kanchanaburi, thailand.

Finally, I can blog again! Wifi connections are incredibly spotty here, and I've just arrived in Cambodia at a hostel that has really great wifi. So, onward!

I was in Kanchanaburi almost a month ago, and it feels a world away. Kanchanaburi is a small town a few hours outside of Bangkok, famous for its bridge over the River Kwai. A few friends recommended I stop here on my way to Chiang Mai and check out the waterfalls. I did, and had a really hard time here.

Not many backpackers visit Kanchanaburi, and since it was low season too, there weren't too many travelers to meet. I was honestly a bit disgusted with the foreign population in the town -- they mostly consisted of older white men who've retired there to be with much younger Thai women, which was pretty appalling. There were also no hostels with dorm rooms, which is a surefire way to meet people. So I ended up spending a couple of days feeling pretty alone and bored. I visited the waterfalls, made Thai friends who drove me around to some temples, biked to the bridge. But much of my time was spent sitting by the pool, alone, writing in my journal, or heading to a local cafe to work on my computer. 

All in all, it was a pretty low moment of my trip. Lovely all the same, and the alone time eventually moved on when I got to Chiang Mai (it always does!). 

The waterfalls were really beautiful, and full of all these little white butterflies. I felt like I was in Fern Gully. It was so magical.

I also took an overnight bus to Chiang Mai, and was astounded at the quality of Thai buses. Comfortable seats, nice drivers, a fluffy blanket -- they even served me a snack and bottled water. Coming from Vietnam, I was shocked. Uh, no wonder Vietnam felt so unpleasant....!

So that was Kanchanaburi. Next up, Chiang Mai!