That episode where Lisa takes the bus by herself

 

Now begins the tale of my first extended travelling stint and also my first travelling stint done solo. A few weeks ago, the other foreign teachers and myself found out we had this past Monday off, as the students had some kind of Buddhist test. We also had Wednesday off as it was Father’s Day/the King’s Birthday – in Thailand, Mother’s and Father’s Day are celebrated on the Queen and King’s birthdays. We were also given Tuesday off, so we could go travelling. I decided to take a trip to Sangkhlaburi and Kanchanaburi in Western Thailand. These areas promised lots of wilderness and outdoor activities. I really wanted to go somewhere green and not a city or beach town.

Friday night, I left for Kanchanaburi. I went to Kanchanaburi with the OEG orientation, and thought it was beautiful. It would also be a great place to stop to break up the journey to Sangkhlaburi. I looked up how to get to the Southern Bus Terminal in Bangkok, as this was supposedly where the most buses left for Kanchanaburi. MISTAKE. Getting there was the worst. I had to take one bus, and was dropped off in the wrong spot – I asked the driver to let me know when we got to “Ban Mo” stop. However, she told me to get off and Khao San (where all the backpackers go) and I didn’t realise until it was too late. Fortunately, the other bus I needed passed by pretty close, and I was able to find the stop. On that bus, I didn’t know where I was going and after a long time of driving into what I left was the middle of nowhere, I started to panic a bit. I tried to get off and take a taxi but the attendant and driver told me to stay on. So I did... And eventually we arrived at the bus station. Relief! There I bought a ticket to Kanchanaburi on the 6:20pm bus. Now, buses don’t really have a schedule but I thought it wouldn’t leave TOO far off. We didn’t leave until after 7:30pm. I was not pleased. But I eventually got on a bus. 

The bus ride took a looooong time. It stopped a lot to pick up people on the way going short distances. I arrived in Kanchanaburi around 10:30pm, and decided to walk in the direction of the hotel/guest house area. I stopped in a few places on the way to check out rooms, but they were too expensive. After walking for about half an hour, I gave up and took a taxi to the hotel area. The driver took me to a place listed in LP that was pretty cheap, and in a nice location. He also called the owner (...who was asleep... oops) but I was able to find a room. Hooray!

In the morning, I looked around the guest house a bit - it was called Blue Star Guest House by the way. It was in a beautiful spot, right on a run off river from the main river, if that makes any sense. They had a board walk and cabins that were right on the water. It was gorgeous, as was the rest of the city – it is surrounded by mountains and forests.

That day, I decided to go to the Hellfire Pass Memorial/Museum. Hellfire Pass is on the former “Death Railway” built in World War 2 to connect Burma/Myanmar to Thailand. The Japanese needed this railroad to ship materials from Burma to Thailand and the rest of South East Asia. The bulk of construction occurred in 1943, and was carried out by misled Asian workers and Australian, British and Dutch POWs. Conditions on the railway were terrible: workers worked long hours in awful conditions, were treated despicably by the Japanese, and suffered from disease and beatings.

Hellfire Pass is about 80km northwest of Kanchanaburi city, but it easily accessible from the 8203 bus that runs from Kanchanaburi to Sangkhlaburi. 

So I hopped on the bus, as asked the driver to tell me when we got to the stop. The drive was very beautiful through the small towns and the mountains. After about two hours, the bus driver waved at me, and I got off, at the right stop and everything! You have to walk a bit to the museum, but it wasn’t far. The museum was very beautifully maintained, and you could get a free map of the area and an audio guide. First, I walked around the actual museum. After, I went on the walking trail that runs on the former railway. The path led through Hellfire Pass: a massive cutting through a hill in the jungle. The cutting was made largely by hand, with the hammers & taps, and dynamite. It was given the name Hellfire Pass because during the “Speedo” period of rapid building, the POWs would work through the night, and the torch flames gave the feeling of being in hell.

At the pass, there were several memorial plaques and monuments. It felt kind of surreal being there and imagining what it was like during the war. A bit eerie. I also walked further down the railway bed (along the walking trail) and saw the other smaller cuttings, and sites of bridges, like the “Deck of Cards” 3-tiered bridge. My family has a cottage in the Laurentian Mountains in Quebec, and we often go skiing and walking on a former railway path called the Aerobic Corridor. If it wasn’t for the tropical plants and whatnot, I could have sworn I was on the Aerobic Corridor – it was the rocks and the look of much of the trail. And the fact that it was a POW forced labour camp... It was an odd feeling. It was a very beautiful walk, with the mountains and the valley in view. 

 Hellfire Pass

 Walking Trail

Memorial at the Museum 

In the afternoon, I was able to catch the bus back to Kanchanaburi. The bus stop was a wooden hut thing with a yellow roof. I had to wait for about 30 minutes, but eventually the bus came. I awkwardly hailed it, and it came careening towards the side of the road. It slowed down, and the back attendant beckoned me. The bus was still moving as I stepped on, and accelerated as soon as I had a foot on the step. That was fun. But I survived. 

In the evening, I decided to walk to the Bridge to look in the market/shops there for a pair of flip flops. I then decided to walk to the railway station, as there was a night market there. The walk took a loooong time. Also, most people in Kanachanaburi (and in Thailand in general), don’t walk places, so the sidewalks were empty, which was a bit intimidating. I also was chased by a dog-monster (you can read about dog-monsters here - item #5). I was walking along and it burst out of the shadows, barking viciously. I was terrified and started to run. It followed me still, and I was just debating whether it was better to keep running, or stand my ground and take a whack at it with my bag with my shoes in it, when a some Thais called it off. Phew! All the other dogs have been much friendlier. 

After about an hour of walking, I arrived at the night market. However, there were not food stalls that served a full meal. I decided I was tired of walking, so I took my first motorcycle taxi back to my hotel. It was a bit scary – lots of swerving and sudden stops. I was white-knuckling the grips on the back of the seat. But I made it back, and went for dinner at a restaurant in the hotel area with some very nice Thai people working there. 

The next day, I got up early and took a mini-bus to Sangkhlaburi. I have noticed that the mini-buses are usually faster, as they don’t stop as often and move faster. But I shall right more about Sangkhlaburi in my next post! Until next time!