Myanmar, Motorcycles and Malaria

I've been traveling a lot lately. A lot a lot. I am by no means complaining, but being on the go takes a toll on your body. So, last weekend I was prepared to spend the weekend doing absolutely nothing. I planned to stay in bed and be as lazy as can be with some Friday Night Lights and chocolate. Then Thursday afternoon rolls around and we find out that we have Monday off. Well- how am I supposed to stay in The Soup when I can take advantage of a long weekend and explore Thailand some more??? So after little research and no preparation whatsoever, Sarah and I were off to Sangkhlaburi for the weekend. Sangkhlaburi is in the Kanchanaburi Province, but falls on the border of Thailand and Burma (Myanmar). We were told there was nothing to do there, but the scenery was so beautiful that it was 100% worth a visit. And, by golly, was it gorgeous. 


It is about a 5-6 hour trek from Suphan and 3 hours of that drive is spent winding up a mountain on narrow roads with incredibly sharp turns. I expected to feel carsick, but I felt so much worse. The van driver, probably used to the epic drive, felt it necessary to speed up the entire mountain, not slowing down for anyone or anything. I clung on to dear life with every turn and hoped 1. I didn't vomit everywhere (sorry- TMI) and 2. We didn't topple off of a mountain cliff. It was terrifying. When we (thankfully) arrived, Sarah and I just looked at each other and thanked the heavens that we were still alive. After recovering from our panic and grogginess, we opened our eyes to the stunning scenery. We were completely surrounded by mountains that overlooked a river and little villages. Our hostel- P. Guesthouse- was by far the most unbelievable place we have stayed thus far. Completely built and furnished from teakwood, the place provided the perfect environment for relaxing and taking in the views. The multi-level lawn looked over the lake, where floating houses (not boathouses, but actual houses on rafts) drifted along. Across the way were sprawling mountains with some glistening temples lurking amidst the trees. The whole scene was very Asia, and it was the perfect way to 'get away' without the craziness of traveling. 

Despite the lack of tourist attractions and hullaballoo, we found ourselves counting down our '9 lives' throughout the weekend. For the most part, our time was spent wandering around the small town, and even stumbling upon and exploring a village. At night, we sat among the other backpackers and ate dinner, watched the sunset over the lake, played cards and went to bed embarrassingly early. It was super relaxing, but somehow we managed to risk our lives... a lot. I'm only slightly exaggerating. From almost getting run over by a floating house while on an early morning canoe ride to realizing a little too late that we were supposed to take our malaria pills while madly itching our 12 new mosquito bites, we were constantly living on the wild side. We trekked to Three Pagodas Pass to be on the Myanmar border, and had about 4 mini- panic attacks when immigration stopped us multiple times to check our passport and visas....which we didn't have. We were so not ready to be detained and held in jail for illegally crossing the border. Luckily, we successfully made it there without being arrested. After our adventure, we were zonked so we decided to suck it up and take our first motorcycle taxi to get back to our hostel. I've voiced my fear of mopeds in Thailand. They take over the streets and don't pay any attention to pedestrians. Thailand is also known for having an absurd amount of motor accidents and I have heard far too many stories directly from the victims. However, Sangkhlaburi is a very quiet place and I was more than tempted to hop on one....so I did! And I loved it....so I hopped on another one later that evening. I'm still going to use caution when driving on the back of a motorbike, but I'm glad I've gotten over the initial fear. And I'm even happier that I didn't fall off. 

 
We also made our way to the Mon Bridge, the longest and oldest wooden bridge in Thailand. I'm not going to lie- I did not enjoy walking across it. It looked like it was being held up by toothpicks and the wood panels were a mess. Some parts were loose and others were shaky and I wanted to turn around and run back to safety. But after seeing an 8 year-old boy jump from plank to plank without looking down, I held my breath and tiptoed my way across. The sights were gorgeous and I'm still alive, so I'll stop complaining. 


Although we feared for our lives a few times, the trip was great. Sangkhlaburi was the perfect place to recover from our busy schedules. I even got to play with the most adorable little puppy AND eat Khao Soy! Not even the ride from H-E- double hockey sticks on the way back could take away from the peace and tranquility I attained during our stay.
  

Pretty Sunset

The Scariest Bridge Ever

Flioating Houses

Row, row, row your boat...

Three Pagodas Pass

At the Burma Border

LOVE

Sidenote:
I was just informed that dengue fever is a huge problem in that area. So there's that....




To see more pretty pics, check out Sarah's photos:  http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2321109&id=1606236&l=a795bb50cb