The Bridge Over the River Kwai


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October 25th 2011
Published: October 25th 2011
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The Bridge Over the River Kwai:

Many readers may be too young to remember “The Bridge Over the River Kwai,” but I’m guessing many of you remember this famous film about the construction of the Burma Railway by Japanese prisoners of war during WWII. Although the film is largely fictitious, it builds on the real story of the thousands of Allied soldiers who lost their lives under horrid conditions constructing a bridge over the Mae Klong River, later renamed Khwae Yai (or River Kwai) in the 1960s. For those of you who read my previous entry, we decided to leave Phuket to spend some time in a cheaper, more rural area of Thailand as we spend our days awaiting a teaching assignment. We chose a city called Kanchanaburi which we knew little about (besides beautiful landscape, cave temples, jungle and waterfalls) and decided to head out. About Seventeen hours later we arrived at our hotel, and it just so happens to be right on the banks of the River Kwai.

We left Phuket on a 7:00 pm bus headed for Bangkok. Our bus ticket for “first class” was 460 baht (roughly $15 USD) to get from Phuket twelve-hours north to Bangkok. When we arrived at the bus station I went across the street to get some necessary supplies - three cans of Chang Beer (30 baht each – beer is actually one of the few things that is quite expensive here), two large bottles of water (10 baht, 33 cents each), and a chicken, green bean, chili and basil stir fry over rice which was cooked in front of me in a wok on the side walk (50 baht w/ rice, about $1.66). The bus was actually very comfortable, and the Thai movie they showed about a man who believes his lady-boy wife is cheating on him, prompting him to rub dog crap on her face, in turn causing her to attempt suicide several times before becoming a monk, was actually quite hilarious. On our first stop I noticed they were serving Vietnamese pho, a beef soup with rice noodles, vegetables and dried sliced pork, and had to indulge in a bowl at 40 baht (about $1.33). This soup at the midnight street stop was the best I have had so far in Thailand. We stopped again around 3 am in a rather awkward scene I am happy to
Flooding in BangkokFlooding in BangkokFlooding in Bangkok

The day we were arriving in Bangkok, it was announced that the city would be flooded to help the provinces north of the city to drain. As we passed through, the flooding had already started.
have slept through. Apparently the “VIP” bus, one step above our “first class,” was entitled to a free meal at this stop. When it was found that all of them were sleeping, however, several members from our bus were seen passing by and it was absolutely insisted upon that they come in to eat. The spread was rice porridge, accompanied by dried, foul smelling fish, eggs that appeared to be hard-boiled but were discovered to have undergone some strange fermentation process, and some type of meat which were estimated to be frogs legs. As they sat around their plates the hosts surrounded them, watching intently and repeatedly asking how everything was. Is this going to appear on some Asian version of “Punked” in the future? Only time will tell.

We arrived in Bangkok after more like a fifteen hour bus ride. The skyline was somewhat of a marvel to be sure, but we were glad we weren’t staying. On the ride in we saw that much of Bangkok was already flooding, though no one outside of our bus really seemed to notice (yes, we arrived in Bangkok the day they decided to begin flooding the city). Upon departing our bus we immediately purchased tickets for Kanchanaburi (99 baht, roughly $3) and began our journey to our new, temporary home. About five minutes later our bus broke down and we were forced to unpack all of the luggage we had just jammed under the previous bus, and proceed so jam it under another bus which pulled up to get us. Luckily, this bus had just enough seats for all of us and not a seat more. I then proceeded to open the strange plastic drinking cups they gave us by jamming my finger through the seal on the top, only to shower the man sitting next to me, driver, hostess and myself with water. “Kor Toet Krap!” (I’m sorry!) I exclaimed, but the man next to me just smiled calmly and patted my leg. A few hours later we were dropped off in Kanchanaburi.

Our location is absolutely stunning. Though the river shows some signs of modernity, it also houses floating huts that can easily transport one back to a much simpler time as you gaze at the muddy waters meandering down the coast. The area is surrounded by lush vegetation, and mountains that shoot up sharply in the
What a viewWhat a viewWhat a view

Yes, there are even street dogs in the mountains.
distance. Just a few yards up the road, the slow lull of traffic came to a stop as a farmer led his heard of cows across the road to graze. Though only across the bridge from a bustling little town, you can definitely tell you’re in rural South East Asia. It is a feeling that simply cannot be conveyed through words or pictures, try as I might.

