Kanchanaburi With Kids!
What better destination for a long weekend than Kanchanaburi – Thailand’s third largest province and only 2-3 hours’ drive away from Bangkok! For those of you who are 
new to Thailand, Kanchanaburi lies to the west of Bangkok, on the border with Myanmar, and it covers some 19,483.2 square kilometres.
We set off bright and early on the Saturday of the Visakha Bucha Day weekend in May, with the intention of stopping off at the famous Damnoen Saduak Floating Market on the way. As we headed south-west on Route 35, we passed many mud flats and picturesque salt pans in the Samut Sakhon area on the Gulf of Thailand, a busy fishing port which houses a large seafood market. From there, we headed north to Thailand’s biggest floating market, about one and a half hour’s drive from Bangkok.
Once we arrived at the car park, we had scarcely had time to disembark from our vehicle and stretch our legs, before an ubiquitous Thai lady approached us, eager to take us on a klong ride around the market on her rowing boat! After haggling over the price and trying hard to put into practice what I had learnt in my Thai lessons, we eventually passed through the myriad of market stalls and headed off down the klongs in our longtail boat.
Meandering through the canals, we were besieged by people trying to sell us a huge array of “Thai” souvenirs, including handmade Pinocchio puppets, framed scorpions, woodcarvings, clothing, hats, fans and even an interesting replica of the Belgian “Mannequin Piss”, which caught my children’s eyes! In addition to these stalls on the banks of the klongs, there were also scores of boats travelling in every direction laden with fruit and vegetables for sale. We savoured some delicious local mangoes and tangerines whilst we made our way slowly through the klongs and took in the 
heady sights and sounds of the bustling market.
I would recommend you arrive here early- before 9am if possible- as it does get very busy and extremely hot later in the day.
From here it was a short drive north to Nakhon Pathom, home to the Phra Pathom Chedi.
This massive chedi is the tallest Buddhist monument in the world, at 127 metres tall and one of the most sacred in Thailand. You can walk up the stairs to view the chedi from up close and admire the bell shaped stupa with its glazed orange tiles, which were imported from China. Although there is not much else to catch the visitor’s eye in this provincial town, it is worth noting that Nakhon Pathom is Thailand’s oldest town, and that the original Phra Pathom Chedi was erected in the early 6th century, although it has undergone reconstruction under the reigns of Rama’s IV and V.
Finally, we reached our destination- the provincial capital of Kanchanaburi- some 129 kilometres from Bangkok, where the Kwae Yai and Kwae Noi Rivers unite to form the Mae Klong River.The hotel we had chosen, “The Pung-Waan Resort and Spa”, was a five minute drive from the town and located on the Kwae Yai River.We chose to stay in their ground floor River View rooms,
which have direct access to the leafy grounds and the river beyond. There was plenty of space for the children to run around in the gardens, and a large swimming pool and jacuzzi as well. The hotel offers full spa services and aromatherapy, and you can even book a private cocktail cruise along the river at sunset if you feel like living it up!
Unfortunately, we were a little disappointed by the quality of the food here, so I would recommend you bring plenty of snacks with you and eat out as much as possible. We found the Floating Seafood Restaurant situated directly under the River Kwae Bridge to be the choice place to dine in Kanchanaburi, if you enjoy indulging in fresh local fare in a pleasant outdoor setting. 
It has a good view of the infamous bridge, and the restaurant even has a roaming violinist who, for a small tip, will serenade you whilst you dine on delicious River Kwae catfish and other local delicacies! If the kids become bored with all this romanticising, they can entertain themselves by feeding the abundant numbers of fish swimming in the river below the restaurant!
We spent several days exploring the scenic countryside surrounding the town of Kanchanaburi, situated in a landscape characterised by cascading waterfalls, caves once inhabited by Neolithic man, national parks and tranquil river and reservoir settings. There are also poignant reminders of the presence of the Allied Prisoners of War (POW”S), who built the “Death Railway” in this area during the Second World War.
