Exploring Erawan Falls
After spending a day in the center of Kanchanaburi, we wanted to see other sights in the province and among the most popular and recommended is Erawan Falls. We also wanted to go to an elephant camp, but it was expensive, so perhaps we'd do that next time, and this time, we'd just go to Erawan.
After breakfast, we walked to the terminal and looked for the bus going to Erawan. While buying bus tickets, we were again mistaken for locals. I was on the lookout for other foreigners that would take the bus, but I guess we were the only foreigners in a bus filled mostly with local tourists. Fare is 50 bahts each. It was a two-hour ride with interesting sights along the way. Before entering Erawan National Park, you have to pay 200 bahts (for foreigners) and 100 bahts (for locals) at the entrance.
I thought that once we get to Erawan, we'd immediately see the waterfalls. (Again, tamad me did not do her research. 😂) Apparently, Erawan has seven levels of waterfalls–that's seven different waterfalls located in different levels of the mountain. One has to trek for 45 minutes to see all seven waterfalls, but my friend and I finished the trek going up for 1 hour and 30 minutes, and then another 30 minutes or so going down, what with the appropriate outfits we were wearing. (We looked like we were just going to a picnic as we were only wearing slippers. I felt comforted every time I saw someone wearing more uncomfortable clothing. 😂)
And after 15 days of living in a hotel, it felt good just walking in the forest–surrounded by greens and with sounds of birds and crickets in the background. As for the waterfalls, they are nothing extraordinary (wow taas ng standards!). I've seen far more beautiful waterfalls in the Philippines. But what is unique with Erawan is the fact that there are seven waterfalls that you can see in a single trip to the mountains/forest. I never did that anywhere else.
Some time during our trek, I almost slipped while I was setting the camera to take a video of the trail. This is why it is necessary to wear proper clothing when going to such places. And of course, to pay attention to the trail, instead of taking photos and videos. 😏
The entire park is well-maintained. At a certain point, visitors are no longer allowed to bring drinks and food. You have the option to leave your bottled water at the station or take it with you but leave a deposit.
We did not swim because we did not bring extra clothing. All we did was dip our feet in the cold water and let the fishes massage/bite them. There are a lot of fishes in the waterfalls. Perhaps these are not for fishing. They're just there, having the time of their lives.
At the beginning of the trek to Erawan Falls, there were several signs along the way saying feeding monkeys is prohibited. I was just excited to see monkeys because they are something I do not see every day. On our way back, I noticed a woman screaming and pointing at another person lying in their picnic mat. I thought they knew each other, apparently, the woman was saying a monkey was taking away their food. It happened really fast. When the man realized their food was taken, the monkey was already up in a nearby tree. I think it's a pack of peeled jackfruit that this naughty little one took.
We bought snacks/lunch and milk tea after coming down, while waiting for the bus back to Kanchanaburi.
