i would be ready to go home the next day.

Three Pagodas Pass

No bus this time, just a little minivan like ride that takes small loads of tourists up to the border crossing. The journey here (22 km) was just as harrowing as the ride into Sangkhalabrui. But I must admit that the scenery was quite breathtaking when i did get a chance to look at it. In my opinion winding through the mountains always provides the best views one can get. When i got to the border there was little more than a cul-de-sac, a few shops, three puny pagodas, and a closed border crossing. But i knew that it was closed already so there was no surprise there. I took my been there done that photos and headed back into town for the night. Tomorrow was going to be a long day of travelling.

Day 3

Sangkhlaburi to Chiang Mai via Kanchanaburi and Bangkok

Today I woke up a little bit later (which ended up being a mistake) and hopped onto the bus back to Kanchanaburi. The ride was about 6 hrs long and is just as exciting going the other way. I arrived in Kanchanaburi at about 3. I ate my lunch, took a shower, then jumped onto the back of a scooter taxi and went to the bus station. At 5:45 my bus left Kanchanaburi for Bangkok. What was supposed to be a 2 hr journey ended up running 2:45 because of badass Bangkok traffic. I jumped into a cab at the bus station and took a 30 min journey from the bus station to the BTS (skytrain). From the BTS station i traveled south and changed with the MRT (Subway). At this point it was about 9:50 pm and i was trying to catch a 10:00 pm train north to Chiang Mai. I ran through the station and up the stairs. Inside the train station the clock on the wall said 9:59. I went to the ticket counter labeled "Foreigners" only to find the closed sign up. There was a young man behind the counter and i decided to ask him if I could purchase tomorrows ticket for my journey. He said I can still get on tonight's train but in 3rd class only. i was like perfect! I'm there! I rounded the corner to see the train station attendant waving the train away. I literally chased the train down and jumped on. But of course it wasn't really THAT dramatic like in the movies. The train was only moving like 2 kph. Relieved that i had made it aboard, i clawed my way through first class and second class to my bench in 3rd class.


The seats were quite nasty and the walls were pretty gross. I really didn't mind though at that point. I paid about 9 CDN for a overnight train ride. i could just sleep here and save a few bucks on hostel accommodations. In the end was it worth it? I really don't know. A 1 hr flight would have cost me roughly 35 dollars Canadian plus transportation to the airport. Either way it was an experience sitting in 3rd class with the locals bound for Thailand's second largest country.

The night was a rough one. The train was very loud. I'm so glad i had earplugs and my own bench to lay down on. Because i was in 3rd class there was no A/C. Which really wasn't too bad because of the wind coming through the window. But at night it did get a little cold. Also with the windows wide open, all the exhaust fumes and sounds were coming in. Next time around i'll have to weigh out my options better.


I was still able to sleep somewhat. Maybe 5 hours through the night in total? At dawn I was awake again and sat down to enjoy the view. Chiang Mai is a city surrounded by mountains so I had a great train ride by many beautiful mountains.

However, through the mountains was a different story. As the train approached a hill i could feel the train slow down. As the mountain got steeper I felt the engine struggle more and more. The train was having so much trouble going up the hill that i could basically get out and walk faster than the train. Then as the final insult, the train actually came to a complete stop. I poked my head out the window to see what was going on. Lots of other people were also sticking their heads out. To the people in the 3rd class car with me, it seemed to be an ordinary occurrence and they just went on with their merry lives. But the passengers in the other cars were all looking out the window as well. After a 15 min wait the engineer decided to roll the train back down the hill to the station at the base.

Now it was at this point that i started getting nervous. I was under the assumption that the engine was broken and that there would be no working engine brake (dynamic braking system used on freight cars). And rolling down a steep hill backwards with blind corners and didn't sit very good with me. My fears were further justified as half way down the hill smoke started coming out of the brakes from the second class car behind me. The minute i smelled the smoke i knew it was the brakes overheating.

The engineer decided to stop the train and get out and look at the brakes. I don't know what else they did besides look at it and let it cool down but it definitely did not inspired confidence in me. Either way, they decided to keep rolling down the hill and we stopped at the bottom in a local station. We sat there for about an hour while someone did some kind of repairs. After that we were underway again.

