Ugliness on the Death Railway >> Travel: Laos, Myanmar, Thailand 48

Nov 27: Night, Kanchanaburi

This morning, we took the train to Nam Tok. The train was crowded with packaged tourists.

In one instance, a woman guide told a Caucasian man (not with her tour group) to ask his Thai companion when he asked her if she knew where they were. She said loudly, "Ask her. She's Thai. She should know."

In another display of uncouth behaviour, a male guide plonked down next to Annie. There were other empty seats he could have chosen. Then, a big Caucasian sat down, next to me. He started to crowd me.

When I asked him not to sit so close to me, he said, "It's okay."

I told him it might be okay for him, it was not okay for me. The guide was so surprised that we spoke English. Soon, both men moved off, the Cacausian to a seat in front. No one had been sitting there, so there was no need for him to seat with us at all.

He left at 17

Back in Kanchanaburi, we visited the Allied War Cemetery, across the road from the train station.

All these lives, ended prematurely by violence. Some grave stones marked the resting place of teenagers as young as 17 years old. Others indicated that the dead had left behind children and spouses.

These are the spoils of war...

Our guesthouse, Apple Guesthouse, is within walking distance of the cemetery. We have spent two very restful days there.

The guesthouse's accommodation compromises a series of hut-like units, set in a pleasant garden. Our room is simple, but so spotless that we do not see a single ant anywhere, not even in the bathroom. There is also a rustic restuarant serving very good Thai food, with some northeastern specialties, such as laap (spicy salad for the carnivorous) and sticky rice. Needless to say, we dine there every evening.

Sometimes, Noi, one of the very active owners, would stroll around during dinner, making sure the guests ordered dishes which complemented each other. On our first evening, she took our order and nodded in agreement with our selection.

Buyer, beware

Speaking of guesthouses, the place we stayed in while in Bangkok for an overnight pit stop between Ayuthaya and Kanchanaburi was terrible.

We saw Charlie House advertised in one of those free traveller's magazines. It looked attractive and was in an area we had not stayed before. Telling ourselves we should be more adventurous and sniff out new haunts, we decided to give Charlie House a try since this small hotel had been written as a solid budget choice by more than one guide books.

Bad, bad choice. Our room was nothing like the photos. It was cramped with two sagging beds and peeling paint. It was not very clean either. We spotted ants in the bathroom and the walls of our room as well. Some of these ants were large enough to give us a nasty bite. On the plus side, the lady manager was a very pleasant woman, who made us feel very welcome.

Budget (for two in baht)

Nov 27
Room >> B250
Breakfast >> B145
Laundry >> B15
Train (Nam Tok return) >> B68
H20 & kueh (pastries) >> B20
H20 (3x) >> B15
Lunch >> B30
Bananas >> B10
Dinner >> B264

Nov 28
Room >> B250
Brunch >> B95
Songthaew to Bridge >> B12
Snacks >> B40
Postcards >> B10
Drinks >> B40
Dinner >> B204

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