A Country of Contrasts - Bangkok to Kanchanaburi

---

20th April 2014 – The Foreign Office website - “Political demonstrations continue in and around Bangkok. Some of these have been violent, including the use of firearms and grenades and there have been casualties and deaths. The situation is unpredictable and further protests are expected. You should avoid protest sites”.

Within fifteen minutes of arriving in Bangkok we had, by accident as ever, completely flouted this warning and found ourselves slap bang in the middle of one such site.

The drive up from Hua Hin in the morning had been a straightforward one and our arrival in Thailand’s capital city was timed so we could get across town to go to the races. It was, therefore, with dismay and trepidation we were dropped off by the tuk tuk driver and found the road ahead completely blocked by concrete slabs and mile after mile of coiled barbed wire. As we alighted, heavily armed soldiers angrily eyed us from armoured vehicles, us scuttling away and doing our best to avoid their glares. Little did we know that the Bangkok Royal Turf Club is right next to Government House, the biggest protest site in town.

Thankfully though, it was a Sunday and the red shirt supporters were apparently taking a day off from demonstrating. An eerie silence filled the air and we could only imagine how terrifying this place would be when packed with an angry mob of anti-government protesters confronting the army. We quickly and cautiously picked our way through the obstructions and, with relief, arrived at the racecourse.

That was when the chaos really started………….

If we thought it was difficult to understand what was going on when we went to Penang races in Malaysia, we’d got away lightly compared to this. Once we had found out actually how to get in (an achievement in itself as it’s not obvious and no-one speaks English) it was apparent that, in a crowd of many thousands, we were the only farangs in attendance.

Just the two of us………..

There’s no doubt at all that the actual horses were of secondary interest to the local punters, their focus very squarely on these Western interlopers. Wherever we walked, we were greeted by stares of disbelief mixed with curiosity and intrigue but, as ever, the people were lovely. A simple “Wai” (the traditional Thai greeting of “Sawadee Kap” alongside a slight bow with palms pressed together) in their direction had them immediately Wai-ing back with big grins on their faces. We were given slices of green mango, a bag of sugar mixed with chilli powder to dip it in and treated like minor celebrities all day.

We must have tested their patience though as we didn’t have a clue what was going on nor what to do. In no particular order, we got asked to leave the Press Box, chucked out of the Owners and Trainers section and had our first beer whilst invading a family’s private box. None of this was deliberate on our behalf but all the signs were written in script (as was the race card, rendering it entirely useless) and we just wandered into these places by accident. The most embarrassing incident was when I tried to put a bet on at the food counter (pity I didn’t notice all the bowls of Prik Nam Pla on it beforehand), much to the hilarity of the waiters and diners.

The races themselves are an enigma too. Horses stay in the starting stalls from half an hour before the scheduled off time, the commentary is actually sung during the race (?!!) and the crowd start cheering deafeningly the moment the gates open. From four bets I managed to pick three losers but, most importantly, one aptly named winner, Duang Luanlua. This translates, a Thai Ken Dodd lookalike explained to me, to “Pure Luck”!

Races survived, we headed down to the famous backpacker area of Bangkok, Khao San Road. This place is total entertainment where, set amongst the cheap bars and restaurants, are countless stalls where you can buy absolutely anything you want. Fake ID’s, press passes, degree certificates and more from one seller (I’ve now got a 1st class Masters in Advanced Economics to add to my three GCE’s ;-), deep fried scorpions and locusts from another. Most prescription (and many non prescription………) drugs are freely available to buy and, at one point, I was sidled up to by a tuk tuk driver who whispered about taking me to a ping pong show. He looked completely nonplussed when I declined, explaining I’m not a huge table tennis fan. I’m pretty sure he didn’t get my rapier wit………..

Bargaining is standard in areas like Khao San Road and I managed to inadvertently flummox the lady selling dodgy copies of books and magazines on the pavement. She was asking 300 baht for a Nancy Chandler map of Bangkok which is about £6. I thought £5 was a fair price so did a quick (badly incorrect) conversion and blurted out “No, 500 baht!!” – knocked her right out of her stride ;-). I ended up paying the full asking price and made a mental note to revisit the Advanced Negotiation material from a course I once attended through work.

The following day we excitedly boarded the Bangkok to Nam Tok Express at the ramshackle Thonburi train station. This was to be our first ever trip on the Thai rail network, our destination – the infamous bridge on the Kwai. Located just outside the town of Kanchanaburi, the journey was scheduled to be around two and a half hours but, as is often the case it seems, things didn’t quite turn out like that…………

We shared a carriage with a variety of inquisitive locals, the odd back packer and a cluster of monks clad in bright orange robes. Departure was on time and everything proceeded normally. This was a 3^rd class only train and took the term “bone rattler” to another level. Rough wooden benches made for uncomfortable seating and the train tracks were clearly visible through gaps in the rotting floorboards. Too few small fans whirred crazily in a futile attempt to cool melting passengers and it was a welcome relief when an occasional breeze broke the still air through the wide open windows. Bottle after bottle of by now warm water was thirstily glugged in vain as it barely touched our raging thirst.

