VZFZ

凡行天下

Day 12: Kanchanaburi -> Thong Pha Phum National Park

Updated at # Journal

There are days where the objective is to “progress” and travel further along the route, and there are days for exploring.

Today was an exploring day. It was the first one I’ve had on my trip so far, and i had lots of fun!

I started the day a bit later, sleeping in until 9am and then leisurely setting off at 10:45 after my morning coffee. My plan was to check out the war cemetery, the railway constructed by allied POWs (for the Japanese) during WWII, and then Erawan falls, before making my way to Thong Pha Phum national park where I’d be staying the evening.

Today’s ride in blue

The first stop was the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery. This is a memorial for the ~12K Allied POWs that died constructing the Siam-Burma railway (also known as the Death Railway) to link the Thai and Burmese rail systems and to help transport supplies to/from the Japanese war efforts in Myanmar in 1942. Another 90K civilians from South East Asia died during the construction of this railway. This was from a total workforce of ~200K civilians and 60K POWs.

There are two cemeteries on the block, one well maintained and quite beautiful for the allied troops from Britain, Australia, Netherlands, and a few other countries, and the other for many of the civilian labourers that passed away. I started with the latter, and as soon as i entered and walked among the graves, i felt an extreme heaviness in the stomach, my throat seized up, and i felt on the cusp of throwing up. Quite a heavy place. You can feel the suffering from those before. I think this was also the site of a medical camp for those that were ill during the construction of the railway.

Extremely sombre vibes at this cemeteryThese were the headstones I walked among…it felt like there was lead in my stomach.

I couldn’t spend very long there, so after a 5 minute wander, i headed back to the bike to check out the Allied side. This was quite beautiful, with each headstone mentioning the name, age, company, and a line from their family. Most were in their mid to late 20s with a few in their early 30s. What a shame that war is. I hope we do not face great power conflict in my (or my future generations’) lifetime.The allied war cemetery is beautiful and well maintained. Inside were a squad of workers doing gardening and cleaning.

Then i set off for the next stop, at Krasae Cave, where it is easy to access the railway (still operating today) and where it extends across a narrow bridge along the Khwae Noi river. This was a fun ride, a well maintained two lane country road with gentle turns, crossing the wide valley and meandering into the mountains. This is the magic of riding in Thailand; everywhere you go, even in the far corners of the country, the roads are well maintained and quiet, the people are welcoming, and there is always a nice petrol station and stalls for a hot meal and fruit along the way.

There while exploring the tracks, i was lucky to meet two older Korean tourists, and we took photos for each other. I love these pics!

How did i find myself here…?

Totally not posing…

By now it was ~1pm and i set off for the falls, stopping at a fruit stall for some jackfruit and durian (so good!!!) before finally getting to the falls at 2:30.The fruit vendor wanted to take a pic while i was eating!

The falls were set in Erawan National Park, and it seemed to be on the tourist route, as there were a bunch of European (and Thai) tourists there too.

On a bridge just before Erawan National Park

After a nice dip (thank god i packed a towel and swimmers), and some strange looks while i was stomping around in my riding boots and pants, it was time to head off to the final stop, Thong Pha Phum National Park.

It was at this moment where i realised i miscalculated - i thought this should be a quick 1hr ride…but turns out that it was actually 200km (with some of these being relatively twisty roads), so ~3 hours according to google maps.

I wanted to get there before sunset, and i hadn’t even eaten yet, so i set off in a hurry and focused on making distance.

Riding these roads, far far from the main highways, was such a joy. It felt like i was far from the world at large, and yet exactly where i wanted to be. I wasn’t in an adrenaline seeking mood, so i kept the bike in touring mode, and kept the speed under control.

Through the afternoon, it was a race against the setting sun, and i wasn’t even sure if the park would be open by the time i got there…but my backup plan was just to pitch my tent at a camp ground, or to ride on to tomorrow’s destination (Sangkhla Buri) if i didn’t have any luck. A nice fuel attendant also pointed out that my aliexpress spotlight had fallen off yet again, so my emergency zip ties were put to use (yet again). These zip ties are proving very useful!

About ~100kms from the destination, I got spooked by some ominous rainclouds up ahead, and was in need of a break and some water, so i took the opportunity to enjoy a nice meal (some bbq chicken skewers, fishball noodles, and thai omelette rice) in case there was trouble finding food later.

I finally reached the park at dusk, and was led to the accommodation - a tree house in the jungle. It was quite basic, but at least had running water and electricity…until 8:30pm when it all turned off much to my surprise! I am so glad I brought my torches…finally a legitimate reason to use them several years after purchasing them!”Tarzan lodge” - set among the tree tops!

Very basic toilet + showerTonight’s zzzs will be here

Thank god i made sure to eat my first (proper) meal earlier, as there was no food at the park (everything had closed at 5:30PM). Finished the day sitting on the porch, listening to the sounds of the forest, and enjoying a cigar. (thank you to my former colleagues for the cigars + portable humidor! such a luxury.)

Today was a great day - looking forward to tomorrow, which should also be a day for exploring.

Tomorrow; Sangkhla Buri!

Some stats:

Properly in the asian landmass now.