first the train, then the bus

Today I have moved on again, this time to Kanchanaburi. It was all rather exciting - I had to take yet more public transport. You know, as a sidebar, it would be possible to see almost everything (everything being most major towns and tourist attractions) without ever braving public services. There is a travel agent on every corner armed with a minibus and endless choices of where they can take you. Anyways, back to my buses. Yes, so I had heard on the grapevine that I needed to get a bus to Suphan Buri, and then from there change and get the 411 to Kanchanaburi. I am always a little dubious about bus travel, but it was the only option, so I thought I would give it a go. I wandered up to the bus area (station is too strong a word) in Ayutthaya, saw a big yellow bus with Suphan written on it, and jumped aboard. All well and good. Then from there, once I got off at Suphan Buri, all the bus staff saw that I was farang, and obviously wanted to go to Kanchanaburi instead. So this dude grabs me and my bag (one in each hand) and hauls me across a patch of grass and throws me on a bus. Little did I know that he was actually the bus conductor (he had no uniform), and not a random guy with a penchant for dragging people around. And so this is how I made it to Kanachaburi and its infamous River Kwai in three hours, a whole hour less than every one told me. Nifty. I like buses.

For all my love of public transport, I think I am going to take up one of these travel companies offers, and hop aboard for a whirlwind tour of all Kanchaburi has to offer. Lucky me.