Just Dig a Little Deeper

Finally, me and Tim arrived at Erawan Waterfall! We rode the equivalent of Westport to NYC on motorbikes to a 7-tiered water-runner with a great hike up each fall. At the top, I climbed up a bit further where there was no safe public access, and found an even better, more beautiful eighth waterfall. A small fall sandwiched between two giant boulders, at first glance seems like nothing more than water flowing over rocks. But as I jumped in and swam closer, I found a small crevice in between the enourmous boulders, which lead to a giant cave behind and underneath the waterfall. Where no person goes and with nothing to deflower it, I was swimming in the bluest, clearest, purest water. The cave's pool was very deep and naturally spherical, with little ledges to sit on so that I could look out through the waterfall to where "the rest of the world" was. It was one of the most amazing natural wonders I'd ever seen, and it was impossible to carry my camera with me.

After that, Tim and I camped out at the base of the waterfall. We had a tent at the foot of the river and lucky for us, had the entire park to ourselves. All of the park bungalows were empty, and the camp site was a ghost town. We cruised around the park on our motor bikes like kids in a candy store, no one to tell us what to do. When night came, the only light we had was the moon and my head lamp that I thought I'd never use (thank you Eli, Sterling). We brought tiny speakers to plug in our i-pods, and it was absolute tranquility, having nothing but the sounds of the river and nature be the only soundtrack the entire night. We did all you could do... just chill... Tim read his book, I wrote in mine.

Gotta Love a Girl Who Can Kick Some Ass

Jang is one of the cooler Kanchanaburians I've met in this town. She manages a bar over here called 1 More Bar http://1morebar.com/. Better yet, she speaks perfect English, mixed with a funny pinch of a British accent because the owner is from England. A harmless little Thai girl, Jang says things like "Fuck off!" and "wanker!". After cooking me her specialty dish, she sits down for some drinks and haphazardly mentions she knows Muay Thai, Thailand's famous martial art. I can't help but to propose a challenge. Jang is a few inches shorter than I and maybe weighs 100 pounds. I figure if it came down to it, I'm 70% sure I could take her. I take my appropriate fighting stance while she takes hers. She tells me to raise my hands higher above my face, they're too low... this chick is serious. Quicker than a cat and more cunning than a cougar, she throws a round house kick to my face. I block it, of course, because I have exceptional kick-to-the-face blocking skills, but as soon as I block, she comes with a straight kick to the stomach. Jerry Maguire said, "You had me at hello", I said, "You had me at a kick to the face."

Jang took me to an authentic Thai night club. The cheesiest but coolest Thai cover band was rockin' out and the crowd was loving it. I was the only non-Thai in the club, but was well protected, rollin' deep with a girl who could straight up kick people apart. A night of Thai teenie bopping was just what I needed.

Country Folk

As sweet as Kanchanaburi's small town vibe is, the country side is much sweeter. Tim and I met a newcomer to the hostel, Jennifer, a girl from Vancouver who had been travelling for a few months, and the three of us rented bicycles (93 cents for the day) and took off for the hills. We rode through backroads, rice fields, and I also took them to the cave I saw a day earlier. We rode the entire day... rode until we got lost, stopped for food, and rode until we found our way again. It was a pretty great ride, venturing off the map and riding past hidden villages. My bike was pretty old and rusted and I kept falling off. Atleast I didn't pour water all over myself.