Kanchanaburi - Srinakarin Reservoir

Even on rainy weekends, Kanchanburi is worth a visit. It has been years since my last visit to the 7-tiered Erawan waterfalls and they are now a very busy tourist destination. Locals and foreigners play around in the cool water or lounge on the shores of the stream.  The falls are beautiful, but the atmosphere is not quiet and serene. The sheer number of people makes it difficult to get a feeling of "being one with nature." 

Erawan Falls and plenty of visitors

 So, I decided to head to Huay Mae Khamin Wateralls. Again.

http://tinamue.blogspot.com/2013/08/kanchanaburi-huay-mae-kamin-waterfall.html

On the way, I stopped at Pra That Cave. It was is quite a climb to get to the cave entrance. The path was well laid out, but the jungle humidity during rainy season made the climb a sweaty one. 

At the cave entrance, a park ranger waited and gave a guided tour once at least four visitors had arrived. Inside the cave were the usual stalactites and stalagmites, but I was surprised by the size of the cave. It is made up of four big rooms and is much bigger than I had expected. 

Next on the agenda was the Huay Mae Khamin Waterfalls - the upper tiers could only be reached if you were willing to risk being totally covered in mud as the paths along the stream had turned extremely slippery due to rain. So, I decided to only enjoy the lower tiers and the view of the Sri Nakharin reservoir. 

Beautiful Huay Mae Khamin 

In fact, I decided to catch a ferry to Si Sawat across the reservoir. Getting from the waterfall to the ferry is bumpy and a bit risky for sedans during the rainy season. The ferries plying this route can best be described as minimalistic, but they do serve their purpose and the trip offers good views. 

Two Rainbows Don't Make a Crowd

As we were crossing, dark clouds came towards us and soon we were drenched. But then, the rain stopped as abrupt as it had started and two rainbows appeared.

Once on the other side, one can drive along the edge of the reservoir - a winding and scenic route - or take another ferry which cuts an hour off the travel time to reach Kanchanaburi city.

Kanchanaburi - Sangkhlaburi

My earlier blog was a bit short on appreciation of Sangkhlaburi.

http://tinamue.blogspot.com/2010/03/kanchanaburi-off-beaten-track.html

The Three Pagoda Pass was a great disappointment, and that dominated my impression. A return visit has, however, confirmed that the town of Sangkhlaburi is charming. It is located on the edge of a reservoir (Vajiralongkorn Lake) at the end of a long and winding road that offers impressive views. Although "only" 225 km from Bangkok (same distance from Bangkok as Hua Hin is) the geography and topography ensure that the journey takes around 4-5 hours as opposed to the less than three hours it takes to reach Hua Hin.

The lake is a reservoir that was created when a dam was built, submerging most of the original Sangkhlaburi village back in 1982. The village and the villagers were moved to higher grounds and that is the Sangkhlaburi one visits today. All what can be seen of the old village today is some temple ruins. During dry season that is. Otherwise, water levels are high so that only the top of a temple wiharn and a temple tower can be seen. A boat trip on the lake to visit these ruins is a must while in Sangkhlaburi

The town is surrounded to the north and east by forest-covered limestone ranges, and the area is among the most picturesque in all of Thailand. Tiny Karen and Mon villages, caves, and plenty of waterfalls can be found.

In town, the most famous landmark is the the 400 meter long wooden bridge Saphan Mon. It is the longest handmade wooden bridge in Thailand. Be careful when crossing the bridge, as it is maintained in a chaotic manner. You need to be careful of your footing.

Kanchanaburi - Huay Mae Kamin Waterfall

There are too many waterfall in Kanchanaburi to mention them all. Some are stunning (like the Erawan falls), while others are merely interesting.

Huay Mae Kamin was a present surprise at the end of an adventurous journey

Huay Mae Kamin Waterfall Level 4

After I had to interrupt an earlier adventure due to lack of fuel

http://tinamue.blogspot.com/2010/03/kanchanaburi-off-beaten-track.html

I this time filled my tank in advance and before again attempting to drive back from Thong Pha Phum along the western fringe of the reservoir behind the Sri Nakharin dam. It worked out well and it was a nice off road experience that by coincidence brought me to the Huay Mae Kamin waterfall.

