24.01 Day 9 Kanchanaburi to Erawan

Day 9 - Wed 24th Jan - Kanchanaburi to near Erawan

Our last morning at Sabai@Kan, yet thankfully with a more generous check out of midday than the 10am we’ve become accustomed to in Australia. Which leaves plenty of time after breakfast to lark about in the pool (4 kids and me), where we discover that our Piggy-in-the-middle while crossing the Atlantic has become Monkey-in-the-middle. But that moment of confusion is nothing compared to the near breakdown in international relations when it comes to discussing the rules and intricacies of Uno. After UN resolutions all is well and plans are made to try and meet up in Chiang Mai where both families are planning to be next week. Seb is so confident it will happen he offers up his ball, saying Emmett will give it back in Chiang Mai. We also depart with some tips on the Niagara / Toronto leg of US road trip in April/May. Seb gives his buddy Emmett a hug  - Seb does love a hug - and we Grab the 4km to the bus station for the next leg. 

Here I even recognise the driver from yesterday - who lounge out the front of their bus until their departure - and so it seems less daunting than otherwise it might have been as I watch my phone being passed about as they look at google maps trying to figure out where our accommodation is so he knows where to stop. 

This is, like most buses, a service that has a defined start point and time and end point but anyone can flag him down anywhere on the road to jump on and equally shout for him to stop to hop off. Armed with our 60 baht tickets for the 75 minute journey we quickly grab some food from near the station (thanks 7/11) and climb on the bus. 

Kate and Seb plonk themselves next to the front door while Sienna and I slide in a few rows back, as far as I can slide in - these seats are smaller than Ryannair so I have to sit diagonally into the aisle for the whole trip. All the windows are open - read: no air conditioning - and as we pull off Kate asks me if she’s supposed to shut the door. Turns out no one, the front and rear door sit open the whole journey. Good for breeze, less so when Seb falls asleep clutching Seal and Kate is left to hold a protective arm over both lest they slip downwards and out the door. Though likely this would cause more of a shock than a major injury; our cruising speed is about 25km/h. Downhill. With a tailwind. 

We get a 1 minute warning from the friendly driver and as we hop off, elicit some smiles and chuckles from the passengers at our weak (but hopefully charming) attempts at Thank You in Thai. As the bus splutters away kicking up dust, it leaves us waving at, at the top of the drive to Chateau de Erawan. We all know it's not a chateau, and that's ok. 

Sienna and Seb instantly like it because we are greeted by 3, then 4, then 5 dogs, leaving Sienna to fight the urge to sit down and pat them all. We walk past the well kept garden - another hallmark so far of Thailand - with amongst others, proud sunflowers - maybe it is France after all - leading to an open sided covered meal area where we collect our keys and then step down to our room. 

It's right on the river. Which is to say it's floating on the river, accessed by a sloping boardwalk. There are 8 floating terraced rooms, each with a kayak bobbing out the front, or is it back? Alongside our room is a pontoon stretching out in the 100 metre wide calm river, with benches set up, from where I’m writing this. 

Opposite us is a mountain covered in trees with a spectrum of green on display. And it's all very, very quiet. Drawn to the water as we are, we commandeer 2 of the kayaks and head downstream into the ever so slight breeze, Sienna and I in one, Kate and Seb in the other. As we paddle ineffectually we come across more lodgings like our own, but, like ours, register only slight movement of guests. 

Back on dry land we take dinner in the meal area - we appear to be the only guests eating tonight so as soon as we order with the mum - who has taken a shine to Seb - she is barking orders at what we assume are her 3 daughters  to light up the charcoal to start cooking. It’s another tasty homemade meal before heading to bed around 8:30pm.