It was another early start, and the 3 of us got picked up from our guesthouse in Bangkok at 7am. Our minibus circled around the Khao San area cramming in travellers from various hostels before arriving at the tour set off point in Khao San Road itself where several other minibuses were parked. As the tour representatives boarded the minibuses and applied colour coded stickers to our arms (the stickers signified tour destinations and activities), we knew this was the beginning of disorganised chaos. A few minutes later, we found ourselves on another smaller and cramped minibus heading
towards Kanchanaburi. On route, our first stop was the War Cemetery where hundreds of Allied soldiers who had been forced to build the River Kwai Bridge under Japanese rule during WWII were buried. We then visited the Jeath Museum and the actual railway bridge itself - it was set against a 
beautiful mountainous backdrop (but allowing tourists to walk along its unbarricaded track didn't feel very safe at all). Thereafter, we shepherded on board a vintage-looking train for a 1 hour ride along the death railway (called so because its cliff winding tracks had previously claimed many lives). With rural landscapes on either side and loud clattering sounds from the train, the journey felt like we had travelled back in time. Lunch was well overdue and we were thankful when
we were taken to our jungle raft (self-contained sleeping and dining quarters floating on the river) to grab a bite to eat. After lunch, chaos ensued once more whilst everyone tried to figure out what afternoon activities lay ahead (the tour organisation, or lack of, was actually becoming very amusing and gave everyone something to unite and talk about... we had also met several very friendly individuals during the excursions who we tended to hang out with). Bamboo-rafting and 
elephant-riding was on our agenda for the afternoon - they were brief but memorable experiences, after which the remainder of the afternoon was spent relaxing at Saiyok Noi Waterfall (a petite but elegant attraction situated within a park). That evening, we dined with the other 30 or so travellers in the group, and whilst the host tried to involve people in his nursery-style party games, a few of us sat on the attached bamboo-raft drinking beer and chatting - it was a fitting way to the end the night.
The next morning we made our way to the National Park - home to the Erawan Waterfall. Many claim that these 7-stepped waterfalls are the most remarkable in all of Thailand... and we could see why. We made our way through forestry, winding pathways and large stepping rocks to 5 out of the 7 waterfalls - this alone took over an hour. And, just as Preya and Kerry entered the fish-filled turquoise waters from one of the falls, the heavens 
opened... providing further refreshment :-) After lunch at the waterfall, it was time for the most eagerly anticipated and final part of our tour... the Tiger Temple. The idea of such a temple had initially conjured up images of a remote and peaceful sanctuary where tigers would roam freely amongst the orange-robed monks. However, on arrival we were greeted by queues of tourists waiting to have their pictures taken with the chained tigers. Whilst we discussed the background of the tigers with a volunteer at the site, we voiced some scepticism about whether they were mistreated or drugged in any way. Could these wild cats naturally adapt to be tame around humans in captivity? We were told they were trained to do so by the monks at an early age. The temple
lands were vast and were also home to wild boars, peacocks and cows. As the evening drew closer, it became feeding time - the trucks dumped food on the grounds and we were pleasantly surrounded by hundreds of these animals. As the tour came to an end, our 3 hour road trip back to Bangkok began. Exhausted from our jam-packed 2 day itinerary we crashed out early after some food.
opened... providing further refreshment :-) After lunch at the waterfall, it was time for the most eagerly anticipated and final part of our tour... the Tiger Temple. The idea of such a temple had initially conjured up images of a remote and peaceful sanctuary where tigers would roam freely amongst the orange-robed monks. However, on arrival we were greeted by queues of tourists waiting to have their pictures taken with the chained tigers. Whilst we discussed the background of the tigers with a volunteer at the site, we voiced some scepticism about whether they were mistreated or drugged in any way. Could these wild cats naturally adapt to be tame around humans in captivity? We were told they were trained to do so by the monks at an early age. The temple
lands were vast and were also home to wild boars, peacocks and cows. As the evening drew closer, it became feeding time - the trucks dumped food on the grounds and we were pleasantly surrounded by hundreds of these animals. As the tour came to an end, our 3 hour road trip back to Bangkok began. Exhausted from our jam-packed 2 day itinerary we crashed out early after some food.
On our final full day in Thailand, we saw Kung-Fu Panda at the impressive IMAX cinema before treating ourselves to one final massage - we lay in a huge room to ourselves which was filled with laughter as the 3 of us continually joked around with the friendly Thai masseuses. We were sad that we would leave South-east Asia the next day (Kerry would go to Phuket whilst we would head down under)... we had had some wonderful experiences and some amazing memories, and as the popular Asian saying goes... we hoped the rest of our travels would be the 'SAME SAME, BUT DIFFERENT!'
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