So day # 2 in Bangkok started just like day # 1...early. Our wonderful driver, Rat, picked us up at 7 a.m. and we hit the ground running...and by running, I mean driving :) All of the stops included in our agenda for the day were outside of Bangkok so we knew we'd be gone for quite some time. What we didn't know is how far we would end up traveling. You can imagine how surprised we were when we realized we were over 3 hours outside of the city once we reached our final stop!! It didn't make for a fun ride home, but it DID make for plenty of memories, many of which we've already laughed about several times over the past week. OK, let's look at some a LOT of pictures!
First stop of the morning, the train market!
So here's the deal with the train market...local merchants (mostly selling meat and vegetables) set up shop right along the train tracks. Outside the tracks, there are actual shops for the merchants to rent, but many of them are unable to afford the fees involved with renting the space. But, as you will see, the locals found a way around that problem. The train tracks! Due to the risk involved in setting up shop right along a track with an operable train, there are no fees for the merchants. The train passes through 5 times a day and as it approaches, the merchants quickly (I mean very quickly) pull their goods back and move out of the train's way. The train literally passes right in front of your face! Then, as soon as it has passed through, everything gets pushed back out and its business as usual!
Matt standing on the train track. See that red box to the left and the woman leaning over on the right? When the train comes, nothing and no one can be in those spaces!
Choo-Choooo!!
Keith and Sophie, you look scared! Is there something wrong? Could it be that a train is about to come plowing through in the next minute and you have no where to run to?!
Matt is leaning over a railing that has been smoothed out by the train.
Quick! Get off the track! The train is behind you! Actually, they were trying to be funny, but the locals were all yelling for them to get off the track...
Thank goodness, we all made it off the track just in time! ;)
Back to work!
Our next stop was the floating market. All along the river and canals, locals set up shop. Many sell fruit, vegetables, meat, hats, etc. right from their boats. Today, the floating market is run mainly for the benefit of tourists, but there was a time where that was not the case!
Keith, Sophie and Matt ready to float the river and shop!
Keith was so overwhelmed by his options that he didn't buy anything at all!
We made a little stop along the river and toured a coconut sugar farm. Keith and Matt even got to stir the sugar!
Back on the boat...that's our cute, little driver, Rat, with Matt and Keith :)
Matt purchased some rambutans for Keith and Sophie to try...
...and Keith tore right into his!
On the way back to the dock, Rat bought some fish food for us so we fed the fish. They were really big!
After we finished touring the floating market, we spent a bit of time walking around the surrounding area...
Spotted some monks eating lunch. You know, just an every day sighting for us ;)
And it wouldn't be Thailand if a local didn't harrass you about buying something! In Keith's case, it was Tiger Balm. This woman was relentless! No matter how many times Keith said "no thank you" she kept telling him "this good. you buy!" while applying it to his neck, temples, ears, and shoulders. We would have stopped her, but we were all laughing too hard :)
So the next thing on our list was lunch. Rat told us the drive would be "just twenty minutes." As we were in route to lunch, she asked us if we wanted to stop by a wood carving shop. We really had no idea what it was all about, but decided to check it out. We're glad we did! They had really cool things there from wall hangings to furniture...and it was all hand carved! :)
Sawadee Ka! (Translation: Hello)
They bought this chair for their house!... Just kidding ;)
We left the wood carvings and continued on to lunch. It turns out that the "20 minute" drive was really more like a 90 minute drive. With growling stomachs and a bit of car sickness, we started to sound like small children as we began saying things like "Rat, how much longer?" and "are we there yet?"...but finally, we made it! She took us to the famous floating restaurant next to the bridge over River Kwai in Kanchanaburi.
Sophie's lunch was just a bit messy ;)
This is the famous Bridge Over River Kwai
Now this is where the day really started to get good funny. The next place on our list was the tiger temple. Apparently, there are tigers that have been rescued from the wild (so that they won't be hunted) and monks take care of them. They allow tourists to come inside the temple and have their pictures taken with the full grown tigers. Unfortunately, we arrived 15 minutes after closing and we never made it in :( Well, by that time, we were already 2.5 hours from Bangkok so we figured we better see something else.
OK, now I'm going to back track for just a second. See, earlier in the day, Rat mentioned swimming in the hot springs, which we quickly declined as none of us brought swimsuits. However, while passing a tiny shop by the train market, my dear husband who does not like to miss out on an opportunity, asked Rat if she knew of anything he could wear in the hot springs just in case we did decide to go there. She found a little something and assured us it was exactly what all the locals wear. Perfect! So Matt excitedly bought one for him and one for Keith...
Fast forward back to the tiger temple parking lot. Rat mentioned the hot springs again and we said "yes, bring us there!" So on we went. Rat said the springs were just "20 minutes away..." :) Well, as it turns out, Rat didn't actually know where the hot springs were! After another hour in the car, and several stops to ask for directions, we made it to the Hindad Hot Springs!!
So our guys went in like this...
...and came out like THIS!!
I don't think Sophie or I have ever laughed this hard. EVER. What made the whole thing even more funny was that the hot springs is a completely local spot. There were NO other tourists there and absolutely everyone had on normal swimsuits! Believe me when I say that every pair of eyes in that place were on Matt and Keith :)
...but look at those faces! You can't tell me that they didn't have fun at the hot springs!
And that was it for the day. Rat offered us several stops on the way home (a chance to feed wild monkeys and a tour of the death railway), but we were all exhausted and ready to start the 4 hour drive home. Did I mention we ended up being less than an hour from Burma? Yep, we were THAT far away. During the drive home, Rat entertained us with plenty of funny stories and told us of some of her Thai traditions. Aside from the very long drive home, the day was way too much fun and now we have memories to last us a lifetime! :)
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