Kanchanaburi

We are now in Kanchanaburi about 3 hrs by train and 2 hrs by bus West of Bangkok. It is a really relaxing, serene town that reminds me a lot of the towns we visited in Laos. The locals have been extremely nice and a great break from the hustle and bustle of Bangkok. Everyone in Bangkok seems like they're trying to scam you, well except maybe the one guy we met who actually seemed like he was just trying to help us find our way....but other than that the taxi drivers, the tuk tuk drivers, and even normal looking guys just hanging on the street were trying to get us to do some overpriced tour. The point is I really like Kanchanaburi...it's beautiful, scenic, and a great place to relax

Today, we rented a motorbike and found our way to Erawan National Park. There is a 7 tiered waterfall at this park, which was beautiful. We swam in a couple of the pools and hiked to the top. We drove by mountains, a dam, and beautiful scenery to an Elephant Park. This is a sanctuary for elephants who would otherwise become extinct in modern day Thailand-they used to roam wild but it appears that is no longer possible. It was really quiet there and the elephants were so cool to watch--if you stick out your hand towards them they try to touch you with their trunk. We then got a flat tire so got that fixed for $2.50 cool huh---and then tried to get to the Tiger Temple (monks raise tigers from birth and you can sit with and touch the tigers), but we got there as they were closing--oh well-a trip for another time hopefully.

We're heading back to Bangkok tomorrow. I definitely think Kanchanaburi was worth the trip. I'm posting pictures on facebook so if anyone wants to take a look.