On Saturday, I had decided to go to Erawan Falls and since James wanted to go, we made another day of it. Erawan Falls is about an hour and a half bus ride northwest of Kanchanaburi, costs 200 bhat to enter and is worth every minute and every penny. The falls consist of seven tears, or pools, with the first two being the most accessible and the higher levels reached by a progressively rougher trail up the mountain. The bottom two pools are popular with Thai tourists and are filled with children and families. Although busy, the people do nothing to detract from the beauty of the area. The pools are crystal clear surrounded with rocks and towering trees and the air is full of butterflies giving you the impression you are in a fairytale world that cannot possibly be real.
From the bottom two pools, we followed a rocky trail past pools 3, 4, 5, and 6 coming to a bamboo ladder up to the highest pool. There were a few bathers in the 4th pool, but the others were peaceful and serene. We had read that the highest pool was the least crowded because of the hike to the top, but apparently the word had spread and we reached the top to find a beautiful, but crowded pool at the bottom of a small waterfall (the dry season had reduced the flow of the waterfalls). We decided to stay for a swim and must have timed our dip correctly because we soon found ourselves alone to enjoy the refreshing water and the beauty of the surrounding mountains.
After about 45 minutes, we headed down to the fourth pool, which was the next prettiest in my opinion. It was a larger, deeper pool than the top and was filled with fish of baring sizes, the largest about a foot and the smallest the size of your average minnow. The moment you placed your foot in the water, the larger of the “minnows” gathered around and began to nip at your feet. It was startling, but not painful and evoked more laughs and surprised screams than fear. Once you were out in the water, moving around, they left you alone to watch, amused, as each new unsuspecting victim entered the water.
Around 1:30 p.m. James wanted to head out to catch the bus to make it to the Tiger temple that afternoon, so I walked down with him as far as the bottom pool, where I found a nice spot to sit and write letters for a while. A few moments after I’d sat down, I heard a crashing in the trees above my head and looked up to see about 12 monkeys sitting or jumping through the trees. I had thought about catching to 2:45 bus back to Kanchanaburi, but decided to stay until four because I knew I wouldn’t soon find another opportunity to watch monkeys play in such an idyllic spot.
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