Day 9: the waterfall trek

Day 9 (part 2)

Mud, bare feet, tiger talk and sunshine

After the elephants we were whisked away for some lunch at a local Thai cafe, the best places to eat are ALWAYS full of Thai people, have no English word on the menu and are cooked in front of you.

The waterfalls at Kanchanaburi are known as the Erawan Waterfalls and have seven tiers. The top tier is a LONG trek (about 2km) and each tier has a pool of clear blue water you can swim in. Unfortunately, when we went (as it was the rainy season) there was a lot of mud which meant the water was not as clear as it could have been. However, the sun was shining and due to it also being the low season the waterfalls were not overcrowded with people!

The first four tiers are pretty easy to reach within 20 minutes, although to get to the fourth tier there are some 'park guards' who confiscate any food or drink you have on you, so picnic before this stage of the walk! The fourth tier has rocks that people can slide down, the fifth tier is full of pools to swim in right by the waterfall and the seventh tier, the one right at the very top, is said to look like a three headed elephant called Erawan who is featured in Hindu mythology.

We managed to get to the fifth tier and had a swim, this is also where Josh dropped his tshirt in the mud ha ha. On the bus ride back we must have smelt terrible but we did still manage to make friends, three girls who were studying to be doctors (hello if your reading this) and a woman who worked at the tiger sanctuary. She told us all about the treatment of the animals, which obviously started a wee debate:

The tiger debate. Excuse my ramblings.

Now, Josh and I avoided the tiger kingdom/tiger sanctuary/tiger temple due to the uncertainties surrounding this tourist attraction. The one this lady worked at was called the tiger temple whereby you can go round and have photos with a variety of old and young tigers who are chained up - in order to not cause any harm to the visitors. I cannot really present any accurate facts about the running of the place as I have never been myself but because it seems so unnatural I felt I did not want to support something if I did not know how the animals were treated. There are rumours about them being drugged, put in tiny enclosures, sprayed with water and generally treated badly and this woman we met was able to say that this was not the case - and I did believe her. It turns out there are a lot of rumours that have spread without much evidence, for example she said the tigers only appeared so calm and relaxed due to the time of day when all the tigers are drowsy from nap time... not due to drugs. However, I think that tigers are wild and dangerous animals and it confuses me how they can be so relaxed around people. Maybe its just because I think tigers shouldn't be comfortable around humans, its not natural. If it turns out they have enough space and care then I am not one to turn people off visiting, I mean tigers are BEAUTIFUL, I just think its something I would really have to research before going to. I hope they are treated well, as it seems sad to think that there are more tigers in captivity in America (as pets/in zoos/in circus and entertainment) than in the wild.

ANYWAY...

After a minicab ride back to Bangkok we went out for dinner and drinks with the girls from the bus. This included my meal of Morning Glory - ha ha - which is like spicy green beans complete with chili!! Also, the night escalated when my cocktails were so strong that after a few I was pretty drunk.

The next day was our last in Bangkok.