After one hectic and rewarding day in Bangkok, we escaped from this Mecca of tourism and commerce to something a little more our speed, Kanchuniburi.

After a long dusty train ride with many Thai commuters and stunning countryside scenery we arrived to the quaint town of Kanchuniburi west of Bangkok near Myanmar.  Upon arriving in this small border town, we wandered around looking for accommodation and received many deserved blank stares considering we were out of the major tourist centers and knew very little Thai to communicate.  We finally found a lady with an open air kitchen and communicated our order via pictures on the wall. We picked at the suspect pork noodles and moved on to find a place to sleep. About 40 steps away we found a cute little guest house that had been recommended by some travelers that Nat met. Close, cheap, available. Check, check, check. So we dropped our bags and heads off to explore the town.

On the way to find another restaurant to satisfy our unquenched hunger, I was caught tourist gazing and tripped on the sidewalk. Yard sale. I rolled and my bag and camera went everywhere. Nat kept my head from hitting the ground.  With hurt pride and a bruised knee, we trudged on to our intended destination.

We found this beautiful little restaurant that we heard had delicious Thai food. And lucky for us it indeed did. Full of spicy shrimp and fried morning glories, we were ready to tackle the day. My tumble had been almost forgotten after our beautiful meal and then all of a sudden Nat got violently ill.  After a few episodes on the banks of the River Kwai, Nat went home to try to sleep this one off and I looked for the TAT to get information on tours of historic WWII sites and such.

After an hour of wandering, a 60 baht taxi for about 20 feet, i was a very hot and thirsty girl. I understood for the first time how difficult it must be for other travelers with less common languages to travel.  Luck had it I met a girl name Dow who set us up for a tour the next day and even gave me a ride back to the guesthouse on her scooter through town. Back to feeling good. Nat was still sick in the room so I sat on the deck overlooking the Kwai River and read. Around dinnertime, more patrons began to come out of their river huts and I met several really nice women from all over.  We shared travel stories and wine. Great night, good wine, excellent food, perfect view.