Sangkhlaburi Getaway

My friend and I just spent 3 fun-filled days in a remote town called Sangkhlaburi. It took us almost 10 hours to get there - 2 hours wait at the Southern Bus Terminal (entirely because of the bitchy ticket lady), 2 hours trip from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi province, another 2 hours wait at Kanchanaburi terminal (because the buses were full; good thing we asked around and found a small ticketing office for Sangkhlaburi trips), and another 4-hour drive to Sangkhlaburi.

When we finally arrived, we couldn't help saying "wooooowww" over and over again. It was truly spectacular, just perfect for rainy seasons. The guesthouse is facing the River Kwai. It rains there all night long. You could hear mild tapping of the rain on the tin roof, which made our sleep heavenly during our stay. But the minute it hits 7am, the rain stops.

P.Guesthouse, where we stayed, was packed with tourists. It was so peaceful and quiet. The rooms were nice and clean, and the staff was very friendly. Food was very appetizing (thanks to that, because we both get grumpy when hungry hehe) at the restaurant at the top of the hill. The view from there was breath-taking, we couldn't help but stay for almost an hour to finish our meals.

The second day was an adventure. We joined a boat tour bound for the Mon and Karen villages. The river was very calm, the surface looked like silk. The hills were topped with clouds. It was a beautiful sight. Then the boat docked where 5 huge elephants were waiting. We were so excited, like little kids about to ride a carousel. It was a thrill to be on an elephant's back, walking through the wild, climbing up and down steep and slippery slopes. We called our elephant B****. She was so stubborn -- she got tapped in the head a couple of times for not following his master. At first we didn't know why she kept on pausing, then we realized she was eating non-stop! It was really hilarious. I even joked to my friend that we were on the right elephant. The elephant ride took 1.5 hours to reach the small village where we had our lunch (khao phat :D). Then we took the boat again from there. We were supposed to go rafting after lunch, but the family that came with us didn't want to... those *&(#(%@^!

Since rafting was cancelled, we got back earlier than scheduled, so we decided to walk on the wooden bridge (made by the villagers themselves, only by hand) across River Kwai. The wood was obviously centuries old, but it was highly maintained. When we got to the village across, it was nothing I expected. There was a parked Mercedes Benz on one side of the street, and several brand new Hilux pickups on the other. The roads were small but well-paved. The small stores had everything. The drainage system was well-managed. There were stoplights. One of the villagers was even using the latest Nokia model. Although their lifestyle was as modern as the city's, their rich culture could be seen everywhere -- houses, old folks, men and women, walking on the street wrapped in malong-like skirts. Anyway, we were getting closer to the huge temple we could see from the guesthouse so we decided to go there. They had intricate art carved all over the place. Thai art always amazes me.

Walking back was a real killer. But the moment we reached another lodge on a hill, it was so worth the walk/climb. We could see the whole stretch of the river, and all the resorts, villages and 3 bridges (the floating houses in the pictures are not slums, they are actual floating houses that tourists can rent and take to the middle of the lake; there's a boat that drags the entire house). We enjoyed the view while having dinner on the top porch. After eating tom yum kung and khao pat kai (shrimp tom yum and chicken fried rice), we headed back safely to the guesthouse (through the rain, and after a few near attacks of vicious-looking dogs).

We started our 3rd and last day of the getaway by sitting on the jetty early in the morning (yes, 9am on holiday is early for people like us), reviewing pictures in the camera and saying how much we will miss the place. We were supposed to leave around 10-11am, then the frontdesk lady mentioned there was a bus going straight to Bangkok at 2pm (all we found in the internet were Bangkok-Kanchanaburi and Kanchanaburi-Sangkhlaburi trips, and vice versa). Not only was the Northern terminal closer to our apartments but the trip only took 5.5 hours. Annoying huh? Well, we did enjoy the whole vacation so... kiber na ineng! Anyway, the bus had very friendly staff (we called the steward, and later driver, *Smiley*, beccause he really was smiling the whole time) and they served snacks and dinner, which makes the last trip much cheaper and less exhausting than the first one. We arrived Bangkok at 8.30pm, a total of 6.5 hours, including the stopovers. I can't wait to go back!

Oh, by the way, there's another long weekend in August. Hmm... where to go? (Painggit ba? :D:P)