Bicycle Tour

The freedom that a bicycle affords in touring a city, practically irregardless of the country, is not matched by any other mode of transportation. One can cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time, but also has the ability to linger easily in interesting places and access back alleys and other spots that are much more difficult for motorized vehicles.

Today I enjoyed this freedom in the vicinity of Kanchanaburi, the Thai town known historically for its vital role in WWII as the base for the Japanese-led construction of the "Death Railway" linking Thailand to Burma (for the purpose of eventually invading India). Look it up if you haven't heard of it- the history is fascinating. Back to my day... I left Larissa in the dust (to enjoy a massage and day vegging on the riverbank) and took my one-speed (at least it was new, and a third of the weight of my Indian 'Hero' bike) out for a rip. Flying around town I took in the sights that just weren't intriguing enough to walk to (ie: city gate, pillar etc) before cutting across the River Kwai (yes, that River Kwai from the 1957 movie I now need to watch). Cycling past Chinese cemeteries (interesting in themselves) at the base of mountains on one side, and the river itself on the other I made my way to the first Wat (temple), listed as 22km away. Up 158 stairs I came face to face with a giant golden Buddha; well not really since his face was another 5m above me! It was at least that many steps again up a tower's spiral staircase that took me to dizzying heights overlooking the gorgeously green landscapes that were crossed intermittently with rivers or canals, and ended in mountainous humps.

Returning the way I came I decided to take a break at another Wat - mostly because its stairway was enveloped by a serpent. Well this break was nothing of the sort as exiting the snake's rear-end only led to more stairs, this time with my shoes removed for religious reasons. From the first cave a metal staircase wound upwards, and in the spirit of exploration I took it (silently sidestepping the sleeping lady at the base). The top of this was 487 steps from the beginning (yes, I counted on the way down) and granted fantastic views of the river and far beyond. I was already a sweaty mess but the monk here convinced me to continue up to a cave which I think he said wasn't too far up again. Well it wasn't all that far (50m) but in bare feet climbing up jagged rocks it sure felt like it.. and the payoff of a humid cave with a tiny opening was somewhat disappointing. The real mistake came next.

Two Thai guys a couple years younger than I probably, had followed me up to this point (along with the monk and sleeping lady we were the only 5 on this hill!), and without any English motioned for me to carry on yet another side path. This one didn't look even as appealing as the previous rock route but hoping for an even greater vantage point I was talked (er, motioned) into it. By the top the bottoms of my feet, and even my palms, were cut up from the barely-path, and by top I mean a bush-obscured rock mount. The only view it gave was of a densely forested valley up to a higher peak. The two boys pointed and said "hike?" I shook my head decisively 'NO' and picked my way delicately back to ground level.

A rest riverside with honey & lemon green tea rejuvenated me for the afternoon activities. Quickly taking in a WWII cemetery I stopped in to the Monkey School (and before you ask, no I was NOT the pupil). Here I learned how the monkeys were taught to harvest coconuts from the tree tops for use on farms. However the other side of things was the teaching of them to perform stunts which the human-rights/vegetarian in me didn't agree with so I shook the entrance gibbon's hand and refused to pay admission.

Next stop was underground. A nine room cave that seemed to get deeper with each chamber (and hotter too). The crevice thankfully opened into much larger spaces full of stalactites and stalagmites (I always forget which is which too!). A neat aspect was the giant tree roots that hung right down to within reach from the top of one cave. Nearing the end the sweat on my forehead nearly froze as one room to the next dropped the temperature at least 7 degrees. Emerging I biked riverside for my favourite tranquil lookout point in this picturesque town. (I know, I know.. pictures would be the cherry on this literary sundae but I forgot my camera!)

Biking back up the quiet side of the river I took the long way and stumbled upon an all-Thai market so stopped in to rest my aching butt. The free donut the girl gave me wasn't quite as appealing as I ate it alongside the now-air-breathing fish for sale. Leaving the seafood and butcher section I grabbed a watermelon shake for $0.66 Cdn and more donuts to bring back for Larissa.

On the home stretch I stopped at the WWII museum. Beginning with the life-size recreations of the likes of Stalin, Churchill, Hitler and even Einstein I was intrigued by the WWII info and memorabilia (hundreds of guns!). However the postcard, stamp and jade collections hardly fit the motif. The complete (and I mean complete) history of the Thai royal family filled the walls, ceilings and display cases of a 5 storey building which I climbed to the top of mostly to catch pictures of the train crossing the Bridge over the River Kwai at sunset. But the least linked exhibit of all was the Miss Thailand room that didn't even have photographs of them! (Only paintings).

Apologies for the rambling but I covered a lot in my (conservatively) estimated 60km of cycling.. you'd hate to see my journal!

On a side note, I fulfilled a lifelong dream the other day as Larissa and I rode home in, get this, a sidecar! Oh yes. I can't remember where this desire stemmed from but when I saw the motorcycles pulling sidecars as taxis in this town I knew I'd be riding in style. Besides being a little noisy it was pretty much everything I'd ever wanted.. the wind in my hair and the pavement whizzing beneath me. Exhiliration without being behind the wheel!