Day Four: Floating Market and Bridge over the River Kwai

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Today we traveled from Bangkok to the Kanchanaburi province, where the Bridge over the River Kwai is located. We stopped by the village of Samutsongkram, where the Siamese Twins were born in 1811. This is the kind of information you get from a guided tour that you would never discover on your own. Our tour guide, Ole, is a wonderful host - full of historical information and great anecdotes about Thai culture.

We got into longboats and toured the "back alleys" to the River Market area. There were a lot of interesting sights along the way - kids swimming in the river, houses hanging onto the banks by a thread, a HUGE spider, spirit houses, and colorful birds.

After visiting the River Market, essentially an over-priced tourist mall, we took the bus to a wood carving factory. Their work was truly amazing - intricately carved scenes of wildlife, trees, flowers, dragons and the like. Some of the larger pieces take more than a year to complete. It was very interesting to see the sculptors at work.

Back on the bus, Ole had us try fried banana, called Gluay Kaey. Awesome! I really enjoyed all of the Thai food. They eat a much wider variety of things than I do at home.

When we arrived in Kanchanaburi, we visited the JEATH museum (the accronym stands for Japan, England, Australia-America, Thailand and Holland, which were the countries involved in the railroad building), established by a Japanese Monk to help people understand the horrors of war. It featured many first-person accounts from the POWs and had several artifacts from that time. It was a depressing, yet meaningful exhibit.

We then walked over the actual Bridge Over the River Kwai. Well, not "actually" since the original bridge was bombed, but it is a reproduction in accurate detail. It was a very hot and humid day. You had to be careful of your steps as the wood plankings had worn through in spots. It would have been a litigator's dream in the states.

Our resort was right next to the river and had a stunningly beautiful pool. It felt good to stretch out and do a few laps after the hot walk and long day of bus riding.

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Photos

Thai Latrine
We had Western-style facilities at most of the "happy rooms" (that's what Ole called restrooms and it stuck), but sometimes, we were greeted with squat toilets. These were different than the ones in India, which were even with the ground. I wasn't sure if we were supposed to stand on each side of the toilet, but thought that would make for an embarrassing slip, so I just straddled the pot and did my thing. It really wasn't that big of a deal. When you've gotta go, you gotta go.

Part of the Gang
Here is Dr. Paul, my roommate Nancy, and nurse Kathy Jo, at one of our stops. I felt fortunate to have a great O.A.T. group. Most of the time, everyone was enthusiastic about the trip and it was fun to share the experience with others.

View Along the River
One of many houses we saw on our way to the river market.

Big Spirit House
Most homes have a spirit house. This was a biggie.

River Market
The river market area had many shops and shoppers.

Beautiful Clothing
Negotiation is the name of the game when buying in Thailand. These lovely dresses, robes and silk shirts were priced 3-4 times more than you would eventually pay if you were a savvy bargainer.

River Market 2
Another view of the busy river market.

Wood Carvers
Artisans at work at the wood carving shop.

Carving
A work in progress.

Carving Close-up
THis is just a small part of a huge carving mural. It was about 8 feet long by 2 feet high. Just amazing workmanship. Notice the intricate detail of each animal and plant.

Carving of Fish
These wood carved fish looked like they could have swum right out of the room. I loved the graceful carving of their fins and tails.

Dragon Couch
Here's a little something for your living room. This must have weighed over a ton.

Spirit House
Pretty spirit house at the wood carving shop.

Ganesh
I was surprised to see images of Ganesh, the Hindu God of Prosperity. Thai spirituality includes influences from other cultures, including Indian Hinduism.

Orchids
I love those orchids!

Bridge Over the River Kwai
This is it - the Bridge Over the River Kwai. Japanese military forced 60,000 POWs and 200,000 Thais and Chinese to build a railroad from northern Malaysia to Burma to get supplies to Japan. About half of the POWs, Thais and Chinese died in the process, working under extreme conditions. They were starved, beaten and put through horrible torture. Learning about the bridge and Hellfire Pass was a very sobering experience. It was a tragic reminder of the human toll of war.

Walking the Bridge
You had to watch your step while crossing the bridge.

Dr. Paul and I
Me and Paul at the bridge.

Bridge View
Looking at the other side of the bridge.

Elephants at Work
Elephants in Thailand are still used as working animals. These two were helping with bridge restoration work.