Kanchanburi was my first real taste of jungle, our guesthouse was right on the river Kwai (like quiet without the 't' NOT Koi - translation = big penis) surrounded by vegetation and the birds were merrily chirping away. We took a bike ride the day we arrived to see the bridge of the river Kwai, infamous because of the story behind its construction and the film made about it.

The following day we went to on a tour and saw the waterfalls inside Erawan National Park. This was the first time in my life that I had ever seen a waterfall and it was beautiful. Seven tiered, with a 2k climb to the top (which Jack somehow managed with a fever), the whole environment was serene and thankfully there were not too many other people around. At one point I climbed up to the precipice of a hidden waterfall with Rach, not another soul in sight, just us surrounded by lush green trees, the squawkings of wildlife and the water running over our feet continuing its journey down. At that moment I felt content. All the years as a kid I spent dreaming of travelling and then the years I spent working to actually make it a reality, all of it, in that moment was encapsulated. For the first time since landing in Bangkok, it finally felt real. After Erawan the tour took us to the death railway which we rode for a section and would have led to the bridge over the river Kwai built by POWs under the Japanese during WW2.

In the evening, slight change of pace, 10 baht shots (approximately 20p) of what can only be described as spirit flavoured spirit sitting on upturned paint pots followed by buckets of SangSom and coke.Read more