Our amenities are somewhat basic but refreshingly simple. The room has a large bed, a fan, a bathroom with sink and shower, power outlets and wi-fi internet. The court yard is reminiscent of a Japanese-style garden with trees, flowers and wooden tables. Across the road is a small restaurant that cooks up incredibly authentic yet modern and chic Thai dishes. Our delicious and aesthetically pleasing lunch (Fresh - and complementary - bananas from the hotel’s garden; a banana flower stuffed with minced chicken, shredded bamboo shoots, toasted coconut, chilies and fresh herbs in a Thai-style peanut sauce; Rice noodle-wraps stuffed with greens, tofu and Thai spices in a sweet and tangy tamarind sauce; and two freshly prepared bowls of green coconut curry served with blue flower infused jasmine rice (420 baht $14 USD) cost us nearly as much as our room (480 baht $16 USD / night). We could have upgraded our room to air-conditioning for an additional $6 a night and chose not to. This is how cheap living in Thailand can make you!
A short walk across the River Kwai, however, is the other half of Thailand. Although there are relatively few Farang here (compared with Phuket) there is still a very commercial main street with lots of delicious food and shops, but also dozens of bars with Thai street girls practically stripping in front of the doors. The roar modernity pollutes the serene silence of the River Kwai and surrounding wildlife. Wild packs of family dogs own the sidewalk. Everyone wants your business. Roadside stands sell Thai whisky shots for 10 baht (33 cents) a piece, and it is ever apparent that many of the travelers here come to partake in cheap booze, seedy hotel rooms and desperate bar girls. I always try to smile, act polite and interact with the Thai people in their native tongue, but I can’t help but wonder in the back of my mind if the locals think I am here for the aforementioned wrong reasons…

Today (Tuesday) Ben, Lauren, Tara and myself woke up and had breakfast at the restaurant along the river, then we headed down to the main street to catch a bus to Arawan National Park, known for its seven tiers of waterfalls. After waiting about forty-five minutes for a bus which may or may not have been coming, we were approached by a Tuk Tuk driver who agreed to drive us the 45 miles to the park, wait there as long as we wanted to stay, and then drive us back for a total of 800 baht (about $28 divided by the four of us). We agreed. The drive out to Arawan was absolutely stunning. We were truly out in the middle of nowhere. When we arrived near the park the driver kept going, taking us to a scenic overlook above a damn. There, we were joined by three random street dogs while we enjoyed the scenery. The driver took several pictures of the four of us and we were off. When we arrived at the National Park we began hiking through what can only be described as the jungle. The trek included swimming in a pool of water with fish that nibble the dead skin off your feet, encountering a monkey and a huge lizard resembling a small Komoto Dragon, climbing through some seriously rough terrain, swinging Tarzan style from a random vine, enjoying the gorgeous scenery and avoiding the herds of Russians (Literally, 80% of the visitors here were Russian, and the vast majority were unbelievably pushy, LOUD, inconsiderate and some just downright rude). I never really understood the fervor with which our country fought the Cold War, but I am surely beginning to!

Today was truly an amazing experience, though we did return to the hotel to find that we have no word yet from our placement agency. We began researching schools in northern Thailand, I drafted a sample letter of intent and we have finished putting our resumes together. Tomorrow we are planning to rent some motorbikes and cruise around the country side. We also plan to visit a local cave temple and walk the bridge over the River Kwai. If we still have no word from our placement company when we get back we may begin to send out resumes, though we did promise our placement agency some time. On the bright
Is this place real?Is this place real?Is this place real?

Doesn't it kind of look like Tara was just shrunk down?
side, if we had taken our original placements we would have started work today in Samut Sakharn, and Kanchanaburi is truly an unforgettable experience. I miss everyone and would love to hear from all of you. Please keep in touch!


Additional photos below
Photos: 29, Displayed: 28


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PosingPosing
Posing

Our Tuk Tuk driver took us out of his way to take us to the scenic viewpoint and take pictures for us. What a guy!
Our courtyardOur courtyard
Our courtyard

The courtyard outside our hotel door.
The River KwaiThe River Kwai
The River Kwai

This is our home for the week.
Flooding in BangkokFlooding in Bangkok
Flooding in Bangkok

Traffic was not detered!
Lucky TreeLucky Tree
Lucky Tree

This is what Thai people do when they wish below a tree, and their wish comes true!
7th Level7th Level
7th Level

This was the 7th level of the falls, and definitely worth the trek.
Jungle VinesJungle Vines
Jungle Vines

A jungle vine, and it seems to hold my weight. What to do?
We wanted to be ruralWe wanted to be rural
We wanted to be rural

This is the scene across the street from our hotel. Incredible.
Jungle Vines contJungle Vines cont
Jungle Vines cont

Obviously this needed to be done.


26th October 2011

Love the stories! I would have left you a message 2 days ago, but I couldn't get my keyboard to work (I blame Matt).....Just read Tara's and your blog - love the day- to- day accounts. But as your American mom, I'm worried about you and Tara finding jobs! I know, let it go, or let it be or let it ride...it WILL work out.
26th October 2011

Sounds like you are having a wonderful experience! Miss you both and stay safe :)

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