Day 43 - Bangkok

---

Up early as we have a day trip to the River Kwai booked. Breakfast and ou tot he lobby by 0700. Good effort. Meet our guide, Nikki. A 4 ft Dynamo. We get into the Hi Ace bus and away we go. Through the city streets which are busy as all get out. At 0710 even... She says that for this coming into town, they have to leav at 0500 in some cases. Worse them the Monash car park......

Finally out of the traffic and through the outer suburbs. The old town in different from thone in Europe. TheSe are more like slums rather then walled cities..... Eventually into the real outer limits where the industry happens. Lots of car yards, bus repair and building places and other associated industries.mhard to believe that any of them can make a living seeing the size, conditions and number of the same places all around them. Loving the decorated trucks they drive here. If it is chrome, then it MUST be in your truck. Ribbons and other things like little MicheLin men adorn the bull bars, windscreen wipers, etc. A sight to behold. Unfortunarely too hard to get a pic.

We stop at the war museum which is next to one of the official war cemeteries. We do a tour of the museum, pretty graphic stuff detailing how the POWs were used as slave labour. Then time at the cemetry. Eventually we are herded off towards the train station. Part of the tour is a train ride over the bridge at the River Kwai then through the jungle to a stop in the hills. Get some time to walk the bridge. Just like the war movies, etc. Still brings back feelings of what the POWs had to endure to build these things.

Told that parts of the area were used for some of the James Bond fillings, can see that where the long boats with the big V8s and stick props were racing down the river. Even still had the restaurant where they did some of the filming there on the river. We get told that if we want we can pay more to upgrade from 3rd class. But the numbers are down so we should get a seat. Ok, we stay win 3rd class.

Man comes along trying to get everyone off the tracks. Eventually the train appears, whistles and everybody moves. We find a carriage that has people getting off. On we get and Nikki finds us good seats looking forward with a window. All good, then the lady who was there decides to join her friends in the next set of seats so we have lots of room. Over the bridge slowly - guess to get lots of pics, then on through the farm lands. Lots of sugar cane, corn, tapioca and papaya to see, not too much jungle other than in the distance.

The train rumbles along and the breeze pours in through the open windows - nice as it is getting hotter and the humidity is right up there. Eventually get to our stop where there are 2 amazing trestle bridges - these have been re-built but were as they were during the original construction in the war. This area also had a work camp near these bridges so brings back the thoughts of what the diggers went through. We wander back down the tack after the train has gone. There is now a 5* resort on the other bank with floating houses, etc. Very nice.

Onto the bus and off to our included lunch. A tourist restaurant that caters with a buffet meal. Drinks not included. Food is not bad, the satay sticks are fresh off the grill and extremely yummy. Beer not too expensive and very cold. What more could you want. Back to the bus and back towards Bangkok. Supposedly a 3 hour trip back. Chris and Nikki hit the hay very quickly, leaving the driver and me to stay awake. Maybe I might have a zzz or two as well. The trip back is very smooth. We eventually get back in under 2.5 hours. All good, bye bye and into the room.

Check internet and talk to Stephanie for a while. Time difference here is only 3 hours so easier to get time in Oz to talk now. A rest then showered and off to dinner. Nice Italian meal in the hotel, too bloody hot to go out tonight.

---