So i finally arrived in Chiang Mai and I got the tuktuk driver at the station to take me to my hostel. The clock at the reception desk said 3:30 pm. Its been 32 hours since i left Sangkhalaburi. The journey had not been a plush one. Its nothing that i wish to repeat anytime soon. So i think i will chill out in Chiang Mai for a few days and recuperate before i journey into Laos.

-bk

Going to spend some time in the forest...

I have planned out my journey for the next few days! This is a first for me on this trip! I will be visiting 2 national parks which have beautiful waterfalls and caves. And from there I'm going to an even smaller town jsut to visit for a day. This is going to be quite exciting! I'll post photos when i get back around the 29th!

Continuing on from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi

Note: Still having some technical issues, i'm going to have to work on my html skills.
-bk

Fortunately the past few days in Bangkok there have been no more taxi fiascoes like last time. I've been in Bangkok for too many days. Why did I book so many days in Bangkok? Quite honestly, in general, people are only here for one reason. And its not the food (although i still must say its been excellent!).














I finally became bored enough to visit another standard tourist attraction. This time i went to see the Grand Palace which is where the King lives. However, i must say that i'm quite disappointed in that i never really got to walk up to the palace itself, but just walk around it. Overall i think its quite overrated. I did also see a Wat there which was quite nice but really, after you've seen one Wat, they're really all the same. I guess its just something to do when you have nothing better to do.

As for the traffic issue, it is as bad as I thought. It gets backed up everyday. I'm glad I'm not in Bangkok right now. Vancouver traffic is nothing compared to Bangkok. It really does look like this everyday!

The girl in the picture is Xia Lao Shi (Mandy). One of the cool people that I met in my hostel. We ended up touring Bangkok for the next few days together hitting up the night markets, electronics emporium (thanks for the help bargining Mandy!), Kosan Rd (backpacker hangout). I am throughly impressed with the shopping in Bangkok as you can get anything that you want for a decent price. I'm especially excited with my new camera and underwater case. I can't wait to go diving with it.

Anyways, as for Bangkok, its an interesting place for a few days, but after that it gets really old. I think whoever comes here will understand what I mean. The atmosphere of the city for foreigners is not exactly the most family oriented.

Anyways, today I left Bangkok (I will miss you Mandy, keep in touch...) via 1st class bus (A/C'd and a bathroom!). I have come to a small city called Kanchanaburi. I'm here to get out of the city and relax a little by the river side. My guest house has a fantastic view overlooking the river and slightly out of view is a bridge made famous in the movie ''Bridge Over River Kwai"." Its quite a famous bridge from WWII era where many POWs were killed trying to build it for the Japanese Imperial Army. I'm not sure if I'm going to actually go to the bridge, but i will definitely head over to the cemetery and pay my respects.

The reason I've come here is to visit some famous national parks in the surrounding region. They have spectacular waterfalls and pools which i hope to be swimming in and some amazing caves in which i can do some spelunking. I've also never hiked in a jungle before so this will be my first time. Stay posted for pictures.

Here is my new room mate! Quite cute eh?

So is this guy! hahaha... (wasn't able to get a pic of the one that was sharing dinner with me. He was camera shy! Hahah, just kidding Mom...)

Bangkok

Technical Difficulties: I'm dealing with some formatting issues, i'll see how i'm going to deal with them another time!

-bk

2 nights ago I arrived in Bangkok international. I must admit it was quite an uneventful arrival. I got of the plane, went through immigration, collected by bag, found a taxi and came to my hostel. All the stories of getting attacked at the airport by people trying to get you into their cabs is quite true. But for some reason they did not seem to want to bother me that much. Not that i'm complaining. They probably don't see me as that ideal a foreigner to harass. At least in comparison to the other people that got off the plane with me

My hostel has an incredible view from the 5th floor where my laundry is currently drying. I have a sweet view of the downtown district and skytrain with a few sun chairs to lie down on.

Oddly enough, an American that stayed in my room last night also stayed in my room in HK, but we never really spoke. He did recognize my bag though and that's about as far as we spoke. He'll be leaving today so I don't think i will speak with him again.

I met a nice British girl (Annie) in the morning yesterday. We started talking and ended up spending the day together touring 2 Wats (Buddhist temples) in downtown Bangkok. It was quite interesting as everyone assumed that she was my girlfriend. Most people also assumed i was her tour guide and were left alone for the most part by scammers and tuktuk drivers (3 wheeled motorcycle carts). The funniest thing is that no one believe that I was Chinese either. Most Thais thought I was Korean, Singaporean or even Thai. Today I will be travelling alone so i hope i will be able to use that to my advantage. I hope to experience Bangkok without the annoying scammers trying to sell me tours of Bangkok.

