Bridge on the River Kwai

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The depiction in the movie that made the Bridge world famous isn't entirely accurate. The bridge was bombed by allied planes at the end of World War II, not dynamited. The steel bridge wasn't entirely destroyed and was rebuilt after the war. So the Bridge on the River Kwai, which is found here in Kanchanaburi, is partially the originally and partially a recreation. Either way, it's a major tourist draw (it is, after all, probably the only thing in Thailand most Westerners have heard of).

The bridge itself is far narrower than I imagined. There are train tracks on it, and although one can walk on it, no pedestrian walkway. As far as I know, trains only cross the bridge twice a day, but when they do I can't imagine what the hell the people walking on it do, as there are only a few lookout spots on which one could avoid the train. Walking across the bridge, even without the train involved, is precarious when there are many people on, as you barely have room to pass them without falling into the river (which, due to the lack of guard rails, one could very easily do with a misstep). Fortunately, I didn't see anyone fall into the River Kwai during my viewing.

I have been biking around this small town, which isn't a terribly bad way to get around as a bike rental only costs about $1.5 a day. However, it is extremely sunny, so this time around I sprayed suntan lotion on my arms and neck to avoid burning (I also biked around Ayutthaya yesterday and got a bit red, fortunately nothing painful). The bus ride from Bangkok took just over 3 hours, longer than I expected (perhaps I got on the 3rd class bus by accident; 2nd and 1st class busses take 2 hours). I was originally planning to visit the Tiger Temple, a temple where the monks raise tigers; but it was so far out of the way I decided to forego it, although I'm sure if you're on a tour it's a nice thing to see.

As tomorrow I want to visit Erawan National Park, which contains a beautiful set of waterfalls and is near Kanchanaburi, I decided to take a change of clothing and rent a room here for one night rather than return to Bangkok and take the long bus ride back here again the next day. The room only cost $18, so it's not a big deal really. Sadly, it lacks a pool (which would be nice given the weather!) and televisions, but the rooms float on the River Kwai, so it offers nice scenery. Fortunately, swimming will be possible at the waterfall, so I will finally get a chance to get away from the oppressive heat I have experienced in the last four days. In two days I head the beach town of Pattaya for 4 days, where I will have a hotel with a pool, thank God.

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Photos

Bridge on the River Kwai
No, it wasn't destroyed...at least, not completely. The curved trusses are the originals from WWII, the angular truss you can see in the right is part of the rebuilding.

Bridge on the River Kwai II
The full bridge. As you may notice, there are a lot of people on it at the moment of this shot, which is a major problem given the lack of safety in crossing it...

Precarious Crossing
...as you can see using the man in my shot as a reference, the bridge is very narrow and one false step will send you straight into the River Kwai, although being doused in water would be a relief now!

Sugar Cane Guesthouse, Kanchanaburi
550 Baht ($17-$18) gets you an airconditioned room with a balcony giving a great view (Forget Riverfront, this is RiverON), but alas, no TV or pool.