From Congestion to Relaxation in Two Hours
Kanchanaburi, Thailand
One of Thailand’s premier tourist attractions, Kanchanaburi, lies a mere two hours from the capital, Bangkok. This proximity means it is well within the time constraints of most people’s itineraries and getting there can hardly be easier. Buses leave every half hour from Bangkok’s southern bus terminal and deliver you to the center of this small town in air-conditioned comfort. The lush green scenery and relaxed way of life mean that exploring the town’s many places of interest is always enjoyable.
The moment we step off the bus, we are politely accosted by a cacophony of cries.
“Where you go? Where you go?”
My girlfriend and I have both been here before. We instruct our driver to take us to The Jolly Frog, a popular choice with backpackers. Normally, I follow a policy of “the older the better” in regards to motorcycle taxi drivers (less testosterone and a healthy fear of death). Through some kind of oversight we end up with a youngster covered in tattoos. We are promptly whisked away with both of us on the back of one motorcycle.
No one blinks an eye. My pleas for helmets are met with incredulous looks. Squeezed between my girlfriend who is hanging on the back and the sweaty teenager, it isn’t the comfiest of rides. I’m sure they don’t have insurance either. Fifty cents seems a rather large price to pay for a three-kilometer journey and all the accompanying danger, but I pay up.
We soon find ourselves in the restaurant section of the large guesthouse with an extensive menu before us. There are many other guesthouses along the river, but the food is the reason we and many others are here. Locals dine at The Jolly Frog and this surely is testimony to its good cooking. It boasts a lovely lawn and fine views of the river. After some delicious catfish, it is early to bed in a basic but clean room.
At about $4.00 a night, I think it a bit steep and it certainly isn’t the cheapest option. But I’m on holiday and I don’t mind blowing a bit of cash for a nice double room. Many guesthouses of a similar ilk line the river offering a panoramic view of the river, and the majority are a bargain with good value.
The next day, we set off early to get in some serious sightseeing. With the minimum of fuss we rent the ubiquitous Honda Dream (the horse of Asia), around $4.50 for 24 hours. More expense. I pay through gritted teeth trying not to see the crisp 100 baht notes leaving my pockets. We wobble down the road to see the highlight of our trip.
Most people visit Kanchanaburi for one reason – The Bridge and its associated trivia. I’m not impressed by it. It’s too small. I have seen the film and was expecting something of epic proportions. It doesn’t really fulfill my expectations.
I soon learn the bridge is not actually over the river Kwai, as most Westerners think. In the Thai tonal language, Kwai translates as buffalo, the stupidest animal around and a common mammal for insults. I quickly pick up a few more and discover that the most offensive thing to call someone is a giant water monitor lizard or maybe the son of…
Back to my disappointing first gaze at the bridge. My disillusionment is compounded when I find out the show in the evening is a replica – the real one was blown up by the Allies. We stroll across and back again, get very hot and seek refuge in the nearest restaurant.
The good thing about Thailand is no matter how small the bridges, you are never far away from good food. A dish I always have when I’m by the river is yam plas muk. There’s nothing like the taste of a spicy squid salad washed down with a cool Singa beer. Actually, Singa beer is disgusting, but it sounds more romantic than Heineken. A new beer has just come on the market called Black Tiger. Now that’s a quality beer – dark with none of the formaldehyde aftertaste and resulting hangovers that Singa tends to bring.
Almost right next to the bridge and clearly signposted is the Jeath War Museum. Not a misprint. Being in a forced labour camp must have been bad with death, disease, etc., but in the photos, it looks like a holiday camp – young bronzed men walking round in sarongs, doing their laundry, shaving, no sense of the horror it must have been.
That evening we hit one of the many stalls lining the river and eat cheap delicious Issan food. With this fiery sustenance lining our bellies, we head into a bar opposite the boats and enjoy a couple of jugs of draft beer to the accompaniment of live Thai music. I don’t know whether it is for our benefit or not, but I really don’t enjoy their version of “Country Road.”
Joel Barnard has lived and worked in Asia for the last decade and has written for numerous travel magazines. He is the editor of Asia Travel Ezine. He currently resides in Hanoi Vietnam.
——–
