we got up early to catch a mini bus to kanchanaburi with marianka and lorraine, which took about 2 hours. we are staying in the blue star guesthouse which is pretty basic but only costing just over 2 pounds a night, in little bungalows situated on silts over the river. really pretty and even have a resident monitor lizard! back to cold water shower again and this time we dont have a flushing toilet. have to pour buckets of water down instead, but its fine.

we took a walk around the war cemetery but was very hot and it gave me a headache so headed back to the room and had to go to bed. lots of interesting sounds coming from outside, croaking frogs and lizards scampering etc.

the next day we had booked an all day tour with lorraine (marianka had done some of the things we were going to do already) first stop was erawan falls, which is 7 tiered. was very beautiful but also very busy. the thai's are still celebrating songkran. we managed the trek up to the 5th tier and then headed back down for a swim in the cool waters of the 4th tier. there are lots of fish in the water and when you place your feet in, they nibble at you! was a bit freaky! they dont bother you once youre in the water though. we had 2 and a half hours at the waterfalls so we relaxed for a bit. on the way back down we saw lots of monkeys in the tree. they can be pretty aggressive here but they were ok with us! apparently they like to snatch your belongings whilst you swim!

we headed back down to the 2nd tier as you can climb on the rocks under the waterfall and get behind it. was pretty slippery but was a good experience. by this time though it had got very very busy.

after the waterfalls we went river rafting. this sounded good but was actually pretty boring. we had a good giggle about it. our guide was having more fun than we were and we didnt like him!

then it was time for elephant trekking!! it actually looked scarier than i thought it would! they were so big and we were sat so high up from the ground! lorraine and i swapped cameras so we could get pictures of each other. we went down a steep slope and i thought i was gonna fall out, as we tilted so much! then we wadded into the water for photos. back up the slope again and through the trees. was offered to ride bareback on the elephant but i chickened out cos it didnt look safe! was really good fun.. apart from when the elephant sneezed over our legs!! oh and also the part where we had to get off the elephant. was pretty tricky and i caught the back of my leg on the metal edge of the seat we were sa on. thought i hadnt done much, but had cut my leg in two places and then a massive bruise came up. very attractive.

after the elephants we headed to the famous death railway to walk along the track, had a ride on the train and lastly looked at the bridge over the river kwai.

on the evening we all went out for drinks at a local bar..

on our last day we did an afternoon trip to the tiger temple! we got to get up close to all the tigers and touch them, getting lots of photos! was a great experience. they were all relaxed in the heat of the day and used to being around humans. we also saw a big fluffy bear and lots of water buffalos. lots of fun :)