点评:My wife and I first visited Erawan Waterfalls 20 years ago while travelling, and we returned this time with our two children to give them the same experience. The waterfalls themselves remain just as incredible as we remembered, but it’s clear that their popularity has led to some significant changes to the surrounding area.
When we visited 20 years ago, the location felt much more remote and untouched. We had to scramble up the river and over rocks to make our way to the seventh tier. Today, there is a large car park, visitor centre and tarmac at the base, while the paths up to the seventh tier are now concrete and clearly signposted.
That said, the improvements have been tastefully done and generally fit well within the forest surroundings. Life jackets are now mandatory for everyone and come at an additional cost. From the second tier onwards, plastic bottles have to be deposited, and lockers are available to hire with a deposit. These measures actually worked very well for us with the children and made the visit much easier and more accessible.
However, there’s no denying that some of the original charm has been lost. I suppose that is often the inevitable consequence when somewhere this special becomes increasingly popular.
The waterfalls themselves are absolutely spectacular, with our favourites being tiers 2, 4 and 7. The plunge pools are also home to lots of doctor fish, which will very quickly get to work on your feet as soon as you enter the water! They are completely harmless, but it took our children a little while to get used to the sensation. We also saw a few tears from children in other families who clearly weren’t expecting it!
Overall, we spent around four fantastic hours at Erawan and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Despite the changes over the last 20 years, it remains an incredible place and we would highly recommend visiting.
翻译:20年前,我和妻子在旅行时第一次造访了埃拉旺瀑布。这次我们带着两个孩子重访此地,希望他们也能拥有同样的体验。瀑布本身依旧如我们记忆中那般壮观,但显然,它的知名度提升也导致了周边环境发生了不少变化。
20年前我们到访时,那里显得更加偏僻且原始。我们不得不沿着河流、跨过岩石才能抵达第七级瀑布。而今,山脚下有一个大型停车场、游客中心以及柏油路面,而通往第七层的步道现已铺上混凝土,并设有清晰的指示标志。
不过,这些改善措施实施得恰到好处,总体上与周围的森林环境相得益彰。如今,所有游客都必须穿戴救生衣,且需额外付费。从第二层开始,游客必须交回塑料瓶,也可以支付押金后租用储物柜。这些措施对我们带孩子出行来说确实非常有效,让整个游览过程变得轻松许多,也更容易进行。
不过,不可否认的是,这里原本的一些魅力确实有所流失。我想,当一个如此特别的地方越来越受欢迎时,这种情况往往也是难以避免的。
那些瀑布本身简直美得令人惊叹,我们最喜欢的分别是第2层、第4层和第7层的瀑布。而那些水潭里还生活着大量“医生鱼”。一旦您跳入水中,这些小生物就会立刻开始在您的脚边活动!它们完全无害,不过我们的孩子花了一点时间才习惯这种感觉。我们还看到其他家庭的孩子因为完全没料到这种情况而流下了眼泪呢!
总的来说,我们在埃拉旺度过了四个小时的美好时光,体验非常愉快。尽管过去20年里这里发生了不少变化,但它依然是个绝佳的去处,我们极力推荐大家前来游览。