Kanachanaburi train tour

We took a train tour from Bangkok that went to Pathom Chedi, Kanachanaburi/River Kwai, and Sai Yok Noi waterfall.

The train tour itself was a very interesting experience. Sam and I loved the lazy, languid train ride from Chiang Mai to Bangkok, and we equally loved this all day train tour as well. And it was all day - the train left Bangkok 6:30AM and didn't get back until about 9PM or so. But what a great, relaxed way to see the Thai countryside! The idea is you buy one ticket, and the train stops a few places where you have between 30 and 90 minutes to get out and see the sights (and over 2 hours for lunch). We were nearly the only non-locals on the train, so we got to see what the locals do for fun. A nice old fellow would walk up and down the aisles with a megaphone and announce the places we were passing by and where we were headed. And what beautiful countryside - from the flat rice-growing central plains, to the river/mountain/jungle region of western Thailand. The route was mostly along the famous 'Death Railway', and we saw the bridge over the River Kwai, but it seemed incongruent to spend too much time dwelling on such sober memorials when all around was pleasant countryside and families enjoying a holiday. There was one place we passed by that had houseboats on the river people rented out for their vacation, and kids would jump from one houseboat, float downstream, and climb back up on another houseboat, ready to do it again.

So we relaxed, saw the sights, people-watched, and had a great time!