january thailand

has passed by in a blur of hot highway air blowing in my face. we haven't stayed in one placed longer than two nights and have been spending a lot of time moving from one place to the next. can't say that i like it much but can't do anything about it because got places to go, things to see and not much time to do it in.

january 1st. we WERE going to hitchhike but it's just too hot and we're too lazy to really make the effort. three buses later we arrive at Prachuap Khiri Khan, famous for the Monkey Temple on a hill. stayed in a VERY luxurious hotel, the likes of which i hadn't seen in over a week. it had hot water and cable and three beds in the room! it was 400baht which mark thought was outrageous but i was very happily paid my 200baht half of it and basked in the glory of cable.

january 2nd. Phetchaburi. famous for cave temples. we went to one but couldn't find the other more spectacular cave temple. a shame. also had a temple on a hill with lots of semi-aggressive monkeys. one tried swiping at my ankle completely unprovoked.

january 3rd. mark and i part ways. he's off to laos and i make my way to Kanchanaburi with a pit stop at Nakhon Pathom where the tallest completed stupa in Thailand is. it's been days since i've been completely on my own and i find that i'm a total idiot. i hop on the wrong train at Nakhon Pathom but with the help of the uniformed train guys, i'm let off at the next station and herded on to the correct train. Kanchanaburi is famous for the Bridge over the River Kwai. lots of sad history. I go to the bridge my first day. make in time to see it at sunset. sit on the river bank and have a moment of reflection thinking about the thousands of men (mostly prisoners of war) who died building the bridge.

january 4th. take a little escape from Kanchaburi's war past and visit Erawan National Park, supposedly the most photographed national park in thailand. Very very beautiful seven-tiered waterfall. see picture at the bottom. I believe that picture is taken at the 3rd tier. 400baht national park admission fee was a bit steep for such a small park. but one of those suck it up and pay purchases. head back into town and visit the JEATH Museum (Japan, England, America, Thailand, Holland the nations involved in building the death railway). it's an open air museum made of thatched hut where the prisoners of war slowly died from brutality, lack of food and medicine.

january 5th. visit the Thai-Burma Railway Museum. very well done. more sad stuff. head to Ayutthaya. four hour very slow bus trip on ordinary buses not a/c buses as i had thought.

>>>>> to be continued. internet time over and i desperately need to pee <<<<<<