Kanchanaburi, Thailand

A two hour drive from Bangkok is a small town of Kanchanaburi in west Thailand and is a good weekend getaway. People became more aware of this place after the Hollywood movie, The Bridge on River Kwai.
Kanchanaburi is very close to the borders of Myanmar which attracts a lot of migrant labors from there. It is famous for the Death Railway which was built during World War II, so named as it claimed many lives during its construction.

I shall cover those details in my next post on The Bridge over River Kwai.

train cross the river

Kanchanaburi is situated at the meeting of two rivers- Khwae Noi and Khwae Yai which merge together to become Mae Klong. Being surrounded by water and thick vegetation, it is so much cooler than the hot and humid weather of Bangkok.

the place where we stayed

enjoying breakfast by river

Alms giving ritual:
Alms giving ritual is an important merit making in Buddhism. In Laos, the ceremony, which attracts a lot of tourists involves, people sitting by the roadside and waiting for monks, who come to accept alms.
I have written about it in my earlier post, The Alms giving Ceremony, Luang Prabang

flowers and donation basket ready to give

We waited for the monk to come, donation baskets were ready on the table. The hotel had made provision for arranging the stuff.

monk arrives on boat

Soon, we hear the sound of a motorboat coming towards us.

It circles and comes to stop near the pier. People are already lined up to make merits.

monk blessing the couple

 video 7394

Carnival and Exhibition:

Every year around November-December the road near to the bridge is closed and shops are put for the carnival. This is a part of yearly memorial week organised by Tourism Authority of Thailand.

ferris wheel

all set for kids zone

some snacks are always welcome including the fried insects which are very popular in this region

something different, grilled crocodile

I loved the family enjoying their meal

sweet and sour candies

so many shops to chose from

There was a separate section where they were selling pets which attracted not only children but adults too.

awww, feeding milk to a piglet, others pushing to get a share of it 😊

I wanted to stand there the whole time and stroke the soft fur of these bunnies

My favorite place to browse

local pottery, ceramic and melamine

stand up rafting at dusk

floating restaurant

this restaurant sails only during the evening with loud music and food

bridge at the back

Let me write about the bridge in detail in my next post.