Bangkok to Kanchanaburi
Tuesday May 15th
What a day!
Breakfast at 06.45. Simon was taking over our room on the 41st floor because his room was noisy. We said goodbye and wished him a successful week of Muoy Thai.
Sutthi picked us up at the column Hotel at 07.15 and it was full on tourism until 18.00. Wow!
Sutthi Hampitak Chiang Mai Driver was accompanied by Sart his driver from Chiang Mai in his 4 litre Toyota Fortuner. The wheels are very smart with comfortable leather interior and nice cool air conditioning. Lord and Lady Muck have enjoyed the chauffeur treatment. Sutthi has a devilish sense of humour and has kept us well amused whilst travelling in between sites.
It took us about an hour to clear Bangkok and its 12 million people. Much to our surprise the built up concrete look lasted the whole of the 130 kms to Kanchanaburi. Thailand is much more built up and westernised than we expected - so far.
Our first experience of the day was to board the 120 year old train at Kanchanaburi to go to the bridge over the River Kwai.
The bridge was part of the 415km railway that the Japanese built with forced labour during the second world war. The objective was to secure an overland supply route for the conquest of Burma and beyond.
Thousands of lives were lost in horrendous conditions during its construction. The train journey lasted around an hour, then we joined the other "ants" swarming over the bridge taking pictures.
Sart demonstrated the benefit of having our chauffeur by being at the bridge to pick us up and whisk us off to our next destination at Erwan waterfalls in Erawan National park.
First we had a feast which was lunch. Fish soup with chillie paste. Bamboo salad, vegetable noodle with preserved crab, Chicken bbqed, pork bbqed, boiled rice, sticky rice, black sticky rice with coconut milk and fresh mango.
We were unable to finish this fantastic meal but it set us up for a walk into the waterfall which was about 2kms away. There were seven waterfalls which were gradually bigger and better and more beautiful. At the last one young Thais on holiday from university took it in turns to pose under the falls like the Timotei advert.
The park was beautifully kept and the sites well signed. At one stage you weren't allowed to take any food or drink further because they wanted to preserve the integrity and cleanliness of the park. So there was a guard and a station where you had to pay a deposit to have your water bottle marked so that you could show that you still had it upon your return. I couldn't help thinking about a situation where the employee was asked - occupation? Marker of water bottles in the National Park! Oh how interesting.
Next we visited the Srinagarind Dam. Named after the King's wife (who obviously had a hand in building it) It was in a beautiful area of forested limestone hills. The countryside here was much more interesting but everything still seemed new. We drove for an hour back to Kanchanaburi to visit the allied war graves. 6982 allied soldiers were buried there but over 100 000 civilians and other soldiers died.
There is a horribly named "Death Railway Museum" to the side of the beautifully tended graves. It is hard to remember that each stone represents a family whose lives were changed forever.
The last visit of the day was to the "modern" bridge over the river Kwai in Kanchanaburi. Ironically it was built by the Japanese Iron company. It was a little too "touristy" for my taste with the usual "hangers on" trying to sell "souvenirs". Our guide explained that some versions of the history as portrayed by the military rulers of present day Thailand refers to the "lovely Japanese visitors" who were so helpful in providing much needed infrastructure to Thailand.
What a day!
Breakfast at 06.45. Simon was taking over our room on the 41st floor because his room was noisy. We said goodbye and wished him a successful week of Muoy Thai.
Sutthi picked us up at the column Hotel at 07.15 and it was full on tourism until 18.00. Wow!
 |
| Chiang Mai drivers |
Sutthi Hampitak Chiang Mai Driver was accompanied by Sart his driver from Chiang Mai in his 4 litre Toyota Fortuner. The wheels are very smart with comfortable leather interior and nice cool air conditioning. Lord and Lady Muck have enjoyed the chauffeur treatment. Sutthi has a devilish sense of humour and has kept us well amused whilst travelling in between sites.
It took us about an hour to clear Bangkok and its 12 million people. Much to our surprise the built up concrete look lasted the whole of the 130 kms to Kanchanaburi. Thailand is much more built up and westernised than we expected - so far.
Our first experience of the day was to board the 120 year old train at Kanchanaburi to go to the bridge over the River Kwai.
 |
| Come in 719 ....... |
Thousands of lives were lost in horrendous conditions during its construction. The train journey lasted around an hour, then we joined the other "ants" swarming over the bridge taking pictures.
 |
| The Bridge over the River Kwai |
First we had a feast which was lunch. Fish soup with chillie paste. Bamboo salad, vegetable noodle with preserved crab, Chicken bbqed, pork bbqed, boiled rice, sticky rice, black sticky rice with coconut milk and fresh mango.
We were unable to finish this fantastic meal but it set us up for a walk into the waterfall which was about 2kms away. There were seven waterfalls which were gradually bigger and better and more beautiful. At the last one young Thais on holiday from university took it in turns to pose under the falls like the Timotei advert.
 |
| Erawan Falls |
The park was beautifully kept and the sites well signed. At one stage you weren't allowed to take any food or drink further because they wanted to preserve the integrity and cleanliness of the park. So there was a guard and a station where you had to pay a deposit to have your water bottle marked so that you could show that you still had it upon your return. I couldn't help thinking about a situation where the employee was asked - occupation? Marker of water bottles in the National Park! Oh how interesting.
Next we visited the Srinagarind Dam. Named after the King's wife (who obviously had a hand in building it) It was in a beautiful area of forested limestone hills. The countryside here was much more interesting but everything still seemed new. We drove for an hour back to Kanchanaburi to visit the allied war graves. 6982 allied soldiers were buried there but over 100 000 civilians and other soldiers died.
 |
| Kanchanaburi War Cemetery |
There is a horribly named "Death Railway Museum" to the side of the beautifully tended graves. It is hard to remember that each stone represents a family whose lives were changed forever.The last visit of the day was to the "modern" bridge over the river Kwai in Kanchanaburi. Ironically it was built by the Japanese Iron company. It was a little too "touristy" for my taste with the usual "hangers on" trying to sell "souvenirs". Our guide explained that some versions of the history as portrayed by the military rulers of present day Thailand refers to the "lovely Japanese visitors" who were so helpful in providing much needed infrastructure to Thailand.
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