Water buffalos and bridges...oh, and men peeing in bushes
So, I am back on the road again. Yesterday I left the farm at Whispering Seeds and have headed south to Kanchanburi. I was slightly concerned about how me and my backpack would fit on to the motorbike taxi for the 45 minute journey, but luckily the driver was used to weak beings like me...and we travelled like this the whole way...
Here is everyone at the farm, waving me off...
Felicity, the other volunteer at the farm, collapsed on Tuesday and no-one knew what was wrong with her, so she was rushed to hospital, which proved to be quite a feat as it is about a 5 minute walk through the jungle to get to the river, then you have to wade through the river and climb up a steep ladder to get to the place where the Landrover is parked (never again will I moan about having to park my car at the bottom of my hill)...as Felicity wasn't really with it, and said she couldn't feel her feet and hands, she got fireman carried (whipped over someones shoulder like a sack of potatoes) to the car. The hospital thinks it was a bad reaction to her malaria tablets, but she couldn't breathe properly all night, it was kind of scary. She is OK now, just a bit weak, so spent the last few days recovering in the office (in the nearby town), leaving me to organise the kids and teach them maths...! I also forgot that kids love to do things over and over, so now know quite a few of their books off by heart and am pretty good (if I do say so myself) at 'Kaboodl' - a card game Poo Pwin Whey loves!
Above is a 'duck-air' (I have no idea how you spell it, but that is what it sounds like when Thai people say what it is called, and it doesn't seem to have an English translation). It's a lizard/gecko think that kind of barks like a dog, really loudly. The first time I heard one was when I was in Koh Chang at the beginning of my trip, it was at the window and sounded really loud, but it took me a few times of asking people and demonstrating the sound before I found out what it was. When we were at the Whispering Seeds office the other day we saw some, eating the insects...this one has an insect hanging out its mouth if you look closely, lovely.
Kanchanburi (where I am now), is famous for the Bridge over the River Kwai (for anyone interested, Kwai is pronounced 'Kware' (said like square), and not 'Kwy' (said like why) - the latter means water buffalo, apparently). In World War 2, the Japanese forced prisoners of war to build this bridge so they could take over Thailands bordering countries, including Burma. Hundreds of thousands of people died in the process of building it, due to the poor conditions and the way they were treated. However, it still remains today (some of it is still original) and is actually still used as a train line, as well as for tourists to walk along it - health and safety at its max...just after I had got off the bridge, a train came through on the bridge, leaving everyone still on the bridge to squish themselves to the edge to avoid their own death on the bridge. [I hope you are enjoying the little bits of history and general knowledge I have added in to my blog for you!]Yesterday, whilst walking towards the bridge from my hostel, a moto driver yelled at me and asked if I wanted a ride, I said I was fine walking, then 5 minutes down the road someone yelled 'hellooo' at me from the bush, 'where are you going, want a lift laidee?'...and it was the same moto driver, pausing from his wee to yell at me. I looked at him, with some disgust, and said I was still fine to walk, maybe even slightly more so now...
So anyway, I am just here for 24 hours, which are nearly up. This afternoon I get another bus to Bangkok and then fly to Chiang Mai for my soaking experience this evening.
Here is Yeh-men-tah doing his best monkey impression up a tree on the farm, my tree climbing skills came nowhere near...
Here is Yeh-men-tah doing his best monkey impression up a tree on the farm, my tree climbing skills came nowhere near...
Have been really interested in your trip reports and photographs. Keep up the reportage. Do take care and stay out of trouble zones. Tons of love from us all.
Cathiex
Hi H,
Kanchanburi.I've been there, death railway, so much history and horror has happened there. Its really interesting.
Enjoying the blog,
Much Love,
Kathy heavy egs
Hazel!
I love all of the history, so fun to read your blog!
Thanks for the updates!