Hello all!
Firstly, thank you so much for your lovely comments, they make us feel happy indeed :) We are so glad you got the hang of using the blog Grandma and Grandpa F!
Right so let's start from yesterday morning when we woke up to our alarm at 6am to have a shower (elodie only) ready to be picked up by the tour bus. After a quick panic about the whereabouts of the bus at 7.15 we were soon on our way to K. We got to our check point where we met our tour guide 'Eddy' who like to say an elongated please after every sentence (much like the man in the wheelchair in Facejacker-Chips). The first place we visited was the Kanchanaburi War Cemetary for those who died whislt building the Bridge over the River Kwai- a very sombre moment indeed. From here, we walked to the Jeath War Museum- a very graphic portrayal of the construction and eventual destruction of the bridge both of which cost thousands of lives. We were instructed to walk to what Elodie understood as the 'Beach on the River Kwaaaaai' (Eddy's pronunciation). She was very excited and couldn't wait to sit down and admire the view. It was therefore with great suprise that we ended up over a health and safety-neglcted bridge! Although a little reluctant to walk across the bridge we made it half way before turning back to meet the others. On our walk back, Zack spotted two little leopard cubs on the street- Elodie almost died of excitement and exclaimed that she MUST stroke them. After a couple of strokes and photos, both the leopard and Elodie got too excited leading one to bite the other on the leg- we'll let you figure out who was who. Don't worry they still remain friends. Once we had boarded the train along the Death Railway, which by they was fantastic with wonderful views of lushious forest and mountains! A delicious lunch followed in a nearby restaurant which we shared with about five Japanese tourists- all of whom were lovely. With full stomachs we embarked on a little river boat to get on our bamboo rafts! After watching some others on well-constucted rafts we got to ours which, already a little low in the water, proceeded to sink deeper as we all got on. Fortunately instead of our initial fear of the crocs in the water, we found this very very funny and laughed all the way to the shore. The highlight of the day was the elephants! We rode round the trail for about half an hour, the other ten minutes of which was spent ploughing through bushes and trees; our elephant seemed to be the rebel of the group overtaking and even running to our delight but also our discomfort! We were then taken, tired and hot, to our room for the night on a floating guesthouse! It was adorned with fairy lights and lanterns that would've made Adeline and Nick extremely jealous. Elodie got the full floating guesthouse experience when the whole thing started to rock and sway whilst having a shower on a raft-not such a pleasant experience. The most surreal part of the evening had to be seeing people floating down the river at night, using only the current as transportation- shopping bags and all! After smothering ourselves in 100% deet (mosquito spray) we still- Zack's ankle in particular- got ravaged by mosquito bites. The next morning we made our way to Erawan Falls where we spent the morning hiking up dangerous terrain to access the various levels of the waterfall. After a trek that few dared to tackle, we made our way back down the trail, soaking with our own sweat and looking like beetroots, to finally jump amongst the fish into the cool water that we had envied on our way up the mountain. The falls were spectacular and we could even stand underneath the gushing water into the cave- a perfect photo opportunity. A man even jumped from the top of the waterfall which was slightly shocking and mental but Dad (Kevin) i knew you would have done it too! We had Pad Tahi for lunch to refuel and got the bbus to Tiger Temple! The tigers were beautful and we had pictures with the cubs (for the tiger lovers of you all), although we were left wondering about the ethics of such a place. A very long and tiring bus journey eventually ended in a slightly wet and dark Bangkok. We soon found our way, after tripping into mud puddles, to a new hostel after which we went to get dinner which consisted of Ice Tea (yes Claire, we are living off it you'll be glad to know) and our beloved Pad Thai from the stalls (yes Kevin, the most delicious ever). And all this brings us finally to the internet cafe where we are now thinking of you all back home.
Thank you all so much for your wonderful comments, they really did make us smile at the end of an exhausting tour!
Lots of love Zack and Elodie xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Elodie- Mum miss you and hope cat and dog are ok, i will buy you lanterns. Dad I might try a scorpion tomorrow and boo Spain, i wanted Germany to win! We are going to watch the final in our posh hotel which we managed to nab for 250 baht a night in Chiang Mai! Mog be careful in tenerfife and have a good time!!! Don't get burnt you sunbathing addict! Claire i hope you get your interview you will be brilliant :D Tessa miss yoooooou!!!!! Have fun in Turkey!!! be good!Joanne I hope Adam like Chesham :D and have you heard from Esdith? Love you all xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Zack - Hello everyone. Mum I'm sure you're looking forward to a nice quiet weekend without Kit and Dad, I hope the weather stays nice and sunny for you to be out in the garden. Have fun at DICKs Kit and Dad - wear those shirts with pride! I am enjoying watching the mighty Spanish march on closer to victory, I think if they win I will indulge myself by buying a Spanish football shirt to wear in Croyde. Thanks for the help Clo - our time has run out tonight but I will make sure we check your blog soon so we can catch up on all your news! Hugs and kisses, xxxx
