Bridge On The River Kwai

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We had a day free in Bangkok so I decided next morning we would pop up to Kanchanaburi- seemed easy, bus from Western Bus Terminus, and only an hour and a bit travelling. And it was. Turned up at the terminus, looked suitably stupid farang, asked "Kanchanaburi?" and was directed by a uniformed lady to a waiting but. Bought tickets on board (for about $NZ7 one way- thought about upgrading if needs be to come back), and we were away. We would probably only have had to wait for 20 minutes or so if we'd missed that bus, so no probs!

Fascinating to look at towns go by outside your window- lots of food stalls, busy people, not busy people, shrines, building, temples, shops. It seemed that we were in built-up zones for almost all of the trip. There were very few parts where we were truly 'in the country'. Quite fascinating.

A hostess on the bus ($NZ7 fare!) brought water and snacks, with inevitable smile.

Pulled into the terminus at Kanchanaburi mid-morning and was struck by the very different feel to the town. Much cooler, and certainly cleaner air.

We decided to hire a rickshaw each for the day (about $NZ40- at home I'd probably pay that to get from one side of a NZ city to the other!) We went over the river to a lovely temple, Wat Tham Phu Wa that features a limestone a cave that has a number of grottos, each of which is a shrine with a different statue of The Buddha. Our guide was a young (12 yr old?) boy who was enrolled at the temple. All Thai boys are expected to take training as a monk. Not all do, and there is no set time that they must stay.

On our way back to the town we had lunch at a great little 'resturant' beside the road- great food, SUPER CHEAP, and nice country (smiling) people. Took a bit to get the drivers to accept a meal with us!!

From here we went to one of the war museums in town, the Jeath War Museum. Very authentic with real relics and a feeling of realism, albeit low-key. We went next to the Kanchanaburi War Museum which was much more sophisticated and 'western', presenting a far wider range of exhibits deriving from the horrible war years. Outside the Bridge on the River Kwai spans a wide and leisurely river, very unlike the gorge in the movie. The bridge was destroyed, in fact, by aerial bombing, but one should never let the truth get in the way of a good story!!!

We visited the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery before heading back to the terminus. The standard of care is outstanding- they are both lawn cemeteries with lots of shrubs and flowers and demonstrate a real sense of gratitude to those who lie there.

Kanchanaburi is a lovely small, low-key, slow paced town that is the centre of a range of outdoor activities (although we didn't get into what was around the area) as well as having this contact with history. Worth a visit.

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Photos

Back Packers
This enticing sign on a back-packers bar. It finishes "...on a shoestring"!

Rickshaw
The rickshaw, 1 man-power, was a great way to get around, AND CHEAP!

Weekend Work
This young fellow made himself our guide through the cave shrines. No English, but as you can see, a happy chappie!

Bridge on the river Kwai
The real bridge that was destroyed during the war. Clearly there was plenty of 'poetic licence' in the making of the movie- no narrow gorge span here!

Chong Kai War Cemetery
One of two beautifully kept war cemeteries in Kanchanaburi created and maintained by Thai Government in recognition of the sacrifices made by allied soldiers in defence of Thailand, including deaths on the "Death Railway". Here in excess of 3000 known and unknown allied soldiers lie at rest.

Roadside 'Resturant'
Great little resturant on the road to Wat Tham Phu Wa temple. Lovely food (CHEAP!!!) and such nice people.