Sometimes you just need a weekend away. In the US, that usually meant a trip up to my family's cabin on Atkins Lake. In Thailand, it's a bit more difficult to get the same experience. A few weekends ago we came close. Making the most of a long three day school weekend, we traveled on Saturday-Monday. Greg took Monday off as well. Our good friends Sam and Jamethon were our weekend travel companions.
It was our fourth time visiting the Kanchanaburi area. The last being about a year ago. After having lunch and walking on the famous Bridge Over the River Kwai, we followed the River Kwai Noi up into the mountains to our lovely riverside resort: Erawaan Escape. An escape it was....
We stayed in the resort's two boat houses right on the river. We even took a short swim to cool off, but quickly got out when the fish started jumping. It was after my second dip that Greg informed me that an episode of Animal Planet's "River Monsters" was filmed on the river. Oh my goodness!
Our Sunday consisted of a lazy morning of reading, watching local fisherman collect/set their nets, and enjoying the beauty of the junglous mountains while the butterflies frolicked by. The afternoon we spent exploring the Seven-Tiered Erawaan Waterfall inside the park, It was beautiful.
All four of us made it to the 5th Tier, while Greg was the only one who hiked to the highest level. At each level the waterfall sculpted the land in its own way and most offered pools for swimming. The trail was well maintained until the 5th level, but was significantly more difficult between the 5th and 7th. We took dips to cool off in level 5, 3 and 2 but were not alone. This is a popular spot for Thais and foreigners alike as well as lots of fish! The same kind that fish spa owners use to stock their tanks for fish pedicures live in the swimming pools, some getting very large! If you kept moving, they didn't bother you too much (by bother, I mean try to eat you).
The park offered other sights to see such as caves and another waterfall, but we only left time for Erawaan. After having a dinner of local delicacies (river fish and frog), we spent the evening playing bocce ball in the resort's garden area and having drinks on our small porches. Monday morning we drove about 30 minutes out of our way to see the Sai Yok Noi Waterfall (third time visiting there) and purchase the best banana chips in Thailand. Another popular thing to do in the area are the monuments and hiking trails at The Hellfire Pass Museum about another 30 minutes from Sai Yok Noi. Next time.
It was our fourth time visiting the Kanchanaburi area. The last being about a year ago. After having lunch and walking on the famous Bridge Over the River Kwai, we followed the River Kwai Noi up into the mountains to our lovely riverside resort: Erawaan Escape. An escape it was....
We stayed in the resort's two boat houses right on the river. We even took a short swim to cool off, but quickly got out when the fish started jumping. It was after my second dip that Greg informed me that an episode of Animal Planet's "River Monsters" was filmed on the river. Oh my goodness!
Our Sunday consisted of a lazy morning of reading, watching local fisherman collect/set their nets, and enjoying the beauty of the junglous mountains while the butterflies frolicked by. The afternoon we spent exploring the Seven-Tiered Erawaan Waterfall inside the park, It was beautiful.
All four of us made it to the 5th Tier, while Greg was the only one who hiked to the highest level. At each level the waterfall sculpted the land in its own way and most offered pools for swimming. The trail was well maintained until the 5th level, but was significantly more difficult between the 5th and 7th. We took dips to cool off in level 5, 3 and 2 but were not alone. This is a popular spot for Thais and foreigners alike as well as lots of fish! The same kind that fish spa owners use to stock their tanks for fish pedicures live in the swimming pools, some getting very large! If you kept moving, they didn't bother you too much (by bother, I mean try to eat you).
