The Time I Got Three Steps Into Burma

I had a four day weekend this week due to a boy scout/girl scout field trip. Olivia and I decided to head to Sangklaburi and then to the Erawan waterfalls in Kanchanaburi.

Our journey began at the crack of dawn. We decided to get up super early to ensure that we would have at least two half days to spend in Sangklaburi. The journey there was surprisingly uneventful. We were warned by some friends who had recently gone that the van ride was a bit terrifying. So I went prepared with some dramamine in my pocket and a car sick bag just in case. Luckily I didn’t need it. The last hour was a bit windy but our driver took it slow so it wasn’t so bad. 

We arrived in Sanklaburi at the wonderful P Guest House, a really cute place that overlooks a huge beautiful lake. The scenery was unbelievable. After checking in we decided to rent a canoe for the afternoon and explore a bit of the lake. This turned out to be a lot more work than we thought, but it was beautiful nonetheless and definitely worth the work out. We passed by a ton of floating houses.  Most of the locals there live on these houseboats that are literally built on bamboo rafts. So cool. We paddled all the way to the mysterious “underwater temple”. We were initially confused as we came up on what looked like the ruins of an ancient temple but it was not “underwater”. We came to the conclusion that since it is currently the dry season, the water level of the lake was probably low and perhaps in the rainy season, when the lake water is higher, the temple would indeed be underwater. We also paddled to check out the Saphan Mon bridge which is the longest wooden bridge in Thailand. Apparently you can walk across it but we weren’t feeling quite adventurous enough to try it as it looked a little rickety.

The next day we decided to go check out the Three Pagoda Pass, a monument on the Thai/Burma border. On the way there, I swear our driver was playing "how many people can you fit in a song-tau”. At one point I counted 21 people, including a kid riding on top of the car. A very interesting, and cramped, ride. We got to the Three Pagoda Pass, snapped some pictures and then walked over towards the Burma border. We saw tons of people walking back and forth what looked like the border. There was no one stopping them to check passports and no real signs, so Olivia and walked cautiously a little forward. We got about three steps in, what apparently was the “border”, before a young man wagged a finger at us and pointed back the other way. Ah well, guess i'll have to stay in Thailand. 

Sangklaburi was amazing and I was really sad to leave. It was so peaceful and the scenery was incredible. It was time to go to Kanchanburi to meet up with some fellow OEGers and hike the Erawan falls.