Of course, everybody else at the waterfall had come the easy way - entered the Khuean Srinagarindra National Park from the south.

Kanchanaburi - the Liijia Cave and the Fabled Japanese Treasure

On a total sidetrack, I came to think of the saga of the infamous Japanese Second World War treasure supposedly left behind in a cave in Kanchanaburi. Why anybody ever paid any attention to that story, I couldn't understand. Why the myth wasn't buried the first time around, is totally incredible.

In late 1995, Senator Chaovarin Latthasakiri (from Ratchaburi) was behind a drive to get the Thai government to fund a search for the treasure. The search went on for two months before it was abandoned. Not a single ounce was found out of the purportedly up to 6.000 tons of gold hidden by the Imperial Japanese Army.

In 1996, the Senator tried to increase the price of his Jaguar when he put it up for auction pretending to be selling a vehicle owned by His Majesty the King.

Not being a person that gives up easily, Chaovarin Latthasakiri (by then a former deputy Minister of Education) again in early 1999 tried to drum up interest in a government-sponsored treasure hunt, but his drumming fell for deaf ears.

However, in April 2001, Chaovarin Latthasakiri presented to the Thai press (copies of) old US government bonds as well as rumors of 2,500 tons of gold (plus a steam locomotive) hidden in the Liijia Cave. This created such a stir that then Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra flew to the cave's entrance to announce the government's backing of another treasure hunt.

Nobody wondered from where the Imperial Japanese Army would have gotten US government bonds and nobody questioned the denominations of the bonds. Each bond was valued between USD 50m and 100m - an incredibly large amount in the mid-1940s - i.e., in denominations that have never been used by the US Treasury.

Questions only arose after weeks of the Royal Thai Army searching turned up only dust.

Chaovarin Latthasakiri continued his political career as a avid supporter of Thaksin and is now a Member of Parliament for Phuea Thai Party.

Kanchanaburi - Off the beaten track (3)

In 2010, I visited the mines at Pilok and briefly mentioned it in a blog.

http://tinamue.blogspot.com/2010/03/kanchanaburi-off-beaten-track.html

Last year, I visited Pilok and Somsak Mining Homestay and blogged about it recently. Here is a YouTube link that gives an idea of the drive down into the valley. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2mZ3hpMLbE&feature=related

Last year, before reaching Pilok, I stopped at Thong Pha Phum National Park to enjoy the views and to grab a cup of coffee before continuing. Just as we'd parked our cars, a big bird crash landed and started rummaging for food. 

A National Park officer came out and explained this bird had become so accustomed to people that it no longer was "shy" or scared of people. We even managed to hand-feed the bird some grapes before venturing on. 

The next stop before continuing to Somsak Mining (see previous blog) was Chokkadin (or Jokkadin) Waterfall. 

The road leading down to the waterfall has some steep declines / inclines and (especially during the rainy season) some deep ruts. If your vehicle slides into the deep tracks - as happened for my friend's pick-up - then even 4WD cannot ensure that you can get yourself unstuck without help. 

In our case, it required a lot of digging before the truck got out of trouble and back on the right track. 

We then continued and reached a grassy swampy area from where we walked to the waterfall. Other off-road people are so lazy that they continue driving on the river bed to reach the foot of the waterfall. This shows little respect for nature and can anyway not be recommended during the rainy season where the water level can be too high for a vehicle without snorkel to handle.

Kanchanaburi - Somsak Mining

From Thong Pha Phun, off the main road from Kanchanaburi to Sanghklaburi, a narrow route, frequently blocked by landslides, twists through limestone mountains until it dead-ends at the Myanmar border.

Just before Pilok a sign indicates that there is 5.1 km to Somsak Mining Homestay, but warns that the road is rough and only suitable for 4WD vehicles. As usual, such claims are only partially true as there is sufficient traction in the dry season for a normal vehicle to handle the inclines and declines of the road. However, extra ground clearance is a must due to the rocky and pot-holed road, so while no sedan can possible handle the road, a 2WD Fortuner, Hilander or Prerunner should be able to get handle that road in the dry season.

In the rainy season, things can be a bit more challenging if/when rainwater erodes the surface of the already bumpy road.

