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abodevera · 3 years ago

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Lost in Kanchanaburi

I woke up from an exhausting sleep. I was out the whole day and went back to my hostel pretty late. Same routine on a daily basis since we arrived in Bangkok. We're trying to do as many activities as we could so that we can move to another country early. It was my first time doing backpacking, and our first stop was the vibrant city of Bangkok, Thailand.

I tried to wake my friend up, but he's too exhausted to get up. I was starving and decided to go out. It was 3 am and for Khaosan Road where most tourists called it a tourist trap, it's pretty much busy. As I walked out of my hostel, I can hear music and people partying. I saw a new face sitting in the receptionist area. She greeted me with a smile and say "Sawasdee ka", which is a formal greeting in Thailand. "Sawasdee khrub" I answered with a smile. They use Ka for women and Khurb for men. "Going out Khrub," she asked with a flirty smile. "Yes, I'm hungry, I'm going out to buy something to eat" I replied. "Oh - not a party?" she asked, "Not tonight, I partied too much" I answered. "I'm sorry, you're new?" I asked her trying to be polite and friendly. "Yes khrub!" she answered. "I see, have a great shift then" I replied. "Enjoy your food Khrub" she replied. She was very friendly by the way and she gave me a discount on our last day.

As I headed out of the alley from my hostel I can hear the music getting louder and louder until I reached Khaosan Road. Since it was late there are only a few restaurants open. I found myself walking straight to the convenience store. I was craving for a fermented milk which is one of my favorite drinks. Thailand has a variety of flavors of that milky thingy, which I consumed a lot of that drink more than I should have. I headed back to my hostel, was eating a Thai sandwich while walking, I had 2 of that weird taste sandwiches but I love it.

I was sitting outside my hostel, smoking while drinking that fermented milk. I can still hear some loud noises from the road. I laughed at myself and remembered that I was one of those party people two days ago. If you are the type of person who loves non-stop noise and party then Khaosan road is your vibe. I mean don’t get me wrong, my first 2 nights there were pretty intense and overwhelming. But, the more you stay there, the bigger chance you overspend, which is the last thing you want to happen. The plan was to stay in Bangkok for a couple of days then head out to Cambodia. As I continued sitting in silence, I glanced at a shadow walked past me. That's where I met Mei Mei, a sex worker I became friends with.

We talked over a drink outside my hostel. She was telling me about her life story and why she was outside the hostel tipsy. She was funny and very good with her words, no wonder those German guys arguing who's taking her in. While we're waiting for her clients, she was telling me that I should give Kanchanaburi a visit. I asked her what is it, and where is it and she said that it was only a 3 hours drive from Bangkok. She was telling me how beautiful and laid back it is. I told you she was good with her words, she got me convinced to pack my bag and go straight to Kanchanaburi. We hang out for a while until her clients arrived. I thank her and told her, how nice she was and wished her that she will find a decent job. "She answered me with a smile and said, " One day, if Gods permits". She was not Thai, she was Khmer (from Cambodia). I don't know but I felt sad for her. That smile as she waves her hand and saying "Take care my friend" got me teared up. Such beauty with an innocent smile yet she was hiding so much pain. I can still remember her smile up until now. I can't stop but wonder how is she.

I woke my friend up around 5:00 am and asked him to pack a little cause we're going on a side trip. He asked me where, and why it's too early. I said I will tell him on the way and better move fast cause the bus will leave around 7:00 am. Since we don't have anything planned for that day, that side trip was a good decision. I have no idea what's gonna happen that day. Besides we have a whole day to waste before our friends arrived from Laos.

We took a bus going to the station of a van which route is going west part of Thailand, bought a ticket for 100THB each. We had our breakfast inside the van, my friend bought a Thai egg fried rice for only 15THB each. He kinda regrets it after, cause it was too spicy for him.

3 hours drive from the busy city of Bangkok and I felt like I was in a completely different era. Kanchanaburi was something you will never expect. As we arrived at the station, we contacted this scooter guy I found on google. I don't know how to speak Thai, he doesn't speak English but still, we manage to understand each other. I don't know how, but patience is a virtue indeed. Never trust someone from the internet they say, but for me, it was the only way to explore this beautiful place. And, have my friend stop complaining about not having an itinerary. I was having a great day, the weather was good, it was hot but windy. I can feel the cool breeze of the provincial lifestyle vibes.

We choose a vintage style, red scooter. It was pretty decent for a price of 200THB for one day. Non-stop arguing who's gonna drive, which way we should turn, and when we stopped. We only have google Maps and maps.me to guide us that day. And yeah, a paper map we got at the tourist station. No plans, no problem. What's worst gonna happened rather than getting lost in an unfamiliar place right? The rest is history.

We followed the map the tourism receptionist gave us. It's served as an itinerary or an activity we followed that day. It's was an unexpected road trip. We visited a lot of temples, when I say a lot, it's a lot. We visited the famous Kanchanaburi War cemetery, Death Railway Museum, JEATH War Museum, The River Kwai Bridge (Thailand-Burma Railway), and the most amazing temple called Wat Tham Suea. There were a lot of things going on that day. We drove from one place to another and ate as many local foods as we see. And, discovered this amazing beauty of Kanchanaburi and its history.

One thing I never forget about that trip was the fact we got lost and found ourselves in the middle of a rice field. Imagine, 2 foreigners in an unfamiliar place, soaked wet with sweat and rain, driving a scooter in the middle of someone else's farm. What a day!