Suddenly, after travelling no more than ten minutes, we screeched to a noisy, shuddering stop in the middle of nowhere. There, in that same spot, we waited………..and waited. For over an hour we sweltered in the 37 degree heat, the sun pouring into the carriage and no shade available. It was made worse by the fact that (yet again) language difficulties meant we hadn’t a clue what was going on, so it was with great relief we at last felt the train judder and start moving again. The only problem was this movement was in the wrong direction………………..the old engine had given up the ghost and we were being towed back into Bangkok!! No-one one was particularly happy about this but the orange clad religious guys had a real monk on (sorry, couldn’t resist that one ;-).

Eventually a working engine was restored (but not necessarily our faith in it) and, with bated breath, we set off a second time and clattered our way out of Bangkok. Tiny dilapidated shack houses with tin roofs you could literally touch from the train eventually thinned out and, as the journey progressed, were replaced by rugged jungle interspersed with rubber and banana plantations. Traders jumped on at each stop to peddle their wares of cheap food and drinks whilst other dashed up and down the platform looking for a sale through the windows.

Twice the bench I was sitting on completely collapsed (obviously not built for 15 stone farangs) meaning a bruised ego and backside for yours truly as well as a good laugh for surrounding passengers. Despite all this, we loved the journey and it's this kind of experience that our trip is all about.

Some four and a half noisy, sweaty hours later we finally arrived at River Kwai station, stepping off the train just 100 metres from the notorious bridge itself. It’s very difficult to reconcile such a beautiful, serene setting of the River Kwai with the horrors that occurred here during World War II. The wide expanse of water slowly meanders through banks lined with tall, colourful trees, mountains in the background and a stunning Hindu temple to the fore. The bridge itself is an ugly steel construction which was a strategically critical supply path for the Japanese Army. It was bombed several times by the Allies in an attempt to disrupt the Nippon war effort but much of the original structure remains intact and it is still fully functional. The construction of the bridge and the rest of the Thailand - Burma “Death Railway” as it is known, cost the lives of 12,399 prisoners of war forced to build it, around 6,000 of these British.

This number, though sickeningly high, is dwarfed by the 90,000 Asian labourers (mainly brought from neighbouring Burma) who also died during the construction. These “coolies” were desperately poor and press ganged into work by the Japanese with promises of good pay and a safe working environment. This was far, far from the case though and malnutrition, mistreatment and disease often made survival impossible. Beriberi, malaria and cholera were rife, living conditions inhuman and the tropical climate unbearable.

Ironically, the eponymously named classic film, “The Bridge On The River Kwai” wasn’t filmed here at all and was shot completely in Sri Lanka. The more recent (and excellent) Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman film “The Railway Man” was though, and is also more poignant as it is based on a true story of the torture and hardship endured by the PoW’s.

Thailand has done its best to respectfully commemorate these shameful events and, whilst here, we visited the beautifully tended Don-Rak War Cemetery. This contains the graves of around 7,000 British, Australian and Dutch PoW’s and we simply gazed across it in stunned silence, unable to truly comprehend the horrors it held. Similar emotions were experienced at the Thailand - Burma Railway Centre which, in a considerate yet shocking manner, manages to convey the cruelty and inhumanity of the war and we left feeling humbled and deeply moved.

So a sombre end to this entry I’m afraid but I suppose that was always going to be the case when visiting a town with such a violent and desperate history as Kanchanaburi. On the surface, it’s one of the most serene, beautiful places we’ve ever set eyes on but it would be wrong to ignore the past that lies beneath.

This morning we board a coach for a six hour journey to our next destination, the party town of Pattaya. We debated long and hard as to whether this was the kind of place we wanted to visit as is has a distinctly dubious reputation but decided, eventually, we would.

It’s time now to see if we made the right decision…………..

---

Photos

Sunset Over The River Kwai
It was wonderful to watch the sun go down over the river. This is definitely one of the most serene and beautiful places we've had the pleasure of visiting.

"Pure Luck"
The very aptly named Duang Luanlua gave us a welcome winner but not through studying the form skilfully. The entire race card was written in script so we resorted to ip dipping to choose our horse.

Cash Back!!
Those who mocked when I tried to place a bet at the food counter were soon laughing on the other side of their faces ;-)

Khao San Road
A crazy place where you can get anything you want and even watch a table tennis tournament apparently........
My certificate for a Masters Degree in Advanced Economics will be framed as soon as we get home. All those teachers who said I'd never amount to anything - ha!

Magic Max
Not only did this guy make the best and cheapest Thai food on Khao San Road, he was a superb magician as well. His wallet spontaneously burst into flames for this photo and we wouldn't have believed his tricks unless we'd seen them with our own eyes.
His nickname? Thainamo of course.

Having A Monk On
There were a lot on the train in fact and they were not happy at all when it broke down. We've never heard language like it before ;-)

The Day We Caught The Train
The Thailand - Burma railway, as well as its shocking history, provides some stunning scenery along its 415 km length.

The Bridge on the River Kwai
Made famous by the film of the same name, the bridge is still fully functional today.

The River Kwai
We had three amazing days on the banks of this wonderful, peaceful river. The scenery was stunning, the wildlife plentiful and varied and our only regret was we'd not booked for longer.