Kanchanburi and the River Kwai!

I caught a taxi from the Atlanta Hotel to the Thonburi Railway Station, which is located on the other side of the Chao Phraya River from the Royal Palace. My train ticket to Kanchanburi cost only 25 Baht and the train trip took about three hours. On arrival in Kanchanburi, I took a songthaew to the guesthouse, where I had planned to stay, but it was booked out. After ditching my songthaew driver, I soon discovered that most of the guesthouses in Kanchanburi were booked out! I eventually got a room with a fan and attached bathroom at the Blue Star Guesthouse for about 200 Baht a night. It turned out to be a very nice place. That night after dinner, I booked a day tour of the local area, for the following morning.

The Famous Bridge over the River Kwai!

Hellfire Pass was built by 400 Australian POW's during World War 2

The first stop on the day tour was Hellfire Pass and the Memorial/Museum dedicated to the Australian and other Allied POW's who dug/built Hellfire Pass and the Burma Railway. Nearly all of the 400 Australian POW's who dug/built Hellfire Pass died doing so. Survivors of the Burma Railway have said that, a man died for every sleeper that was lied. In fact, about 16,000 POW's and conscripted Asian labourers died building the Burma Railway. 

Elephant Trekking near Kanchanburi

After Hellfire Pass we stopped at some Hot Spa's, then we went on to a Karen Village for lunch, where we had barbequed chicken and sticky rice! After lunch we went elephant trekking and then rafting down a river with Karen Tribesmen!

Rafting down a river, near Kanchanburi. The guy in the red shirt is a Karen Tribesman from Burma!

Traveling on an original section of the Burma Railway, which was built by Allied POW's and conscripted Asian labour, during World War 2.

The tour ended by traveling by train from Nam Tok back to Kanchanburi, along a section of the original Burma Railway. I was sickened and saddened today, after seeing what the POW's went through and how they were treated by their Japanese captors.  

The No Name Bar in Kanchanburi. A good place for a beer or something to eat. Tell Tony, Ian from Brisbane said to say hello!

I spent two more nights in Kanchanburi, before I went back to Bangkok to catch my train/bus/boat to Ko Samui. The day after the tour, I went to the War Cemetery and the "DEATH" Museum in Kanchanburi, I found both to be sad and moving. After seeing what the Japanese did during the war, I have lost any respect I had for them. At midday on day four in Kanchanburi, I caught a mini bus/cattle truck, back to Bangkok for 100 Baht. The journey took only two hours and we were dropped off on Khao San Road. I caught a Tuk Tuk to the Atlanta Hotel, but they were booked out. As I was leaving, I met a middle aged Irish lady in a similar predicament and we ended up sharing a room at the Golden Palace Hotel on Soi 2, off Sukhumvit Road. The room was ok, but it stank as it smelt like every occupant for the last 30 years had been a smoker. The room cost 450 Baht per night, which we split. That night I went to the movies and saw "Big Daddy", which I thought was good. They played the national anthem and everybody had to stand for the "King".