Day 2: Waterfalls in Kanchanaburi

At 6 am the next day, the Heckermachers were met in the lobby of their hotel by Uzi of Mellow Trek,

who would be their personal guide for the next two days.

Thai people, they discovered, have long formal names that appear on their birth certificates - however, when they're young, each gets a nickname (or "Playa name," as Tim called it) that becomes their moniker for life.

Uzi drove for three hours (with one stop at one of the ubiquitous 7-Elevens that are all over Thailand, where they purchased sweet iced coffee from a machine and crab pizza wrapped in cellophane), until they reached the historic mountain town of Kanchanaburi. From there, they entered Erawan National Park, home to the 7-tiered Erawan Waterfall.

Not Photoshop! Actual turquoise water!

"Yay! Waterfalls!"

There's more to see... keep climbing.  

Each of the seven tiers was exciting in its own way. In one, exotic fish came to nibble on their toes.

Apparently, this is considered a luxury exfoliating treatment, and is offered in spas around the country. 

Like this one in Chiang Mai. 

Having a personal guide meant that they Heckermachers got special, insider-only knowledge about the waterfalls...like which ones had built-in waterslides. 

Natural waterslide POV cam

The Heckermachers swam and played like baby otters while Uzi patiently waited, took pictures, and chatted with other guides. The top tier was a super-high waterfall. The small pool at the bottom was packed and the Heckermachers were already wet and happy, so they skipped the dip. 

After a lunch of authentic pad thai (which, it turns out, is not "Americanized" Thai food), papaya salad, and fresh fruit, Uzi took them to their home for the evening: a floating bungalow in a national park along the River Kwai. 

First the crossed the river: 

Then they went down a slope...

Finally, they were home sweet home.

Just across the river, there was a magnificent waterfall:

Throughout the afternoon, longtail boat-towed floating cafes pulled right up to it. 

Some of them were full of Russians. Of all the cultures the Heckermachers came across in Thailand, Russian men won the award for "tiniest bathing suits". 

As the sun began to sink behind the river banks, it was finally the Heckermachers' turn to take a floating cafe to the waterfall. The guides hooked their front porch up to a longboat, and off they went.

They paddled around in ill-fitting lifejackets. 

And bathed in the waterfalls.

Before being welcomed back to their floating cafe with a nice, cool Chang beer. 

After all that hiking, swimming, and playing, the Heckermachers sure were hungry. Fortunately, dinner was being prepared for them right across the river. As the sky turned dark, a longboat arrived packed with chicken curry, rice, and veggies. 

Sleepy, buzzed, and deliriously happy, the Heckermachers turned in shortly after 8 pm for another early night. They had to be up before daybreak to make the morning program at the Tiger Temple, and they wanted to be well-rested.