Thailand – Bangkok to the Myanmar Border, 8th to the 19th of December, 2015

We left Thung Wua Laen hoping to cover the 400km in good time to arrive in Bangkok prior to peak hour traffic. Once again  the roads in Thailand were excellent. We travelled on both minor roads and main highways and we were able to keep good pace the whole time.   The traffic built up from about 100km out of Bangkok, but surprisingly, other than a couple of junctions, did not get caught in any traffic that was heavier (and mostly much better) than that found in Sydney. The GPS took us to the street of Panida Suites, the guest house we were staying in (only complicated a little by the fact that the guest house was located down a walking alleyway). After a bit of asking around, we found the guest house and we parked at a restaurant around the corner.

Although a little surprised at the access down an alley and around a few corners, we could not have been happier with the guesthouse. The hosts Nui and Sanannam could not have been kinder or more helpful during our stay. We really felt like guests in their house. The house itself was nearly a hundred years old and in the land connecting were a number of traditional houses over two hundred years old, all tucked into a little spot surrounded by a major hotel, the river and a residential and commercial district. In the evenings we could wander out and eat fantastic food from the street side vendors and when we returned during the days we had a calm little oasis to relax and for the kids to do their journals and school work. Could not have found a better spot away from the tourist crowds.

Panida Suite with host Nui. We could not have had a more pleasant stay.

We spent the days in Bangkok discovering the Grand Palace and the Emerald Buddha, Wat Pho (The Reclining Buddha), the Chatachuk Markets (over 13,000 vendors – yes that is correct), the Dusit Zoo and checking at the Athit area where we sampled the finest of local delicacies. Below are a few photo’s of our time in Bangkok.

The public river boats that ply the Chao Phraya River. Extremely effective, efficient and a little quaint transport in Bangkok.

Heavy Lifting at the Grand Palace, Bangkok

Within the complex of the Grand Palace in Bangkok

The Emerald Buddha at the Grand Palace in Bangkok

Being cheeky next to one of the Guards at the Grand Palace

Reclining Buddha – Wat Pho, Bangkok

Big Feet. Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho, Bangkok

Statues at Wat Pho, Bangkok

Wat Pho, Bangkok

Dusit Zoo in Bangkok

A big fella at Dusit Zoo in Bangkok

Eating a Grasshopper in the Athit area of Bangkok. Interestingly, the crickets were much more flavoursome.

We left Bangkok on Tuesday the 13^th of January and headed up to Kanchanaburi to visit the Bridge of the River Kwai and Hellfire Pass. Interestingly, it appears that the bridge was really only made famous by the movie released in 1957 and did not really have any consequential impact on the war. The bridge was relocated from Java by the Japanese during the war and reassembled on site in Kanchanaburi.

Bridge of the River Kwai

We then headed up to the Hellfire Pass Museum where we went through the museum before finding a spot to camp. The museum is partly funded by the Australian Government and is a first class facility, both in information about the building of the Burma Thai Railway and the ability to portray the sheer hell of life for all that worked it. Some of the facts speak to the horrendous living and work conditions. Of the 300,000 people who worked on the railway, some 100,000 died. Of these approximately 90,000 were paid (at times) workers from Thailand and surrounding countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Burma and Laos. These workers were often duped into employment and then essentially became prisoners of war also. Amongst the prisoners of war, many were from Australia, but also from Britain, Holland, USA and other nationalities who happened to get caught in the war. 1 in 3 soldiers died from the disease and maltreatment and interestingly 1 in 9 Japanese also died while working on the railway.   One of the facts I wasn’t aware of was that much of the brutality was metered out by Korean Soldiers who were tasked with the guarding and ensuring that maximum work was achieved. The time spent at the Museum and later the next day walking the railway were spent with lump in throat, reflecting on the ability for humans to be so cruel and brutal, the waste of much it (the railway never reached capacity and fell into disrepair immediately following the war), the sacrifice of ours and other countries soldiers, the endurance of mankind, but dominated by the sadness of the place and what had transpired. From a quote from one of the plaques:

‘When you go home, tell them of us and say we gave our tomorrow for your today’

The infamous Hellfire Pass Cutting.

Thai Burma Railway. Quite sombre.

We moved on to a much lighter and happier spot, staying at Baan Thittawan, an ideallic place located on the banks of the River Kwai owned by the incredibly nice and lovely Tom and Katin. Their site is set up with a large camping area, a fruit grove and some studio rooms overlooking the river, while Tom and Katin live in a River boat on the river bank. This has to be one of the highlights in the trip so far. With next to no connecting language, we stumbled our way through with heaps of smiles, laughter, body language, photo’s and an excellent translation program on Katins computer. We camped on site, but thought we really should eat at their restaurant set up high on the bank overlooking the River Kwai. Without menus or language, google images and the translation program came into their own. What wonderful use of technology. We stayed two nights, but could easily have stayed for longer. Thank you very much Tom and Katin for a wonderful stay.

Releasing a lantern with four wishes at Baan Thittawan.

With our hosts Tom and Katin. They could not have been nicer or kinder.

We left Kanchanaburi on Thursday the 15^th of January and drove the 200 or so kilometres to the Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary.

Cane trucks in Kanchanaburi entering the plant. Proper loads!!

The park is World Heritage listed by UNESCO and is one of the largest reserves in South East Asia. It is home to Asian Elephants, Tigers, Tapirs, Barking Deer and Banteng. While our sitings were limited to deer, some wild pigs and a peacock, we saw fresh elephant tracks, the carnage they left behind (and their poo – massive!) and fresh tiger tracks (not sure if I really wanted to see one while bush walking). It was a great site, so we stayed for three nights, with the kids getting some school work done.

Elephant Print in Huai Kha Kaeng Wildlife Sanctuary

Hmmmm. Yes what the elephants leave behind at the Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Reserve

Tiger prints on the track. Maybe this is as close as you want to get to a tiger when bushwalking.

Our campsite at Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary. Pretty relaxing setting amongst the deer.

For our final night before reaching the border town of Mae Sot, we are camped at the Khlong Nam Lai Waterfall.

Campsite at Khlong Nam Lai Waterfall

Today we head to Mae Sot and tomorrow we cross the border into Myanmar.