Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls.

A couple of days ago, I successfully arrived in Kanchanaburi and it's beautiful!

A four hour bus journey from Hua Hin (and a 5km walk....i'm not sure why I've stopped getting taxis!) I found myself a little bungalow at Blue Star Guesthouse, a 'Lonely Planet' recommended accommodation! My room is on stilts, perched on the edge of the River Kwai. With HUGE water monitors (they look like dragons!) resting below me, and exotic birds nesting in the roof, I fell in love with the place very quickly. At 200 baht a night, my room was very basic (no sheets on the bed aside from the basic under-layer and no flushing toilet) but I'm not complaining because the location is perfect.

My first day in Kanchanaburi was spent exploring the sights, and I did this by renting a bike for 50 baht! Everything is quite spread out (as I learnt from my walk from the bus stop) and I didn't fancy trekking around in the unbearable heat. I cycled to the bridge over the River Kwai and went to the WW2 museum. As soon as I arrived, about 30 Thai people rushed over to me demanding I have my photo taken with them. I'm not sure if they thought I was Britney Spears or if they were taking part in some form of competition, but I enjoyed my 15 minutes of fame!

After this, I decided to go on  a bike ride over to the other side of the bridge. I cycled for miles and miles through gorgeous Thai countryside, down dirt lanes and through fields of goodness-knows-what before eventually I realised I was lost. I managed to ask a friendly Thai lady how to get back to the other side of the bridge and she pointed me in the right direction. I wound up at the WW2 memorial in the centre of the town and decided to hop off and explore. My Dad had been telling me to look out for my great-relative E. Dack at the memorial, but amongst thousands of gravestones, I unfortunately failed to find his spot. Maybe I'll go back and look tomorrow.

In the evening, I went for a few beers with some others from the guesthouse and we were treated to a feast, cooked by a Thai landlady. One dish, which she appropriately named 'monster' was quite possibly the hottest food I had ever tasted, setting my mouth on fire! It was delicious all the same though.

Today has been slightly more adventurous as I made my way to Ewran National Park to climb the 7 tiered waterfall. It has been a slightly cooler day, so I felt up to the challenge. The first few tiers were relatively easy, with steps mainly guiding the way. The waterfalls at this level were also spectacular to look at. The water is a crystal blue and is extremely clear. The only problem, was the HUGE fish lurking at the entrance. As much as I wanted to take a dip, these fish looked particularly scary.

By the time I reached the 4th tier, I was extremely hot and bothered. The path had now turned into a rocky trail and I was dying for a swim. Before doing so, I decided to take a few photos of myself paddling around in the shallow water. I took my small Nikon into the water (baring in mind I'd taken this camera through the cave at Maya Bay, I was feeling slightly confident) and rested it on a rock above a small waterfall, setting in to self-timer mode. I clicked 'go' and had 10 seconds to get into the cameras view to pose for my shot. I turned around to give the camera my biggest grin and........it was gone!

If Marcus and Gordon were still here they would probably have called this moment Karma....a punishment for being so vain and taking too many pictures. I was panic-stricken at the thought of losing all my photos and ignoring the fish, I dove down the waterfall in an attempt to save my 'memories'.....and my vanity.
As soon as I entered the deep water I could feel the huge fish sucking on my ankles and legs. I hated it! I swam rapidly around the water searching for my precious (non-water-proof) camera. After about 10 minutes of looking I began to give up and feared the waterfall had flushed it into one of the caves underneath. As I swam back to the waterfall, a glimmer of pink caught my eye beneath the surface and I saw it! Deceivingly deep, I dove under the water, opening my eyes and retrieved it from the bottom. Praying and praying the memory card still worked, I transferred it over to my SLR.....and there they were, all my photos right where I had left them. The camera, of course, is broken. But after 7 long years of documenting my youth, it was probably time to say goodbye.

After this, I decided not to risk anymore photos and instead climbed up to the 7th tier, enjoying several (yet very brief, I cannot emphasise how annoying these fish were!) swims. Once I reached the top, which was a huge climb - more like rock climbing than walking up a steep hill - the view was incredible. I took a swim under the towering waterfall and then made my way slowly back down. I was accompanied by a Thai boy, of about my age who hurried down the steep slopes in front of me, before turning around and offering his hand so I could balance on my way down! Charming!

It's been an incredible day! I'm slightly disappointed about my camera, but as Helen from the guesthouse would say.....'at least it's a story!'