We arrived in Kanchanaburi after 3 hours on the local train. It had been pretty uncomfortable and hard with wooden seats and air conditioning that consisted of a fan and the windows open (fly catching). At the station we were picked up by Mr Duck (as in quack quack he told us) in his tuk tuk. This definitely wasn't like any of the tuk tuks we'd encountered before: it was basically a motorcycle with a wheel, seat and frame welded to it but we boarded it anyway and held on.

Thankfully the guesthouse wasn't far and we were soon checked in to our £3 per night room. Too hot and no air conditioning - instead just a fan that re-circulated hot air. We opted for an upgrade: to £7 with hot shower and air conditioning although a bucket for flushing the toilet and no toilet roll. We fulfilled our initial booking of 2 nights before moving onto an alternative place that was an extra £1.50 per night but provided Internet in rooms, a hot shower, a proper flushing toilet and toilet roll - totally worth it.

The centre of Kanchanaburi (for the tourists anyway) is a fairly small place with guesthouses, tour operators and quite a few bars owned by and catering for ex-pats. It wasn't actually what we were expecting but after eating a Sunday roast with mash, roasties, a ton of veg and stuffing we were ok with it.

The main attractions that draw visitors to Kanchanaburi are the Hell Fire Pass, the Bridge over the River Kwai and the jungle - we were no exception. We booked a day trip that would fit in everything we wanted to see and off we went the next day.

The trip began at the Erawan National Park which is essentially the jungle with waterfalls. We trekked onwards and upwards past the different levels of the falls taking lots of pictures and, in my case, hoping not to come face to face with any resident snakes (we were in cobra country now) or spiders (the tarantula holes were massive). The waterfalls were pretty spectacular with the sun bursting through the trees. Although we could have swam at certain levels we chickened out as the catfish were pretty big and it looked a bit slimy. And we were wet through anyway as it was so hot.

From here we headed to the Hell Fire Pass, so called by Allied Prisoners of War forced to construct the Burma-Thailand Railway by the Japanese during World War 2. We were given headsets which included personal experiences from those who were there. The place is very quiet, peaceful and still. The pass itself is a deep chasm slashed into the cliffside by rudimentary tools and brutal labour surrounded by dense jungle. The remaining rail-tracks and drill bits now exist beside memorials, commemorative plaques and red poppies. Over 12,000 Allied soldiers and 90,000 Asian labourers died as a direct result of cruelty and the harsh conditions. It's a moving place.

From here we were taken to the Death Railway (the famous wooden bridge that snakes around the mountain) where the Krasae Cave is also located. We went into cave and walked down the bridge before waiting for our train. The cave, which has previously served as a mortuary and a hospital to Allied soldiers, has a large Buddha and offerings to encourage peace and put the past to rest although the locals claim the ghosts of the dead can be heard still working on the bridge at night. It was good aside from a couple of idiot girls who were posing inappropriately on the railway line (silent movie tied to the railway tracks and FHM style poses) - very disrespectful and distasteful.

We boarded the train which took us over the bridge and towards the Bridge over the River Kwai. Once at the bridge we began walking down it (along with every other tourist in Kanchanaburi) when a horn sounded to announce an oncoming train. We all crowded onto the viewing platforms as the local train passed sending a vibration across the bridge. We watched with interest especially as a number of tourists began chasing the train video cameras in hand. After taking a few photos we were dropped back at the hotel. It had been a long and thought provoking day.

Next stop would be Ayutthaya and the long awaited Elephantstay! Kelly and Mike