At night we met up with another British traveller also staying in our room and decided to go on a dinner cruise up the river that runs through Bangkok. We decide to leave our hostel at 6:15 to grab some hawker food (street food) before heading East to the river. Our boat was to leave at 8:00 pm and take us up and down the river till 10 pm.

Now that was the plan for the night. But of course things never go as you expect and last night was just one of those nights. We walked up to the main road hoping to jump into a cab. After looking down the street we realized that the cars were not moving at all. So we decided if nothings moving then why don't we just walk down the street to the next station. See how traffic was down there. The short version of this story is, we jumped onto a skytrain, went down 6 stations, got off and cars were still gridlocked. I have never seen anything like this before in my life. Some of the bridges we passed over (6 lanes) were completely backed up as far as we could see coming into town. We were beginning to think that maybe something had happened? Some major traffic accident or news event causing all the chaos? I looked around at the people on the street and in their cars. They gave me the impression that this was the way things are around here. I'm not sure if I believe it yet but i'll see tonight what the traffic is like.

So we never did make it to the river cruise. After getting off at the station closest to our destination, we spent the next 30 min standing in the rain fighting with tuktuk and taxi drivers to take us where we wanted to go. Frustrated, wet, hungry, and past our departure time, decided to go to a different restaurant and just sit down and eat by the river. We jumped back onto the skytrain (which is brand new i should add) and travelled to a new place we hoped would have less traffic. We were right in thinking that a cab would be easier to flag if we went to a major train station. What we didn't expect is that we would be getting into a taxi being operated by the stupidest taxi driver in all of SE Asia. Even with a map in hand he couldn't find the place we wanted to go. We drove around for what seemed like an hour in the middle of now where. Finally, after WE pointed out some landmarks, we decide to get out of our cab and walk. For a taxi driver to have a map and still not know where he's going has got to be one of the weirdest thing i have ever encountered. How the hell does he make any money?

Walking around in the middle of now where was also no picnic either. I'm glad i was with 2 other people or i'm not sure what i would have done. In the end, we did actually find the resteraunt we were looking for. It had a beautiful view of the river and the food was not too bad either. So, with stomachs full, some alcohol in our blood, we decided to head closer to home and check out some of the local bars and put the earlier part of the night behind us.

We moved to Asok station and perused some of the local watering holes found near by. I decided that at this point I'm not going to drink anymore (I am still a little sick and on antibiotics) since its practically impossible to keep up with British people. Now at this one bar, the strangest thing happened. We're standing around enjoying the atmosphere when all of a sudden i hear this strange squeaking/trumpet sound. At first i thought it was just traffic of some kind until i heard it again and again. i turned around and about 20 feet away from me, there was a baby elephant standing in the middle of the street. Its owner wanted tourists to come over and pay to feed it. It was the last thing i expected to see on a city street. I wonder if its a common thing like horses in downtown Victoria? If it is then where is all the elephant poo? Either way it was a strange sight to see.

Now to the final leg of our journey home. Of course this would only happen to stupid tourist like us. We hail a cab, get in, and ask him to take us to the next station down the street (Skytrain is closed at this point). He didn't really understand english but we pointed to our map and he said ok. 5 min and 40 THB later (approx 1.20 CDN) he drops us off. We got out and found our local 7 eleven. Walked a bit down the road and started talking about taxi services back home in London and Vancouver. Normally they take you from pick up point right to your door. But i guess in asia they would rather just drop you off somewhere easier for them to turn around and let you walk. Again, this didn't bother us considering a cab ride like that would have cost at least 10 times as much back home. It only began to bother us when we realized that we were on the wrong side of the street and had to cross over. Then it started to bother us even more when we realized that this was not actually our stop. And finally, what really pissed us off is when we realized that he actually just picked us up, and dropped us of at the next station...in the wrong direction! So of course we're all fuming now after having such a pissy night (that's British, my British mates have started to influence me. For some reason after only spending a day with British people i find myself spitting out a few words with an English accent once in a while. Odd eh?). So we finally hail another cab and go in the right direction this time and finally get home to some more hawker food, chicken this time.

