Kanchanaburi is only a 2 hour drive north west of Bangkok and it couldn't be any more different. We are staying at a river side guest house just outside town and it's very relaxing but so hot.
The town is most famous for a single bridge- the bridge of the River Kwai so we took a visit. The bridge really is just a regular working train line bridge with a lot of tourists walking over it. I'm not sure how quickly they move when a train comes! The highlight had to be Ben dropping his key over the bridge and then watching it flow away before the dash along the river bank to find a boat to go and get it. He eventually got it back!
There is quite a lot to do here if you choose to. Some people have hired bikes, had massages, gone on full day tours or just pottered around town. I visited the Thailand-Burma Death Railway Research Centre to find out more about the railway and what actually went on here over World War 2. The museum was very interesting outlining the construction and planning of the 415km railway and where the workforce came from. The curator of the museum was actually researching the lives of every single Prisoner of War who died making the 'Death' railway and subsequently a lot of the findings were in the museum. It was sad that at least 13,000 people died from malnutrition and disease making a railway which would further Japans power over Asia but yet was only in use for 22 months.
I furthered my day of culture with a walk around the war cemetery in which British, American and Dutch POWs were buried. It is in the centre of town on a former POW camp. It was nice see that the Thai's are keeping the cemetery well maintained with flowers etc but a shame to see they aren't doing the same with the other cemetery down the road.
Other highlight of the town were the brightly coloured, but a little tacky, pagodas on the river front and the giant blue and red geckos and green coloured poisonous snake in the guest house restaurant.
Next stop- beach week!
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