Travels in Thailand - Part 12

A trip to Kanchanaburi, Thailand continues...

After enjoying the Tiger Temple and getting up close and touchy feely with the big kitties, we jumped into our van and headed to (what we thought) would be our hotel. Instead, our guides treated us to a surprise -- a waterfall inside a national park, which wasn't listed on the tour! ^_^

I was very surprised because, next to a major highway, just down a slope, was this national park and once inside, felt like a jungle trek.

I saw a tree with its long roots extending like snakes over the ground...


The guides had recommended visiting Saiyok Noi waterfall in this park, which was a short 5 minute hike. We were surprised. "Noi" in Thai means "minor" or "small" and this waterfall lived up to its name.

The tiny waterfall and pool:


Another view with cutenekko!

We noticed a bamboo forest nearby had a funny sign --

...I guess people couldn't help themselves from leaving an imprint. ^_^

This park was much larger than I thought. As we hiked up a hill, we came across a map showing the park and surrounding areas...

Finger shows current location.

Next to the map, was an old steam train. To see it resting in the midst of a jungle was quite an eye opener! The train had been used up until the 1970's by Japan. It was donated to the park soon after.

Front of the train:


View from the rear:

From here, we noticed a steep set of stairs heading up the mountain. A small black and white dog excitedly ran along side us was we climbed up the staircase. Near the top, we reached a signpost which seemed interesting. This would be our goal:

To the Bat Cave! ^_^

The roadway to the cave was something out of Apocalypse Now--I felt like I should be dressed in combat fatigues and carrying an AK-47, while Wagner's "Flight of the Valkyries" played in my head.

The road:


The scenery on the way:

We hiked and hiked, but came up to only the halfway point. It was also beginning to get dark, so we had to head back to our van...

Erawan Park Ranger Station Signpost: 

Our hotel was really just a backpacker's lodge -- but on a river raft. It was quite comfortable I thought for a cheap place....

My bed: 

My shower and toilet room: 

The large white bucket with a smaller blue bucket info: This water is used to "flush" the toilet.
You scoop the water  using the blue bowl and pour it down the toilet to "flush" away the waste.
These water buckets are often seen in S.East Asian countries.

The shower was quite amusing for all of us -- it provided only cold water! Oh well, after a day in the heat, the cool water was a welcome relief.

That was our first day of the tour. Tomorrow, I'll show you the activities for Day Two. ^_^

Saiyok Noi Waterfall info can be found HERE. Information regarding Erawan Park and other National Parks in the Kanchanaburi area, can be found HERE.