Khwai Noi Kayak Tour 2023

Day 9: Returning—Drive to Hidden Holiday House and Postlude

16 November Hidden Holiday House, Nakhon Chaisri
We did our own breakfasts, then caught taxis south to Kanachanaburi Skywalk, which had opened just last year. Admission cost 60 baht and included a pair of slippers required for the glass floor. An elevator took us up to the fourth floor and the long walkway with great views of city, river, and mountains. Skywalks are all the rage in Thailand, though I enjoyed the reflected images of the sky on the glass floor more than the view of water below. From the Skywalk we walked back to our guesthouse via Pakprak Heritage Street, an old neighborhood with commercial buildings and houses that date back to the early 20th century. On my own I continued north through Wat Thewa Sangkharam to visit the circular Chinese-style Wat Thaworn Wararam, filled with Buddha images and dragons, and a large hall next door containing three large seated Buddhas.

View north up the Khwai Yai from Kanachanaburi Skywalk


I saw a bird perched below the glass and wondered what it thought of people walking above it instead of below.


The golden spire marks a bend in the Skywalk.


Engineering at the golden spire


The river confluence where the Khwai Yai (from behind) meets
the Khwai Noi (ahead on right) to form the Mae Klong (ahead on left)


Another view of the very little boy on the very big fish


The 1937 Kanchanaburi Hotel has 14 rooms and served timber traders and
civil servants in olden days when a room cost 2-4 baht. Now it appears closed.


Across the street, the 1919 Hua Hong Shop was built by Mr. Hua Naivinit, owner of the Kanchanaburi Hotel.


Elaborate staircase of Wat Thaworn Wararam, but the upper levels are closed.


The ground floor of Wat Thaworn Wararam centers on this Buddha image.


A dragon snarls from the ceiling center.


Paintings decorate the upper walls.


A game played in the time before cellphones.


Scenes of nature appear too.


Three large Buddhas reside in this hall next to Wat Thaworn Wararam.


Each has a different pose.


A close-up of Guanyin


Fierce dragons on the base of the Guanyin statue


One of the many paintings on the exterior walls

Budai, whose name means literally “cloth sack,” refers to the bag he is usually depicted carrying as he wanders aimlessly. His jolly nature, humorous personality, and eccentric lifestyle distinguish him from most Buddhist masters or figures. He is almost always shown smiling or laughing, hence his nickname in Chinese, the “Laughing Buddha.” He carries his few possessions in a cloth sack, being poor but content. His figure appears throughout Chinese culture as a representation of both contentment and abundance. He is said to have lived around the 10th century in the Wuyue kingdom. (Wikipedia)

At noon we checked out from the Tamarind Guesthouse and took three-wheeled taxis across the river to Schluck Restaurant, which serves European cuisines. I went for a baked spinach with cheese along with a strawberry shake, though the spinach dish had more onion bits than I liked. Chris had suggested that we take a train to Salaya near Hidden Holiday House, but the group voted to hire a van, and we had a very cushy ride. Before leaving Kanchanaburi we dropped off Iew at the bus station so she could travel to Ratchaburi and visit a friend. At Hidden Holiday House we could see that Areeya had been very busy cleaning and hanging up the kayak gear to dry. She still had energy to fix us a fine curry dinner, and I got a special tofu version, spiced perfectly.

17-21 November Hidden Holiday House, Nakhon Chaisri
All of us relaxed on the 17th, except Chow who cycled southeast to Amphawa for a visit. I began writing up the journal for the kayak trip—my biggest project over the next five days—with the goal to complete it before I departed for Nong Khai and the upcoming ride in central Laos. Areeya fixed a tasty spaghetti with tomato and mushroom sauce. Areeya continued to fix lovely breakfasts (an omelet or a pancake) and dinners (usually a Thai curry, my favorite); I didn’t need lunch. She always knows just how spicy to make the food she serves!
 
On the 18th the rest of the group departed on bicycles: David would be joining Chow in Amphawa for a few days before returning to Hidden Holiday House. Hans, Lieneke, and Mathilde headed off on a two-day ride to the ancient Thai city of Ayutthaya, then planned to take buses to Rayong for a ride in eastern Thailand. Mathilde will then fly home while Hans and Lieneke continue into Cambodia for a month-long ride there.

David lubes his chain.


Now David is ready to roll.
He will ride to Amphawa, then loop back to Hidden Holiday House.


Hans, Mathilde, and Lieneke pose before hitting the road.

On the 19th I stretched my legs on a 33-kilometer round-trip ride to the Film Archive https://www.fapot.or.th/main/index in Salaya to watch the 2021 Iranian movie Pesaran-e Darya about two boys on two sides of the country; the northern one has lost his father, the southern has lost his mother, and circumstances prevent either from staying with the surviving parent; oddly the boys never meet so this is really two separate movies with roughly similar themes. While the Iranian movie was in Persian with English subtitles, a second film—Mori, the Artist’s Habitat (Japan; 2018)—was in Japanese with only Thai subtitles, so I didn’t attend but did find a website that had the movie with English subtitles. The Film Archive is in the Thai Film Museum, which exhibits short films from the earliest days of movie making in a group of “movie set” buildings. There’s even an old Japanese steam locomotive that once ran along the Death Railway, and the car behind it shows train clips from a wide variety of films. The main building behind has the film auditoriums, an introduction to the science of moving pictures, vintage movie-making equipment, and exhibits on early Thai productions and personalities. Films shown include both international and Thai ones, and the website gives the language and subtitle availability. Thai Film Museum and Film Archives have free admission, but one needs to register first; closed Monday.
 
On the 21st I completed this journal and posted it. Then I had a bit of packing and organizing for tomorrow’s ride to Bangkok. Weather during the five days at Hidden Holiday House has become sunnier and cooler—the cool season has finally arrived.
 
Then on the 22nd I cycled east back to Bangkok, sorted gear for the upcoming Laos ride, then rode north to the bus station for transport to Nong Khai in northeastern Thailand where the journey Central Laos 2023—Tuff Cycling to Vientiane, Muang Fuang, and the Mekong River begins. Five of us from the Khwai Noi kayak trip—Chris, Chow, David, Iew, and I—will be meeting early on the 26th in Nong Khai for an adventurous bicycle ride in central Laos led by Chris. A sixth cyclist, Andrew, will be joining us after we cross the border into Laos. The ride was a rough one, so hang on to your armchair at https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/MuangFuang2023.

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