{"id":2968,"date":"2012-04-28T16:50:26","date_gmt":"2012-04-28T09:50:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/?p=2968"},"modified":"2012-04-28T20:57:08","modified_gmt":"2012-04-28T13:57:08","slug":"over-the-river","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/durianapocalypse.net\/travel\/2012\/04\/28\/over-the-river\/","title":{"rendered":"Over The River"},"content":{"rendered":"

All right, so, the deal with travel in Thailand is that while the buses are more convenient, faster, and much more comfortable; the train is insanely cheap (at least when traveling third-class).<\/p>\n

For some reason, however, the train fare to Kanchanaburi is the same as the bus. So, I thought to bring the bus here. One could either catch a minivan from Victory Monument \u2013 which is very easy to get to, but whose drivers are notorious for their lead-footedness. In fact, there\u2019ve been so many accidents on these routes that the government is trying to crack down.<\/p>\n

But not wanting to take my chances, it meant trying to get one\u2019s ass over to the Southern Bus Terminal. By utilising a very helpful city map hung on a wall at De Talak, it looked as though I’d found a way to get there with only one transfer. But wondering if there weren\u2019t a better way, I began to snoop around, and discovered this incredibly<\/em> useful<\/a> page, which listed the #507 from Khlong Toei to Sai Tai Mai (as the terminal is named) without transfer!<\/p>\n

Could it be? Than, a De Talak staff-person, was highly skeptical. But she phoned the Transit Authority, and the latter confirmed its validity.<\/p>\n

So Thursday morning, after a longer wait than expected (I think one \u2013 or possibly even two \u2013 coaches had gone MIA), I hopped the #507. Owing to rush-hour traffic, it was a long enough ride. But that was okay. Only a fifteen minute wait for the Kanchanaburi-bound bus, and only a few hours from Sai Tai Mai to here.<\/p>\n

Ended up walking to the guest house from the bus terminal. Normally like to do that anyhow; but wasn\u2019t exactly sure where it was, so considered getting a tuk-tuk. Was able to haggle a rickshaw driver from 60 Baht all the way down to 20 (tip for dealing with tuk-tuk drivers: pick up your bags and begin walking; that\u2019ll get them off their number right quick); but I\u2019d told him 10, and would accept nothing more.<\/p>\n

Was able to keep fairly well shaded during the walk; and found the guest house just fine. But by the time I\u2019d made that walk, checked in, then went out and got some food, it was already fairly late. Even arising quite early, and making a rather short trip, inter-city travel can be an all-day affair.<\/p>\n

Picked up my first lychees of the season! I\u2019d seen some in Siem Reap and also Bangkok; but they never looked good. These ones looked decent; and turned out to be just that: decent, not mind-blowing. When I was walking back with them, though, a street-vendor busy prepping food for dinner flagged me down as I passed, and asked if she could have some.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne? Two? Three?\u201d I indicated for her to take as many as she pleased; and she was most appreciative indeed. So there you have it: Thai\/American friendship via lychee.<\/p>\n

Quite nice little guest house, with a very cool\/loud-mouthed proprietress. Here\u2019s the view from the patio just outside my room.<\/p>\n

\"kwaiview\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Ought, perhaps, to explain just what in the Hell I\u2019m doing here. Well, what it is, its being one\u00a0 of my ten favourite movies of all times (maybe even edging near to the top five), I\u2019d wanted since learning that Kanchanaburi is the site of the infamous Bridge Over The River Kwai, to make visit. Finally now have got around to doing just that.<\/p>\n

Here we have Sunset Over The River Kwai. Almost rivals Luang Prabang\u2019s Mekong sunsets, don\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

\"kwaisunset\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It occurred to me that I\u2019d not actually watched the movie in some years; so on Thursday night I downloaded it and gave it a watch. And\u2026I\u2019m sorry to report that it\u2019s no longer in my top ten favourites of all times.<\/p>\n

I still think it\u2019s a great movie; and certainly its central message that war is madness and that military officers on all sides are jack-assed crazy persons still resonates with me quite strongly; but it now seems to me to be a little over-the-top for my taste, especially with regard to the viewers\u2019 proxy, Clipton.<\/p>\n

Well, that\u2019s the way it goes.<\/p>\n

Yesterday, Friday, I went to visit some museums related to the Bridge and the Death Railway<\/a>. (There\u2019s also a cemetery dedicated to Allied war dead \u2013 7,000 POWs who perished building the Railway are lain here in Kanchanaburi.)<\/p>\n

But on the way to the first museum, I ran smack into this wild procession.<\/p>\n

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