Glamping at Hintok River Camp, Kanchanaburi

As the tropical sun began to set beneath the deeply jungled horizons of the Thai-Burmese border, we arrived at Hinton River Camp, a luxury "glamping" resort built on the site of a historic WWII-era Japanese Imperial Army camp located deep in the jungles of far western Thailand.

Located along the serene Kwai Noi River (the "Little River Kwai" of the eponymous novel and classic film) in Kanchanaburi Province, this eco-friendly luxury campground offers a unique blend of comfort and a chance to step back in time to explore the region's World War II history.

We checked in at the front desk, said goodby for the day to Uncle Green (our van driver), and settled in at our adjacent campsites.

The glamping accommodations consisted of large canvas tents (complete with aircon units, running water, indoor plumbing, Wi-Fi, electrical outlets, etc...), and were really fantastic. It had been such a busy week leading up to my wedding, that I had been feeling exhausted. It was so nice to take a few days to rest and recharge in nature.

We were really deep in the jungle.

At night, Pinky and I saw an owl swoop over our heads. We also saw a rare hammerhead worm on our tent's porch.

That night we dined at The Teak, the resort's on-site restaurant. It's low season in Thailand at the moment, and when we sat down for dinner, the staff told us that there were only six guests at the camp that night (us being four of them)! They gave us amazingly attentive service (there were more staff at the restaurant than people at our table). 

Dinner was a fantastic family-style Thai dinner, and the courses just kept coming until we were completely stuffed.

We were each served a huge helping of steamed white rice, then were able to help ourselves from the many different dishes provided. First up was steamed veggies in oyster sauce, one of my favorite healthy Thai street food breakfasts.

Next up was Tom Yum Talay, the national dish of Thailand! It's a sweet, spicy, and sour soup made from lots of herbs, chilies, and tons of seafood (fish, squid, shrimp...).

We also had black pepper chicken with sweet red peppers and green beans.

And a deep-fried fish topped with garlic!

Finally, we were served a platter of barbecued chicken and barbecued pork, and a plate full of chicken and pork grilled skewers.

What an amazing meal! By the time we had finished, I nearly had to have someone roll me out of the restaurant and back to my tent. Everything was excellent!

The next morning, my brother and I awoke at 5:30. We had read in the hotel's brochure that we could take a bicycle from the camp to the nearby Mon village to take part in the daily Buddhist almsgiving ceremony.

Read more: almsgiving in Luang Prabang, Laos: The Blog of Michael Desrosiers: Sai Bat: The Alms Giving Ceremony

Kyle and I wanted to join the ceremony at the nearby village. We met promptly just as the first light of dawn was beginning to glow from the sky. I was surprised, because Kyle is not necessarily known for his punctuality, but was impressed that he was actually meeting me on time!

The mist was still obscuring the verdant mountains of Kanchanaburi as Kyle and I walked to the bicycle lot at the camp. Unfortunately, we had lots of trouble finding working bikes! This one was too tall (and the seat wouldn't move for the life of me), this one kept slipping the gears, and this one's seat kept slipping down. Finally, after an exasperating few minutes trying to find proper bicycles, we made the (perhaps poorly informed decision) to set off on foot towards the village, sure that we would still make it on time for the almsgiving.

We had walked for about twenty minutes past small local homes, village shops, and rows and rows of rubber trees waiting for the harvest when we ran into an unexpected obstacle...

Up ahead, a group of wild dogs stood blocking the road and growling at us. Kyle and I froze on the spot. Although I am fully vaccinated against Rabies, Kyle was not (thanks US healthcare system). 

We had already passed several semi-aggressive dogs, but when we finally got to a small pack growling and blocking the road ahead, Kyle and I stopped. We didn't want to progress if the dogs were going to be so aggressive.

In hindsight, I suppose we should have taken the bikes after all.

A local guy zoomed past on a motorbike, chuckling at our predicament. That was a bit reassuring, because it told me that he wasn't at all worried about the wild dogs in his neighborhood.

Eventually, I picked up a large stick to defend ourselves, and we retreated back to the resort. Our adventure was a bit of a bust, but it was quite the experience nevertheless.

Finally, we arrived back at the resort. Kyle and I sat down at the restaurant for a cup of coffee and enjoyed the beautiful nature while we waited for our family to come and join us for breakfast.

We were tired, sweaty, and a little bit stressed, but by breakfast time, we were feeling ourselves again.

After several cups of coffee, and omelette, some toast, and a nice glass of OJ, we were ready to continue our Kanchanaburi adventures.

That evening more guests had arrived, which meant that the camp would be holding a fireside barbecue buffet for us! We met up for dinner and took a table for four.

Even though the weather was warm, the bonfire was really nice. We enjoyed the Thai buffet before turning in for the evening.

On the second night, the manager asked us if we had a special recommendation for food. He saw that we were going to be staying for three nights and wanted to make our visit at Hintok special. We asked if he could make cashew chicken, and he said that he absolutely would!

That night, cashew chicken was one of the options at the fireside dinner!

The camp had a natural pool, which took water from the rapidly flowing River Kwai and brought it in to a small rock bathing pond. I did not bathe in the pool, but my mom and brother did, and I think they both really enjoyed it!

The next evening after a day of adventure in Kanchanaburi Province, we returned to the camp and shared a bottle of locally-made mango wine while enjoying the sunset.

It was a beautiful evening, and I was reminded once again why Kanchanaburi is my favorite province in Thailand.

One evening while exploring the grounds of the camp, we came across a small memorial honoring those who had died whilst building the Burmese Death Railroad. The small monument was tucked away in a quiet corner of the camp, but it was a poignant reminder of the history that took place here.