At the end of the rough road, first time visitors are invariably amazed to discover a few small cottages suddenly popping up in a lush jungle valley. The homely resort is run by a smiling and welcoming farang “auntie”, Glennis, from Australia. She has quite a story to tell.

She met Somsak, a handsome young Thai studying at the school of mines in her hometown of Kalgoorlie. They got married and Glennis arrived in Thailand in 1966. Somsak went to run the tin mining concession that had been in his family’s hands for some 100 years. Pilok was back then a prosperous community. Cross-border trade flourished and the mines attracted workers from Myanmar.

Due to difficulties in accessing Pilok 40 years ago, Auntie Glen lived in Bangkok while Somsak came back to her and their son once a week. When the mining business faltered because of a sharp drop in the tin price, and Somsak got sick, Auntie Glen decided to move to Pilok. She fell in love with her new home in the jungle.

Somsak succumbed to cancer in 1994, a year after mining was halted at Pilok in wake of a worldwide slump in tin prices. Young people left to seek jobs elsewhere. Those who remain eke out a living among ramshackle buildings and forest huts.

Some 240 of Somsak’s former employees remain in the area, among them five families working for Auntie Glen and a Myanmar Buddhist monk taking care of their spiritual needs. Here our 4x4 are parked just outside the tiny temple, which is reached by crossing a small bridge. 

The homely resort consists of two long bungalows in the forest and the converted warehouse for dining and lounging, all imbued with a tropical atmosphere mingling with ceramic bunny rabbits, pastel colored duck-lings, doilies and other Australian Victoriana. There are no telephones and electric power runs just five hours a day.

However, the combination of comfortable weather and a cozy home in the jungle attract travelers - particularly off-roaders. Various stickers on the door indicate just how popular the resort is with various off-road clubs.

Driving from Somsak back to the main road, to Pilok and onwards to Myanmar will reward you with some amazing views. From atop, you can see a small village nestled in the valley below, right on the Thailand-Burma border. Huge gas pipes and telecommunication towers can be easily seen among the small old houses.

That is Ban E-Thong and the pipes are part of the Petroleum Authority of Thailand's 260km pipeline carrying gas from Burma's Yadana field in the Andaman Sea to supply a 4,600 megawatt power plant in Ratchaburi.

Once Ban E-Thong and Pilok were bustling tin-mining towns. Thousands of miners, hundreds of merchants, shops, theatres and a casino kept this place busy around the clock. As they are only located around 50 km from the sea, many Burmese merchants back then came weekly to offer fresh seafood at very good prices.

Now, these towns are very quiet. All the miners have gone, but groups of tourist are now coming. Guesthouses and coffee houses thrive (except in the rainy season) and locals are getting into the tourism business as more and more people discover the joys of hiding away in these remote border towns.

Kanchanaburi - Off the Beaten Track (Part 2)

Since my blog
http://tinamue.blogspot.com/2011/05/kanchanaburi-sangkhlaburi-4wd.html
that contained my opinion about Toyota Fortuner's (relatively) limited off-road capabilities, I have been asked to retract such "derogatory remarks".


So let me elaborate.
I have driven many SUVs and baby-SUVs and clearly vehicles with automatic gearshift and gasoline engines (such as Nissan X-trail and Honda CRV) fail miserably when facing real 4WD challenges like rocky or muddy mountain roads. The same can be said about a Toyota RAV4, but (at least with manual gearshift) it can be driven quite sportily, e.g., doing power slides through sharp turns on gravel roads. 

A Kia Sorento is also a 4WD vehicle, but it doesn't have the feel of a vehicle one would like to take off road. That being said, it's an awesome feeling to have a 3.5 liter gasoline engine rumbling under your foot. The 3.5 liter Mitsubishi Pajero has since 2008 strayed from being an off-road vehicle and is now a full option boulevard cruiser feeling under-powered compared to the Sorento.


Such baby-SUVs cannot hold a candle against rough-and-rumble vehicles like the Mercedes G-Wagon - it drives like a tank (heavy and unstoppable) but you can enjoy the ride in comfy leather seats - or the Toyota Landcruiser. Both, but especially the G-Wagon, are so superior off-road that they almost make such driving boring. 


(Let me add that I have a job situation that allows me to not worry about costs related to car ownership, maintenance, insurance or fuel consumption, and that has provided me with access to use a large number of different vehicles and drive in different countries over the years).


