Bangkok Tour–Kanchanaburi

 

The Bangkok tour continues……We took the package tour and visited Kanchanaburi and the surrounding areas.the RIVER KWAI, DEATH RAILWAY, DEATH WAR MUSEUM, RAILWAY MUSEUM, WAR CEMETERIES . We have opt-out the TIGER TEMPLE and SAFARI PARK because of time factor.

We reached Kanchanaburi,Thailand, an ancient Thai civilization. It is Thailand’s third largest of 76 provinces. It is located 130 km west of Bangkok and covers an area of 19,480 km². About 735,000 inhabitant are living in Kanchanaburi province which borders Myanmar (Burma) at the north-west.

Kanchanaburi is best known for its more recent history when, during World War II the Japanese Imperial Army began construction of the infamous “Death Railway” which included the Bridge Over The River Kwai.,which now acts as one of Thailand’s major tourist attractions.

The history behind the bridge however is far from ordinary. As the Japanese extended their invasion of Thailand into the West of Burma, their success was hampered by the difficulty in supplying troops with provisions and so a supply line, the railway, was built.

The Japanese, using POWs and civilian conscripts, adopted a brutal and barbaric work regime that saw the completion of the railway in one year rather than the three it was estimated to take.

The old train is now used to take tourists for a joy ride along this historic railway track, bringing them memories of the grim and brutal times of World War II in Thailand. The interior or exterior of the old train remains the same as it was during the war.

It was a truly wonderful breath-taking experience taking a fun ride in this age-old train as it steadily winds across the old railway tracks passing scenic country sides, rivers, hills and old Japanese army camps by the river.

The tour also included an hour-long elephant ride. So it was that we found ourselves seated on top of ‘Daha’, our means of mobility for the next hour. Plodding our way through the jungle the novelty soon wore off, elephants aren’t half slow! Gimmicky as it seems, elephant riding is big business in Thailand and nearly every tourist tries it out at some stage of their trip

But be warned – During March & April, Kanchanaburi is the hottest province in the country, with temperature at an average of over 40°C !