About 100km from Kanchanaburi is a famous waterfall, named after the Hindu deity Erawan, which it allegedly resembles. The river here falls many times, but seven of the falls have been named and catalogued. It took me about an hour and 40 minutes to reach the 7th and topmost level from the bus stop, and I was slower than many other people.
Near the waterfall, which is in Erawan National Park, are many caves, which I did not manage to visit.
I found even the unofficial waterfalls quite interesting.
I admit the 7 official falls are more impressive.
While hiking the falls, it is important to be careful of monkeys, which have been known to steal tourists' belongings. Near the first waterfall, I found several dogs barking up a tree. They were very excited. The monkeys did not seem particularly worried.
I did not see monkeys the entire rest of the hike.
Many of the tourists here seem to be from Europe, and they speak languages which I don't understand. I spoke with some from France, some from Holland, some from Australia. I also saw quite a few Germans, and there seemed to be a large number of tourists from Russia, as well as a few Thai. However, one man I talked with was from Oman. He had a large family with him, including several small children. He let me know that Oman is a peaceful place, and I should visit.
The pools below the falls are a popular place to swim.
By the time I had gotten to the 7th and topmost fall, I was so hot and sweaty that a dip seemed like a good idea!!
In the water, there are fish that will nibble your skin. It is not unpleasant, but a little strange. I am not sure what they get out of it, but they did not do any damage to me.
Lower in the park, close to the entrance, I found a couple of interesting things.
And a few other interesting things. I guess the clothing is there to honor the tree. The lizard was hard to see, but fairly tame.
Also, I found what in Hawaii we would call a Hala tree, or Pandanus.
There were some beautiful butterflies, but they would not sit still long enough for me to take their picture.
I decided to spend the night in this bungalow. Because of the low season, the price was discounted from 800 Baht to 560 Baht (less than $20).
The rest of this page are pictures of the waterfalls, which I did find quite remarkable and beautiful.