A Fortuner is not a baby-SUV, but a real SUV. That is, it is quite capable of handling relatively rough terrain while at the same time being quite comfortable on the hiway. Especially the version  powered by a 2.7 liter gasoline engine is a good drive on normal roads. Since that is where it's used most by most people, the lack of torque (compared to the 3.0 liter turbodiesel) for off road challenges is not that relevant. However, the increased fuel consumption probably is if one has to pay for what one consumes - something I fortunately don't have to, so I had great fun in the gasoline powered Fortuner also off road.

My points actually are:
* the Fortuner is an SUV, i.e., a multi-purpose vehicle rather than a dedicated off-road vehicle
* a Fortuner is mostly bought by people that use is on public roads, which is why the recently launched 2WD versions have been highly popular
* a Fortuner is a mechanically highly reliable vehicle; the model's initial flaw re weak brakes has been fixed but the suspension is still uncomfortable and far inferior to the Isuzu pick-up
* it is a good Thai product and at par with Toyota Prado models sold in the Middle East and superior to the Prado models sold in Africa.


So, my Fortuner loving friends can calm down. I support the notion that the Fortuner is a great all-round SUV. Join the club:

http://www.fortunerclub.com/main/index.php

Kanchanaburi

Kanchanaburi Province has many sights. Of course there is the infamous bridge, waterfalls, caves, and temples. I will cover a few other sights.

Close to Sai Yok Noi waterfall is the Muang Singh Historical Park. The park features the remains of two Khmer temples dating back to the 12 or 13th century. The southern wall runs parallel with the River Kwai.

The main temple is at the centre of the park, next to the remains of the second ruin, with the lesser monuments scattered around.
The Hellfire Pass was known by the Imperial Japanese Army as the "Konyu Cutting". Allied POWs were forced to cut through solid rock, sometimes for days at a time with little or no food and rest.

The most famous stretch of the Thai-Burma Death Railway can easily be reached on foot from the Australian-sponsored museum. Although the tracks have long since disappeared, the route of the cutting can be clearly seen.

The more adventurous can trek along the route for kilometers - or get to the other end of the route by a gravel road starting a few kilometers from the museum.

A further few kilometers up the road (130 km from Kanchanaburi on Highway 323 in direction Sangkhlaburi) is the Hin Dad hot spring, where one can frolic in hot water and then cool off in the adjacent river. It is a well of natural hot water of 45 – 55 degrees Celsius believed to have a healing property for various ailments such as rheumatism.

Kanchanaburi - Off the Beaten Track

Kanchanaburi has some wonderful natural sights to behold and some large natural parks to cross.

When I went to Three Pagoda Pass, I was quite disappointed - the pagodas were ridiculously small while the area near the border post was full of tacky shops selling souvenirs and wooden furniture. Not much of interest there.

On my way back to Kanchanaburi, I decided to go west to see a few mines and waterfalls. Located in Tambon Pilok (some 70 km. to the west of Amphoe Thong Pha Phum along Highway 3272) there are the remains of tin and wolfram mines. They are in the Tanao Si Range, which forms a natural boundary between Thailand and Myanmar. There are numerous picturesque waterfalls nearby which are accessible by foot such as Namtok Chokkadin and Namtok Chet Mit.

I then decided to get back from Thong Pha Phum to Kanchanaburi via Sri Nakharin. A detour indeed, but chosen because it would take me on gravel tracks and dirt roads across a national park.

What I had not counted on was:

1) the distance (partly because of lack of detailed maps and partly because of no road signs inside the park)

2) that I was low on fuel after having visited the mines

3) a total lack of gas stations within the national park

So, as the fuel gauge started to get precariously low, I had to make alternative plans. Fortunately, there are small farms within the national park so I could ask for directions. I was told about a ferry to Sri Sawat across the reservoir behind the Sri Nakharin Dam.

This turned out to be a real life saver although I missed the connection to Sri Sawat. After the on-board computer had indicated an empty tank for the past 15 kilometers, I decided to buy three liters of motorcycle gasoline in order to be able to limp to the next gas station.

That evening, it was pure bliss to watch the sunset over the reservoir from my house boat as the thought of potentially having to push the car along winding road had started to stress me out a bit.