Thailand: Sangkhalaburi - The Introduction

I love to tell new friends that i'm Thai, because i really love Thailand.

Thailand is a amazing country that you can find completely different scenery in different provinces of the country.

And that made me feel like travelling to different country every times i visited to Thailand.

So in the end of 2013, i planned myself a birthday trip to west-northern part of Thailand, a province named Sangkhalaburi that located just right in Thailand - Burma border.

If you know Cantonese, the pronunciation is pretty close with 山卡拉咁远, which means so damn far.

It is very far, indeed.

I will just give you a rough idea on where did i went, how to get there and peek on the places in this post.

Before more words coming, scroll down from some photos of Kanchanaburi and Sangkhalaburi.  

Beautiful foggy Mon Bridge in early morning 

Sunken temple

Hellfire pass trail

Dead railway

That was a 9 days trip and we crossed 3 provinces just to see the probably oldest wooden bridge in Asia, The Mon Bridge, Sangkhalaburi as shown in the first photo.

Yet the bridge had collapsed 3 months before our departure and left only sad looking half bridge, still wonder if we can pay the visit slightly earlier, and my trip would be even complete.

So, where did i found the place?

From one photo that published in National Geographic.

Mon Bridge, National Geographic

I wasn't know where this bridge is in my first saw and the article only left me with the bridge's name, Mon Bridge.

Thanks Google and i located this place is actually in my another homeland, Thailand.

Sangkhalaburi is not a tourist hotspot, and that's why the place kept with the most beautiful scenery that i had ever seen in the past 10 over visits to Thailand.

Map to tell you where is Sangkhalaburi is.

And there i planned the journey to visit the bridge, the nearest airport that i could landed is Bangkok, so i bought air tix to Bangkok first and planned the route from BKK to Kanchanaburi, just for a night stay before catch the only daily bus to Sangkhalaburi in the next day.

To summarize places and things that i went and done in this trip:
BKK - China town for pork soup, roadside seafood and dirt cheap massage
Namtok - floating hotel on River Kwai
Sangkhalaburi - Mon Bridge, Burma border temple, Sunken temple
Kanchanaburi - River Kwai, Dead railway, hellfire pass trail and museum

My itinerary is crazy because i don't mind travel A LOT just to see more things that i want to see.

To summarize: 
KUL - BKK by plane
BKK - Namtok (small village just outside of Kanchanaburi) by old train
Namtok - Sangkhalaburi by bus
Sangkhalaburi - Kanchanaburi by bus
Kanchanaburi - Bangkok by van
BKK - KUL by plan

Yes, in all 9 days.

Below is my itinerary in detail:  

Day 1 (27/11)
KUL – Bangkok

Check in Bangkok Loft Inn (B.N: 34367943, RM123.83, Paid via agoda)

Day 2 (28/11)
Bangkok -> Nam Tok by train (Bangkok Thonburi station: 7.45am, arrive Nam Tok station: 1220am, 4h, each ppl 120bath)
* check in Boutique Raft Resort River Kwai (B.N: 34369365, RM206.38, paid via agoda)

Day 3 (29/11)
Nam Tok -> Sangkhlaburi by bus (2-3h)
* Bridge and town lepak / boat trip to sunken temple and dam
* Stay in Samprasob Resort / P Guesthouse 

Day 4 (30/11)
Sangkhlaburi 
* Morning bridge shooting
* 3 Pagodas by bike
* late lunch @ Songkhalia (on the way to 3 Pagodas) 
* Stay in Samprasob Resort / P Guesthouse 

Day 5 (1/12)
Sangkhlaburi -> Kanchanaburi by minivan (3-4h)
* JEATH museum
* Bridge over the river kwai
* Night market

Day 6 (2/12)
Nam Tok day trip to:
- Muang Sing Historical Park
- Krasae train station (walk on deadrailway to cave for buddha)
- Hellfire Pass museum and walkway
- Reach Nam tok train station by 3pm to catch the last train

Day 7 (3/12)
Kanchanaburi 
* Erawan waterfall
or 
Kanchanaburi -> Bangkok by van 

Day 8 (4/12)
Kanchanaburi -> Bangkok by van 
or
Bangkok
* shopping and relax

Day 9 (5/12)
Bangkok -> KUL

This is just the introduction of my west-northern Thailand post, more to come! Stay tuned for the one of the most unknown thailand destination detail!




Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
20150217, 0150pm
Rach in cleaning the room mood.