The still of the morning in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, sitting on the banks of the River Kwai, working on my journal, is an experience that I can't put into words. I take the time to work on my blog in this early morning delight. It may be my last chance ever to sit here and enjoy this enchantment.

I will carry many emotionally moving memories with me when I leave later in the day . Not only of the sights, but of people I have met here. The trip to this small town is certainly a trip I am glad I made, and I stayed longer than planned because it was so much more than I expected.

This is not a large town but there are still many things I have not seen or done here. I thought about taking a long-tail boat tour up the river. Someone said the engine is so loud it is hard to hear. Still, I wanted to do it. There is also a monkey training place here I wanted to get to. There are plenty of these in one of my future destinations, though.

My mini-bus doesn't leave until 1:30 P.M. to Ayutthaya, so around 9 a.m., I walk in a direction I have not been before. One thing about vagabonding around like this, is that everything of every day is new and different. There is no need to waste time waiting for my transport, I will get out and see more until time to leave.

I walk down the street and turn in a direction I have not taken before . Maybe there is something around the corner of interest, or maybe not.

I don't walk long before I see a large complex with a large gateway. But, everything is written in thai except a banner that says "Welcome" in english under I am sure the same thing in Thai. On the reverse side of the sign, as you leave, it says "Have a Nice Trip". Everything else in the entire complex is written in Thai.

I don't know what this place is, but I walk through the archway and start walking and taking pictures. The grounds seem to go on endlessly. The detail in the work in these places just continue to amaze me. Everytime I go around another building there is something more to see. There is even a lake in here!

It is all so beautiful I can't help but take lots of pictures. I just don't want to forget any of these things I am seeing. I hope the pictures will help as time passes and my already dull memory dulls even more .

I see one long building with many doors and lots of kids running around laughing and yelling. It sounds like the kids yell when jumping in a swimming pool, but I don't know if there is a pool back in there or not. It's a beautiful and large place. I spend lots of time walking around. I'm glad I didn't miss seeing this, although I don't know what it is.

I must have spent an hour or two here. Time just passes so quickly in situations like this.
If I had been at home waiting on my ride, I would have killed the time in front of the T.V. probably. Here I have seen a new part of town and things I may have missed seeing had I not taken a late day bus.
 
As I finish seeing it all and start on my way out, I see a man walking towards me. He is not Thai, so I speak, hoping he speaks english. He is from Ireland. I ask him if he knows what this place is. He says," No, I just saw it and walked in, but it really is something, isn't it?"

I still do not know what it was but it was definitely worth the time . I guess it was for the Thai's only and not for foreigners, but no one seemed to mind us being there.

One thing about Kanchanaburi that is not so good is the air pollution. When I was coming in on the train from Bangkok, as we got maybe 30 miles from Kanchanaburi, I started noticing small ashes coming through the open windows of the train. Not many ashes but a few. Mainly, though, I smelled smoke. It was like a forest fire or something. And, looking out the train window toward the mountains, I could see the haze of the air pollution. Later I found out the people here burn their trash and anything else and that is what causes the pollution here. In Bangkok it is caused by the traffic. I see a few people here, like in Bangkok, wearing masks. I don't notice the pollution like some people would. It does not bother my eyes or sinuses. I just notice it mostly when looking far away towards something like mountains or high buildings. These countries don't have the air standards we have in America . But, I wonder how it affects their health. Do they live shorter lives here? I will have to do some research on life expectancy in Thailand.
 
UPDATE: The dark looking fruit in the green box I bought (talked about in earlier post) is called Tamarind. The ripened fruit is considered the more palatable, as it becomes sweeter and less sour (acidic) as it matures. It is used in desserts as a jam, blended into juices or sweetened drinks, ice creams, and all manner of snacks. Thanks to Paul K. from my work days for helping me out. He has relatives in Thailand and is a good source of information. I want to look for the tamarind again. It was a really good snack.


I posted the pictures of my trip through this mystery place here on this post, but the rest of my adventure on this day is included on the next post, since there were so many pictures to post today.

Thanks for reading!