Outdoor education for families visiting Kanchanaburi

[snoop1130]

Outdoor education for families visiting Kanchanaburi

by Troy Wells

 

 

If you live in Bangkok, Kanchanaburi is on your doorstep. It’s stunningly picturesque, relatively inexpensive, easily accessible and has the most amazing clean and beautiful rivers running through its heart. I have a particular reason for knowing the water’s clean, since I work on the rivers most days and we check the water quality frequently for our water sports education business. The rivers and surrounding rural lands lend themselves to some wonderful outdoor education opportunities for the young and the young at heart. The River Kwai Yai offers all the benefits of outdoor education, from learning responsibility and building confidence through water sports, to the chance to soak up Kanchanaburi’s natural rural environment, and enjoy the flora and fauna all along the river.

 

Water sports and stand up paddle-boarding, in particular, engage children and adults in a unique way. Children, especially, love the feeling of control and responsibility that comes with journeying in a river environment.

 

If you look around, you’ll also find some amazing accommodation at very, very competitive prices, and none more amazing that the stunning Royal River Kwai Resort and Spa. There is plenty of evidence available that points to the positive mental benefits of spending time close to water and this resort absolutely checks those boxes, being right on the riverside, and offering elegant and comfortable rooms set amongst delicate Thai garden sculptures, all surrounded by local trees, shrubs and flowers. The pool is perfect, whether you like a morning exercise regime, a midday tanning session or a cooling late afternoon dip, while the food is exquisite. Going by its longevity, the owners of this resort seem fastidious about maintenance, keeping the resort’s appearance and functionality at a very high standard. It’s a location that’s synonymous with romance and tranquility.

 

Kanchanaburi is full of places to visit and things to do, but one of the gems in plain sight is the natural world of rural Kanchanaburi itself and the River Kwai Yai, where the terrible Russian roulette scene was filmed in classic movie ‘The Deerhunter’. Reading one of the myriad books about the wartime history, or ‘The Railway Man’ by Eric Lomax to get a feeling for what the PoWs went through is recommended during your stay. The Hellfire Pass Interpretive Centre is another must for those with an interest in such history and a poignant reminder that for every PoW who suffered, many more Asian workers lived and died constructing the notorious Burma-Siam Railway.

 

Hellfire Pass Interpretive Centre and Memorial Walking Trail is dedicated to all Allied prisoners of war and civilian Asian labourers (Romusha) who suffered and died during the construction of the Thai-Burma railway during the Second World War. Funded and maintained by the Australian Government, the interpretive centre tells the story of the railway, the construction and attempts to covey the hardship and suffering of those who were forced to work in extremely harsh conditions.

 

Apart from the centre and its exhibition, visitors are encouraged to proceed to the memorial walking trail. Audio Tour Guide is available to enhance the experience as you walk along the railway bed and cuttings. History aside, outdoor education can be as simple as taking your children away from the city and traffic to enjoy the peace and serenity of a location, just enjoying pointing out things of interest and, crucially, unplugging from tech for a while. It can be as simple as hiring a bike to go for an early morning rural jaunt, riding out somewhere for lunch, or reading a book in the shade with nothing but birdsong around you.

 

Kanchanaburi can get ferociously hot: late March to early May sees daytime temperature getting close to or even higher than 40°, so a nice pool or the pristine river offer important means to cool down. Beyond this period, temperatures throughout the rest of the year are very reasonable. Kanchanaburi ‘winter’ which starts around November and ends around the end of February, is very pleasant indeed – and campsites and ‘glamping’ sites spring up all around the region and especially up towards Erawan along the 3199 road (I advise getting in early before the hordes learn about this!). Don’t be put off, either, by the ‘rainy’ season, typically from around June to October. In my own experience here, it seems rare that it rains for days at a time -the rain appears more inclined to be a brief 30–60 minute downpour, as humidity builds during the heat of the day and the clouds burst in the cooler evening air, whilst pleasant temperatures mean you won’t freeze in the rain! In fact, the great benefit of the rainy season is that the clouds offer a degree of protection from the direct sunlight, though of course, you are still at risk of sun damage, so it’s important to take care, cover up and/or apply sunscreen, even on cloudy days. If you do choose to do something on the river, wildlife abounds: with diverse bird, mammalian or reptilian life, there is always lots to see on a journey downriver.

 

There are plenty of options for renting a bicycle in Kanchanaburi too. Go for it! Take care, check the bike over, but don’t limit yourself to the city. Try to get out into the rural areas. Cycle a few kilometres out of the city and you’ll find yourself amongst stunning scenery, with iconic mountain backdrops. Wonderful birdlife flits between the crops of rice, sweetcorn, sugarcane and lemongrass and more. Look out for the Asian Openbill Storks standing like sentinels awaiting frogs and Golden Apple Snails to appear – since these snails are both non-indigenous and consume the rice crops, the farmers welcome these graceful protectors of the rice fields.

 

Full Story: https://expatlifeinthailand.com/education/outdoor-education-for-families-visiting-kanchanaburi/

 

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[jesimps]

The first time I visited 12 years ago I stayed in town beside the river and enjoyed it immensely. I revisited last year and found the place overcrowded and extremely noisy. I also had to pay a farang price at the wartime museum (which I considered a cheek) beside the cemetery, which incidentally, had become run down since my first visit. I noticed there were now no farang working there either. Incidentally, the visitor centre at Hellfire Pass was shut. At least I was able to pay me respects at the pass. I won't be visiting again in a hurry.

[DPKANKAN]

2 minutes ago, jesimps said:

The first time I visited 12 years ago I stayed in town beside the river and enjoyed it immensely. I revisited last year and found the place overcrowded and extremely noisy. I also had to pay a farang price at the wartime museum (which I considered a cheek) beside the cemetery, which incidentally, had become run down since my first visit. I noticed there were now no farang working there either. Incidentally, the visitor centre at Hellfire Pass was shut. At least I was able to pay me respects at the pass. I won't be visiting again in a hurry.

You do not pay a farang price at the museum it is the same for everybody. Children cheaper. You probably got fleeced by your taxi driver or bus driver.

Admission Fees

Admission Fees are B150 for adults and B70 for children aged 7~12 years.

[Max69xl]

4 hours ago, jesimps said:

The first time I visited 12 years ago I stayed in town beside the river and enjoyed it immensely. I revisited last year and found the place overcrowded and extremely noisy. I also had to pay a farang price at the wartime museum (which I considered a cheek) beside the cemetery, which incidentally, had become run down since my first visit. I noticed there were now no farang working there either. Incidentally, the visitor centre at Hellfire Pass was shut. At least I was able to pay me respects at the pass. I won't be visiting again in a hurry.

"overcrowded and extremely noisy"?

How old are you,80? 

I have been coming and going to Kanchanaburi since 1990 (I stayed there about 3 years) and I've been to the war cemetery,the big one on the main road,(there are actually two cemeteries) several times. The authorities in Kanchanaburi takes care of the cemeteries and you can see people working there every day, moving the lawn and trimming trees,keeping it clean etc etc. I wouldn't call it "run down". 

[Postmaster]

Jesimps has given readers an incorrect impression of Kanchanaburi. Yes its touristy in high season but getting away from The Bridge the railway journey along the Riverside is lovely up to Namtock Sayuk Noi (Sayuk Noi Waterfall). The river and mountains are really picturesque and its an important centre for Armistice Day Celebrations on the 11th November each year.