Train Trippin'....

We all had a bit of a sleep in today till nearly 9am which was nice. But we were soon up and packed, ready for our next adventure. We said goodbye to Tamara (well until we come back on Friday) and started our trek to where we catch the train to Kanchanaburi. We walked down to the canal where we got on the Klong boat and went to the same place we went on Friday. After only being on it twice we felt like experts as it is so easy to use. The canal today was super gross and the water was black.....I think if you fell in you would instantly vomit and maybe even learn to walk on water....lol. There are lots of little houses/shacks backing onto it and I can't image having to look at and smell it everyday. When we got off we thought we better get something to eat in case there wasn't much on the way (haaa......we should know better....this is the land of food here). I spoke to a policeman and he confirmed that where we were going was right and told us a taxi would be better than a tuk tuk. So we hail a taxi and try and tell him and show him on the map where we want to go but he has no clue....another guy comes up and he speaks English so we tell him.....but he wants to know where we are going on the train and asks if we have a ticket.....we say no we are getting it at the train station....ooohhhh NO he says, you must buy from the tourist office.....haaaa again......bullshit buddy we have already been down this path. So we say NO we want to go to the pier so he tells the taxi driver the same thing I was telling him and walks off mumbling something which I am sure was not nice....lol. So in we get and the taxi has us at the pier in 10 minutes. We walk though a huge market (yes full of food of course) and pay 10¢ to cross the river. We decide to walk to the station as we think it is quite close. We asked directions several times and within 20 minutes were at the station. We bought our ticket at the station and had about an hour and a half to wait. So after much research and conflicting information getting to the train was soooo easy although I have read that the train is notorious for running late. I shall be writing on the trip advisor forum about doing this trip as I am sure the info will be helpful to others that are unsure. As I write this we have just boarded the train and although it is not the Orient Express we are pretty happy with our $3.40 tickets for a 3 hour scenic train ride. But I will finish this tonight with hopefully all good reports............OK, so it is now 4.5 hours later and after sitting on the train for an hour and 15 minutes we finally left the station.....I can't say there has been much rural scenery but what there has been is nice. Although most of the way there is so much rubbish along the track it really is a shame......but I guess when you see a train conductor walking through picking up rubbish and throwing it out the window there is no wonder this place looks like one huge garbage tip. We were also told that the train is very dangerous and maybe we wouldn't get a seat.....the only danger is if you stick your head out the window to take a photo you have to be careful not to get whacked in the face by the jungle as in some places it is nearly coming through the window....lol. And as for not getting a seat, well the train is half empty. This train trip is definitely not for anyone in a hurry as it goes very slow and stops ALOT. We were meant to get there at 4.30pm and it is now 6.15pm and I think we have at least another half an hour to go. It has also started to rain so hopefully finding accommodation in the dark will not be too hard......Last installment for the day.....We finally got to Kanchanaburi at 7.15pm and luckily the rain had eased off. Most people would think that our day has been wasted travelling but we try to remember that it is sometimes about the journey and not always about the destination. So we walked out of the train station and had no clue where we were going so we crossed the road and asked a guy outside a supermarket where the hotels where. He pointed us down a side road and even though it looked quite dark we went down there and were pleased to find some action. We spotted a sign for a guest house and walked down another dark laneway to the end. It was a nice looking place and when he told us the price we were happy and took the room. It is probably one of the nicer ones we have been in yet and a bit cheaper. The owner gave me a map and also told us where to go for food so of course that is where we headed straight away. We discovered the tourist street which is full of bars and places to eat. We found a little vegetarian place which Zoe had already told us about so we stopped there. We got talking to an American lady and she ended up sitting with us for dinner. When we left there we finished walking the street to see what was around and found a bar that sells cider AND Bundy Rum...lol. So we called in there and ended up chatting to the owner (a Pommy), another Pom and 2 Aussies. We stayed there for a while and then decided it was time for bed. Walking back down the street we were surprised at how much like Patong, in Phuket this road is like....only waaaay smaller. This is not really a good thing....so we will see what it is like in the day time. Alvo xoxo