On Charlotte’s orders, we had to be in the lobby for 6:30am. I had set a wake up call for 5:45, and it didn’t work, but I was awake anyway, having slept fitfully on an aching stomach. I was still the first to arrive in the lobby though, and started to check out for the second time, as Steve and Sue arrived. The laundry I had done yesterday had cost me 650 baht, very high considering that you can get the same amount of laundry done on Khao San Road for 100 baht or so. Came back in very nice shrink wrapped packaging though.
Lorna turned up a few minutes after Steve and Sue, and we left for the train station in a couple of taxis. There had been no time for breakfast and I was starving, so I ate a Thai doughnut while we waited for the train. I’m no expert on Thai doughnuts, but I’d say it tasted more like battered fish, without any fish.
We boarded the train on a 3rd class carriage, initially to my disappointment – 3rd class is pretty barren, with bench seating down the sides. The gloom was short lived though, as I realised that I could stick my head out of the window and see forwards. Such simple pleasures are now pretty much unobtainable in the idiot-proof nanny states of the Western world.
The first part of the journey went quickly. It was cool, I was clean, and sticking my head out of the window still had appeal. As the journey wore on, the temperature rose and the dust coated everything and everyone. I slept for a while, which was fairly easy despite the noise and dust because I was able to lie completely flat on the bench seating.
Sometime later we approached the infamous Bridge over the River Kwai, and the train started filling up with tourists wearing coloured stickers and branded name badges. The bridge itself is not the original as built by the allied prisoners of war, but a more solid steel sructure errected sometime later. The original was made out of wood, but only stood for 20 months before it was bombed and completely destroyed by the allies. Incidentally, the famous film “The Bridge over the River Kwai” is not very historically accurate, in that the bridge in the film was destroyed before a single train crossed the span, and it was taken out by commandos instead of by aerial bombing. Also in the film, as in real life, only one soldier managed to escape from the camps, but he was actually British, not American. Quelle suprise.
Having passed by the touristy stalls and markets that have grown up around the bridge (they even sold certificates saying ‘I conquered the River Kwai Bridge’), the train crossed into a mountainous area with great scenery. Some of the sections of elevated track in the area did actually retain work done by the POWs, though the train didn’t even slow down for those. A short while and more fantastic scenery later we pulled into Kanchanaburi, where we stopped for lunch. We were very dirty, and thankful for wet towellettes provided by the trackside restaurant where we ate.
We continued by minibus to Sangklaburi, stopping occassionaly at some senic spots along the way. At one stop there were a number of houses that appeared to be floating on a lake – we couldn’t work out if they were actually floating or built up from the lake bed.
Finally, we arrived at the Burmese Inn, Sangklaburi (on the Burmese border). Charlotte was greeted by the lodge owner, Meo (pron. Me-ow), whose speaking style was a cross between Master Yoda and Ian Paisley – ie. in an odd order and very loud.
“SAWAT-DIE-KHA YOU ARE COMING FROM GECKO TOUR YES”
It wasn’t a question.
“GOOD TRIP YOU HAVE”
That didn’t seem to be a question either. We had had a good trip, and if we thought different then Meo was here to correct our mistake. Meo showed us to the cabins, Lorna and I following her with Sue and Steve behind. The first room was a twin/double, so Sue and Steve got that one and Lorna and I followed Meo to the next one. This also turned out to be a twin.
“TWO PEOPLE IN ROOM YES”
Nervous laughter broke out as we ummed and ahhed over this tricky social problem that Meo had handed us. After Charlotte cut in and quizzed Meo, we were offered single rooms, which were apparently nowhere near as good as this one.
“It does look very nice” I offered – as far as I was concerned this was a no-brainer: pokey single cabin at the back versus a spacious and well located one at the front with lake views and Lorna. Anyway, she seemed up for it so that was settled.
“Yes, this’ll be fine”.
That issue resolved, we showered, having been pleasantly surprised by the availability of hot water, although the toilet was flushed by filling a bucket, and the sink had no waste pipe. I actually discovered this when I washed my hands and found I was washing my feet as well.
At dinner, Charlotte explained tomorrow’s activities and Meo did the same in her own unique way:
“TOUR EARLY 9:00AM BOAT LEAVE HERE TOMORROW GET TO BED”