Kanchanaburi
Bridge over the River Kwai
The picturesque town of Kanchanaburi in central Thailand is a fairly young town by Thai standards considering it was only discovered in the early 19th century. It is situated 130 kilometers or 80 miles to the northwest of Bangkok on a highway leading up to towards the Burmese border and congregates at a junction of two rivers. One is called Khwai Noi and the other called Khwai Yai which eventually join to form the Mae Khlong river. The surrounding countryside is covered in a vast expanse of limestone hills, sugar cane fields and sheer scenic beauty. Tourists coming to Thailand know that Kanchanaburi is mostly associated with being the site of the infamous Thai-Burma railway which started it's notorious journey from around here. The Bridge over the River Khwai that we see today, is in fact not the original bridge built by Allied and Asian slave labour during the second world war. The first bridge, further north over the river, was built of wood but today no longer exists. It was built between 1942 and 1943 as a much needed supply route for Japan to get their vital equipment and troops across Thailand into Burma for an eventual attack on India. The sea route to India, at the time, was monopolized by American war ships making Japanese supply ships subject to increased attacks. They had to find an alternative safe passage and this seemed to be the perfect plan. The length of the railroad was in total, 415 kilometers or 260 miles which took just eighteen months to fully complete. Originally a 5 year plan had been allocated for it's construction but the Japanese needed to finish earlier and this caused some concern. Come to think of it, far too many lives were lost considering the Japanese ended up losing the war anyway. A total waste of human life and suffering. During this period, Thailand was not at war with Japan and had consented to the construction.
Bridge over the River Kwai
The wooden bridge was eventually abandoned in 1943 for an iron bridge which in turn, was later bombed repeatedly by the American air force in 1944. You will also notice segments on the iron bridge differ from one another. The two angular sections were replaced after the war. The attention surrounding the events inspired a novel and finally a film which I recall watching some years ago. What the Hollywood movie portrayed though and what actually happened here, tell a vastly different story. Nevertheless it brought back an awareness for me of the atrocities which once occurred on this site. When I was still a kid, I remember reading many books about the second world war and was often fascinated by it, but the movies seem to have brought a certain reality to it.
Hellfire Pass
Venture a further 80 kilometers or 50 miles beyond Kanchanaburi on highway 323 and you will have reached the infamous Hellfire Pass (Konyu Cutting) or as it is called in Thai, Chong Khao Khart. It bares silent witness to the enormity of the inhuman brutality that Allied and Asian prisoners of war must have endured whilst having to carve out solid rock from the surrounding mountain side. The grueling task became 12 weeks of sheer hell. 700 Australian, Dutch, British and Asian prisoners lost their lives working with an assortment of tools such as hammers, shovels, picks, steel tap drills as well as dynamite. On close inspection, you can see the marks where the drill and blast holes where made. Other prisoners died later of malaria, dysentery and cholera. The pass is now a memorial site managed by the Australian government. If you are up to it, spend some time on this nostalgic trip to commemorate those fallen heroes. Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum is situated 250 metres from the pass, where an exhibiting of artifacts, implements, photos and a video documentary depicting the true events as to what really happened on during the construction the Thai-Burma Railway. There is also a memorial walking trail for those of you who have more time. Surely not for the faint-hearted.
Scenic view over the River Kwai
Should you want to get away from the crowds of the bigger cities, you could stay in one of the luxury river resorts here in Kanchanaburi. This part of Thailand has some of the best scenic spots. In fact if you go upstream from the bridge to the wooded valleys of both rivers, you will pass through amazing scenic country side and view some magnificent waterfalls.
War Cemetery alongside Jeath War Museum
Jeath War Museum derived it's name from the first initial of those nationalities who where involved with the construction of the bridge, namely Japan, England, America/Australia, Thailand and Holland. There were however other nationalities dragged into the Japanese war efforts, namely the Koreans, Burmese, Chinese, Javanese and Malays. The total number of deaths altogether was just under one hundred thousand. The exact figure stands at 99,044. To get to the museum you would take a drive on Pak Phraek Road very near the entrance to Wat Chumphon. Inside the museum you will see reconstructions of what it was like during those horrendous times. Not for the faint-hearted but a must see. The museum is open daily from 8:30am until 4:30pm.
Final resting place
The cemetery is just across the road from the museum and you can walk among the memorials. I found a number of my friends ancestry there but none of mine. My last name is Pike, so if you should come across my name anywhere there, please let me know. Many thanks.
Erawan Waterfalls
Erawan National Park is located a little further north in the wooded valley of the Kwai Yai River and has a series or waterfalls which are accessible by a forest trail. Buses leaves every hour from 8:00 am until 4:00 pm at Kanchanaburi for the hour and a half journey there.
Bats at Sawan Bundarn Cave
Sawan Bundarn Cave is located close to the central western town of Sangkhlaburi on the northern shore of Vajiralongkorn Lake, formally know as Lake Khae Laem on the boarder with Burma. To get to the cave you would take the main highway 323 north west of Kanchanaburi. I am not sure how far it is from Kanchanaburi but from Bangkok it is 340 kilometers or 210 miles. Along the way you will be able stop to view the Erawan Waterfalls. This cave is situated on the way to the Three Pagoda Pass which is named after the three small pagodas that you will see when you get there. The journey is approximately 20 kilometers or 13 miles from Sangkhlaburi. The cave is maintained by some friendly monks and there is no entrance fee. You will come up close and personal to some very small bats. So small in fact that some of them are about the size of a bumblebee. See if you can spot any!
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