Seeking Peace, Solitude and Inspiration...

In my down-time I am not exactly the type of person who can sit idle. I love projects, whether it be tinkering with a car or motorbike, exploring new places, or simply trying to learn something new. It's the last one that has been giving me difficulty recently. I have found as I have got older (I've just turned 40) that my capacity to learn new things is diminishing. And this is driving me nuts.....!!!!

For example, I have recently been trying to teach myself the basics of Python thru one of the CodeAcademy courses. At first I tried to do it at home, however the distractions made this impossible. My DvD collection, my comfy bed and a multitude of other things meant I would get nothing done. I tried coffee shops and an entirely different set of issues presented themselves; screaming kids, poor internet, and the fact that after 3 coffees I am too wired to function properly.

Anyway, I found my nirvana.

About 2 hours from where I live (Bangkok) is a small town called Kanchanaburi. This is a town that was made famous from the movie "The Bridge on the River Kwai". There is a lot of WW2 history here, mostly around the river and the bridge.

Many of the guesthouses in town are also centred along the river, in many cases, they are actually floating on the river, as you can see here. You can't much more waterfront than that!

my riverhouse

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THE PLACE:

Such is the place where I found my solitude. The room is nothing fancy but it has air-con, hot water, solid internet and uninterrupted views of the river Kwai. Something about the water makes me calm and gives me clarity.

my river view

I sit here by myself by the river , and can have focuss and clarity without any distractions or any feeling of being hurried. I did 6 hours straight on Python and the same again for the next 2 days until I had almost finished the course. When I need a break I can take a walk to the bridge or stroll through one of the local museums or have a cooling dip in the river. For about $25 a night, it just can't be beat. The locals are chilled and friendly and everything moves at a slower pace than Bangkok.

you can see the bridge in the background

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Kanchanaburi can get hot, real hot, so the air-con and cool breeze by the river are a must.

44ºC = 112ºF

Where do you go for inspiration?

#inspiration