Over 100,000 POW’S died while they were forced, by the Japanese army, to reconstruct the Bridge over the River Kwae and the 415 kilometre long “Death Railway” linking Thailand and Myanmar. If you would like to learn more about this aspect of Kanchanaburi’s history, I would recommend you to visit:
The Jeath War Museum, Kanchanburi Town : This bamboo hut has been constructed in the form of a prisoner of war camp, and contains photographic, pictorial and physical memorabilia dating from World War 2.
The Bridge Over The River Kwae : This bridge is a symbol of the “Death Railway” and it was constructed during 1942 by the Allied POW’s. Still in use today, the curved spans of the bridge are the original sections.
Hellfire Pass And Museum : This was the most difficult section of the “Death Railway” the POW’S had to build. There is an interesting museum at the entrance to the walking trail.
Kanchanaburi War Cemetery : The cemetery contains the remains of 6,982 Allied Prisoners of War, who perished during the construction of the “Death Railway.”
In addition, some of the tourist attractions which we visited in the area, and I can recommend to those of you who are traveling with children, are:
The many waterfalls in the area , two of the most famous of which are the Erawan Falls and the Sai Yoke Yai and Noi waterfalls. These are located in adjoining National Parks about an hour’s drive north of Kanchanaburi town. We spent nearly the whole day at the Erawan Waterfall, which is widely regarded as being one of Thailand’s loveliest cascades. 
Try to go early and take a picnic with you, as there are tables at the bottom of the waterfall and the children can swim in the pools at a safe distance from you. If you are feeling energetic, you can climb up to the top of the 7 tiered waterfall, although we only made it up as far as the 6th tier, as it was quite a strenuous climb for the younger children. Some of the pools are swimmable- Tiers 2, 5 and 6 were the better ones, from memory. Many species of butterfly flew around us on out trek to the top, and it is a good idea to bring some insect repellent and a swimsuit, in case you find yourself in need of a refreshing dip in the cool mountain waters, as we did!
Take a ride on the steam train from the River Kwae Bridge station , following the picturesque scenery of the river and mountains as far as the Nam Tok station at the end of the line. From there you can take the train back to the Bridge ( a 3 hour return trip) , or if you take your driver with you, as we did, you can ask him to meet you at the station and travel further into Sai Yoke National Park from there and drive back to town later.
Visit one of the fascinating caves in the area . We decided to visit “ Lawa Cave”, which is the biggest cave in the area. You can either drive there on a small meandering road through the mountains, 75 kms. from town, or hire a longtail boat down the River Kwae Noi from Paksaeng Pier. Inside, we had a guide show us through the magnificent chambers of the cave, complete with stalagmites and stalactites, and beautiful glistening silicone formations. Inside the cave, we saw lots 
of bats hanging form the roof and gliding inside, and Nicholas was amazed to spot a huge tailless scorpion climbing agilely up the cave wall directly in front of us! Travis was equally impressed to find a dangerous looking green snake slithering on the ground on his way to the toilet after our tour of the cave.
Our children really enjoyed a visit to “The Tiger Temple” or “ Watpa Luangta BuaYannasamp”, about 3 kms out of town. Inside this dry and dusty sanctuary, you can spot many animals- horses, deer, peacocks, gibbons- all roaming freely. Most of the animals were brought here by the Wild Animal Rescue Centre, set up in 1995, and run by followers of the head forest monk. 
The Abbot Pra presides over the day to day running of the monastery, and everyday from 2-5pm. he also takes the 6 or 7 or so tigers down to the Tiger Canyon for their afternoon exercise. Here you can see the tiger cub twins, about 7 months old, frolicking together. Bring your camera, and the monks will take a photo of you alongside one of the tigers, which we found to be an unforgettable experience!
We returned to Bangkok late on Tuesday afternoon, after having spent 4 very full days visiting this fascinating province. I would like to return here again one day, to visit some of the other sites which we just did not have time for, such as the drive to the Three Pagodas Pass on the Thai/Myanmar border and the remote but beautiful town of Sangkhlaburi. Suffice it to say that one could easily spend a week in this beautiful and poignant corner of Thailand, resplendent with the pristine beauty of its four national parks.