After driving for a couple of hours we stopped for a break and had some Thai barbecue, rice, and a side of Som Tam (a green papaya salad), which by the way I recommend you trying it once in your life. And, prepare yourself, I mean your soul with Thai chili torture. What's Thai food anyway without 1 to 2 types of chilis? LoL!

As we continued our journey, our last stop was the temple of Wat Tham Suea, it was kinda far from city proper. We drove for almost an hour and it rains. You see, when you're tired and sweaty, you smell yourself, it's getting hotter and hotter though it was raining, you'll start to get annoyed with everything, which by the way, it's something I don't want to happen when traveling. Avoid getting pissed at all costs, otherwise, it will ruin your day. We arrived at the temple of What Tham Sue, wet and tired. We stopped at a local store, change our shirt and have some Fanta (you can never go wrong with Fanta) and we were arguing if we take the stair up or that mini-train thingy a.k.a cable car, but it'll cost us 40TBH each. We’re controlling our finances but we're also tired, so yeah we took the train thingy. It was kinda fun but a complete waste of money. For me, it was designed for old people or at least. Just take the stairs, it's not that bad but kinda slippery.

When we reached the top of the hill to which the temple was located it was something I didn't expect at all. The Buddha of the temple was 18 meters high and 10 meters wide, sitting at the top of the hill, covered with gold mosaic. The structure of the temples was just amazing. I've seen beautiful temples before but that was something you can feel. I feel like it was connected to the place and its people. There were a lot of locals coming up and down of the temple, praying and pay their respect. You can see the vastness of Kanchanaburi and its serenity. It was not just a place, it was history. We took a few shots, rested for a while, and see ourselves roaming in another temple which I think was a sacred monk cemetery kinda place, or at least that's what that local guy told us. There were urns all over the walls. It was very quiet and you can't even feel any air inside. We pay our respect and see ourselves out of that temple and saw a black cat on our way out. Do you feel me? So, we went down and we took the stairs, it was 157 steps, so if you plan to take the stairs, well, good luck!

After visiting our last temple of the day, we finally decided to call it a day. It was late and we need to catch up on the last bus going back to Bangkok. And, that's where the unexpected rice field scenario happened. You see, it was still drizzling, and one of our phones with data was dead, so we need to rely on an offline map which leads us to the rice field. We thought we are still on the right way, we tried to ask some locals but no one is there, just a bunch of cows. We were arguing again, but the fact that I am writing it now makes me laughed so hard. It was a great memory. As, we continue driving our way out of someone else's farm, with dirty feet and a wet looked, we finally reached the highway. It was a relief. The view was scenic, you can see a cemetery with the odd structure on the highway, mountains, and temples, and there are not many households but you will enjoy the beauty of the rice field, filled with crops. I told my friend, that this feels familiar, "it feels like home" he said. "Yes," I answered. Growing up in a very small town in the Philippines feels like this.

As we drive our way home, that's where we found the most amazing coffee shop I have ever seen in my life. The Meena Cafe, located in the heart of Kanchanaburi, Thailand, in the middle of the rice fields. It will leave you in awe as you can see the temple of Wat Tham Suea from afar. Of course, we have to stop. That was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We ordered a black Thai coffee for only 20THB each with a side of a dried cassava cracker which we had for free because according to the cafe owner, not in many days do they see a tourist stopping by, plus they're kinda new. We had an amazing time with locals in that cafe, talked with strangers, telling them how we loved Kanchanaburi so much. Do you know what's amazing about discovering that place? The fact that we started to burn out because of a long day of driving and then it happened, it's like the universe telling us, there’s more to see and to remember. Plus, it was an Instagram-worthy picturesque location or should I say #instagrammable and the place was just an absolute beauty for me. It was a bonus.

It was one of the most memorable 12 hours of my life. No plans, no worries. It was all worth it. We drive as fast as we could to catch up with the last scheduled bus that day. The good thing is, we made it. On our way home I was vibing with 4 nonblondes (What's up), that song never failed to deliver indeed. We arrived in Bangkok around 10:30 pm, exhausted and hungry. We grab some snacks on our way back to the hostel and lemme tell you, I slept like a log. The next day our friends from Laos arrived and it was a long day ahead of us.

You see, sometimes not all unplanned things are bad, sometimes it’s the most incredible thing that will happen to you. Not all who lose their trails are lost, sometimes you just need to keep moving forward till you find a new trail to follow. And, sometimes it'll take a stranger to tell you that there’s a whole world out there, you just need to be brave enough to explore it. The thing is, I'm not good with planning, I am very impulsive in so many ways but for me, it doesn't matter because most of the amazing things that had happened to me came from impulsive decision-making and it was all worth it.

I always tell myself that if it doesn't turn the way you wanted it to be, who cares? at least you tried. Just always remember to take it slowly and one step at a time. That moment makes a significant impact in my life, that was the point in my entire existence I knew I wanted to explore more. I wanted to travel the world and learn. I want to prove to myself that this boy, from a small town in the Philippines, can do more. And, I hope if you made it this far, you'll find that eagerness to go beyond your horizon too.

So go out there and get lost, you might find something better, something incredible, or maybe something worth living or chasing for.

This is Moose saying, see you out there, maybe in Kanchanaburi.

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