Note for all you techies with a GPS (Dad, Monkey, Q, Nick, etc...)

If you read the instructions on your GPS, it will clearly state that the GPS is a navigation aid only. See specifically, navigation AID. A GPS does not replace a map or a compass. It will not help idiots like us find our way around without any sense of basic direction. Let me explain a little more clearly. My fone has a build in GPS with local area maps of any city i wish. It is an extremely powerful tool but guess what? It onyl works when i don't need it. It does not work in bad weather (rain or cloudy) or in cities with too many buildings. It did not work anywhere in HK, even in wide open areas (I blame the smog). Generally it only works when i'm bored in my hostel. Remember, if you're going to trust your life with something (which i haven't yet b/c i read the fine print in my instruction manual), make sure that its reliable. I love my fone for all that it can do, but I will be buying a compass shortly.

I wonder what tonight will bring?

More weird stuff like this?

Ronald doing a Wai

Goodbye safety net!

As I cling to the last vestiges of the known and look out to the horizon, I feel a sudden sense of calm. Tonight is the last night before I enter a completely new world. Two hours ago I said goodbye to the last two people I know and trust. I'm saddened by this fact but I'm also focused now on what's ahead.

In 20 hours, I will be landing at Bangkok international. It is at that point that i have finally arrived at the beginning of my journey. The quest to find myself a taxi is my first right of initiation on what is to be the beginning of my sojourn. I will not just be taking the taxi to a place to sleep, but to a new destination. Its the uncertainty that terrifies. It is the uncertainty that provides the excitement.


On a lighter note, I'm sure some people are wondering what it looks like to stay in an 8.00/night USD hostel (Chinny and Bosco, here you go!).

This is what my hostel looks like from the outside. I assure you, its not so bad inside. Its quite clean with my room containing 6 beds. There are no cockroaches (no food in there i guess?) and other insects. Would i recommended it? Well, it really depends on your tolerance level. Its very conveniently located in HK, but not in such a great area. The next cheapest thing you can find will run you roughly 100 CDN a night a bit farther away, or 60ish CDN a night if you want to stay at the airport (roughly 45 min from downtown HK).



From here on out the accommodations should only get cheaper. In Bangkok i will be staying for about 8 USD/night which is a little high (hey, why can't i spoil myself?). But after that i'm going to keep it roughly around 5 USD. I'm on a budget you know!


















Hong Kong at night from Victoria Harbour

The beginning...

I'm sitting in front of a computer over ten thousand kilometers and across 15 time zones from Vancouver. And I feel so very far away from home. The night before I flew out of Vancouver, after everyone had left my house and I had finished packing, I stopped and looked around. I realized i'm not going to see this place for the next 6-12 months. The apprehension i had been feeling for the past several days suddenly left my brain and was instantly replaced by what I can only broadly define as fear.

Its hard to explain. Its not the same feeling as standing on the edge of a bridge preparing to bungee jump, that was more exhilaration. Its not the same feeling as choking 40 ft underwater in less than 5 ft visibility, that was more panic reflex. Its not the same feeling as free falling backwards 30 ft because i couldn't make the next clip in the climbing gym, that was more physical exhaustion. No this feeling was different.

I have thought about it over the last several days in HK. What was this feeling? Why is my heart beating so fast? Why am I suddenly so emotional over everything that reminds me of my family and friends? The conclusion should not have been such a surprise to me. Its the fear of change, the fear of leaving home, the fear of being completely alone.

There is no one here to take care of me if i'm sick. There is no one here to talk to me if I'm sad. There is no one here to take me to the hospital if I'm dying. There only is me.

I realize that this is what I've wanted for a long time. This is the moment that I've waited for since I entered university. The sudden change. The life altering event that messes with your perception of reality. I have torn myself away from everything that I knew and loved for the advancement of my personal self. I have always told other that i'm the type of person that does not know what he has until its gone. It is now that i'm beginning to understand the gravity of that statement. Its not trading what you had for something better, its treasuring the moments we all have together and living them in the moment to their fullest.

I will be leaving HK for Bangkok this coming Tuesday. That will be my first true test independence. Goodbye HK sulfur filled smog, hello Bangkok lead filled smog!


PS

This is the blog is probably the easiest way to contact me so please visit often and leave comments or email me (BKinASIA@hotmail.com). I will update this blog as often as possible (this is both my personal journal and means of communication back home).