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After breakfast it was a quick pack up before we got into our minibus to head to Kanchanaburi. Cost of 5000baht and as our driver didn't speak english we also had a guide, Tom.
Travelling along Miss A promptly fell asleep while Marie started getting Tom's life story :) still never ceases to amaze me what she can learn and in such a short amount of time.
Tom lives in Bangkok in a one bedroom, one bathroom apartment for 5000baht/month, approximately $200aus. He finished high school and works as a tour guide. He hasn't been home in 3 years and his family visit as he can't afford to go home to see them. He is buddist and explained that it is the families choice if a son is to be a monk. Often done if the family has five or so children and cant afford one as the monastey will pay for their education and food.
Petrol 26.58baht/ litre or about $1.15aus.
After about a 2.5hr ride with a quick toilet and food stop we were at Kanchanaburi. Staying at the Sabai@Kan Resort about 1km from the Bridge over the River Kwai. Staff were lovely and the rooms ready so we quickly put our bags in our rooms before heading across the road to Meat and Cheese, a restaurant we had seen as we got out of our bus.
Beautiful wood oven out the front with a relaxed vibe, we moved inside and found ourselves a big table. Turns out the owner was there. Thai born but educated in England. He runs a movie company in Bangkok as well as the restaurant in Kanchanaburi. Prefers to live in Kanchanaburi and only goes to Bangkok when he needs to. Doesn't like big cities, go figure.
Wood fire pizza's all round and they were divine. Margarita, Four Seasons and Hawaiian all on crispy bases with great flavour and washed down with Singha beer and white wine from South Africa.
We finally decided we should wander back to our hotel, with Mum and Dad retiring for a snooze, while Phil, Philip and I wandered to the 7-11 for milk and drinks while Marie and Miss A played in the garden.
Turns out you can only buy alcohol in Thailand between either 11am- 2pm or 5pm to 8pm. So will return a bit later for some drinks for Marie.
A swim in the pool for us on return. We so have a little water baby, she hates getting out! I think if we let her someone would be in the pool with her constantly.
Sabai@Kan is a little boutique hotel with about 20 rooms. It appears to be popular with families, with a large number of people with kids of all ages staying there.
On entering the foyer stairway there were gorgeous tiny black coloured birds making a nest in the top light of a bamboo chandelier type light. The lady at the counter told us they remove the nest every day and every day the birds re-make the nest. If they let the birds go they can fill all five of the bamboo lights with nests in 2 hours. I think they believe the birds are pests but to us they were so cute.
A walk down to the Bridge over the River Kwai was next. It is very hot here about 37 degrees and humid but today it has felt more like Australian summer weather with not so much humidity. It turns out Thailand is in the grips of a drought, with concerns growing over water supplies.
Dad has been looking forward to this the entire trip and he was not disappointed.
"The notorious Burma-Siam railway, built by Commonwealth, Dutch and American prisoners of war, was a Japanese project driven by the need for improved communications to support the large Japanese army in Burma. During its construction, approximately 13,000 prisoners of war died and were buried along the railway. An estimated 80,000 to 100,000 civilians also died in the course of the project, chiefly forced labour brought from Malaya and the Dutch East Indies, or conscripted in Siam (Thailand) and Burma (Myanmar). Two labour forces, one based in Siam and the other in Burma worked from opposite ends of the line towards the centre."
Mum, Dad and Marie walked across the bridge while we played chasey with Miss A. Pretty much she runs and we chase! The local train was coming in, sounding the horn almost constantly as it travelled very slowly across the bridge, waiting for the tourists to move onto the standing platforms on either side so it could safely pass. You have to wonder how frustrated the train driver must get having to do this every day. I couldn't believe how long some tourists took to move. The train was moving towards them as they were standing in front of it taking 'selfies' all the time while the horn was blaring at them.
After such an amazing lunch we decided to go back to Meat and Cheese for tea. Chicken and Cashew Nuts, bolognaise pasta, pad thai with prawns and pork chops all fantastic although a very different atmosphere. The owner wasn't present this time and it was clear his presence has a big influence on service time and attitude, however still can't fault the food it was great.
Time for Miss A to go to bed, so all else piled into Philip and Marie's room while we settled her. Bringing the video monitor has been a blessing. Mum decided she was going to have a massage and wandered across the road for a Thai Massage while a couple bottles of Singha were opened followed by Rocky 4 in Thai . . .
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