Sangkhlaburi, Thailand Cont.

The weekend we spent in Sangkhlaburi was free for us to do whatever we liked... Not that there was a lot of things to choose from. We discovered a Vegetarian Restaurant and bakery (you can imagine how happy this made me!!) I had a toasted sesame seed bagel with cheese and salad and it was amazing. I think I'd just had too much of the same thing the week before so "normal" food was incredibly welcome. After lunch at the Baan Unrak bakery we headed down to P-Guest house and the lake ! There is decking down by the lake side where we chilled out on and enjoyed the sun. I also tried to get the others involved in the jumping photo obsession that I have - I think they just thought I was special so no change there ! Later on that day we visited the Baan Unrak Animal Sanctuary of Sangkhlaburi. A woman from England has set up an animal sanctuary to treat and look after some of the many street dogs that are in the are. They are currently looking after about 30 dogs I think and treating several more who are on the streets. Its impressive what she is doing; she has learnt several treatments in the 4 years she has been here with no previous vet experience.

The Mon Bridge

After the weekend of actually enjoying the sun, it was back to the excursion of this tour. I've not been overly impressed with Real Gap to be honest but this week made that even worse. Originally, I was supposed to be doing a two day jungle trek, however due to half of the group getting fed up and heading to the Islands a week early, and the others deciding they would rather help out at the Dream House, I wasn't allowed to do it. Even though I was happy to do it on my own, the company said no. I would have left but the way I see it is I've already paid for this accommodation so I might as well make the most of it. On Monday we visited the Mon Side of Sangklaburi. In the temple there was a pot of sticks; you shake the pot and with the number of the first stick that falls out you go to a cabinet with numbered draws to get your "fortune". This provided some amusement and something a little different - I think I've now seen enough temples in Thailand to last me a lifetime... We then headed to the border market near the Burmese immigration station. This was mostly gem jewellery so after a quick look around I was content in leaving.

The Dream House

These kids are the most amazing kids I've ever met. They have all been through so much and have escaped from Burma. We spend Tuesday, Wednesday and some of Thursday with at the Dream house and every day I was touched by how kind, caring and loving every one of them is. They are so full of life and are desperate to have someone to play with. On Thursday we went to the river with the majority of them (the youngest ones couldn't come) and as they don't get to go swimming very often they loved it! There was a jump in point so I blatantly loved it too - similar to Black Moss Pot but you had to take a run up because of the vegetation you jump over, and I think it was maybe a little higher. Good fun though and I think the kids were surprised when I jumped in! When we got back to the house we cooked them dinner before they sang to us to say goodbye. It was horrible to say goodbye to them, they were so lovely and deserve so much more in life. From what I understand, as they are not Thai, they cannot get ID cards or passports unless they are adopted by a Thai family. This means they cannot go further into Thailand than Sangkhlaburi and are not entitled to own any property when they are older. Things may change in time but as it stands they are going to have a struggle to do much with there life which is horribly unfair but sadly there isn't much we can do. 

Today, we left Sangkhlaburi and started out journey to Koh Phangan. Currently I'm waiting in Kanchanaburi for my overnight bus. It doesn't feel like it was two weeks ago that I was here - it's gone so quick ! On the way we stopped off at Hindad Hot Springs. This was clearly a tourist venture; next to the cool flowing river, a few rectangular pools had been built and the hot water is pumped into them from inside the mountain. Not quite what I was expecting however I did enjoy being able to soak in 40 degree water as my back is beginning to break from the beds! After getting something to eat in Kanchanaburi I went into the town and had my first real Thai massage. It was amazing. Not long till the 10 hour bus journey starts - can't wait to get to the islands!