Kanchanaburi and Hell Fire Pass

Places of Interest - Thailand

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introduction

Kanchanaburi is the capital of the province of Kanchanaburi and the district of Kanchanaburi. lies at the confluence of the rivers Khwae Yai and the Khwae Noi that form together the Mae Klong River. King Rama I built here his first defensive line against the Burmese who used the nearby Three Pagado Pass to invade Thailand. Across the Khwae Yai River is the famous bridge over the river Kwai in the city that received world fame after the 1957 blockbuster film.

The Japanese wanted to have a railway link between Burma and Thailand and so it was necessary to built a bridge during the Second World War. Many forced laborers died during construction, including many Dutch prisoners of war who had come over from Indonesia. Cemeteries, caves, tracks and museums show you all aspects of what the prisoners of war and Asian (forced) workers had to deal with On January 22, 2004.

The city and the province are not only known for the dead railway; people who do not want to or not able to travel all the way to the north of Thailand can also enjoy the fantastic nature here. For example make a trekking in Sai Yok National Park; waterfalls, elephant camps and temple caves can be visited and you can also enjoy the "Karaoke" dance and party boats on the river.

highlights

The bridge over the river Kwai:

The story about the bridge is already very interesting but the movie made the bride legendary. The bridge that you can see today is largely original but it doens’t come even close to the size of the famous wooden one you see in the film.

Many people are, because of that reason, kinda disappointed at first sight. The first bridge here in Kanchanaburi was built in 1942 by the first Allied prisoners of war and was made of wood (just like in the film). This auxiliary bridge was soon replaced by a steel construction that you can see today.

The middle piece has been replaced by other pieces of metal after the war, because the bridge was destroyed in 1945 by American bombing. The bridge is located about 4 kilometers west of the city center of Kanchanaburi and you can even take a tour in the train on the original train tracktrail.

Kanchanaburi city:

Besides the famous bridge you can see a lot of other interesting things in the city that have got everything to do with the bridge. There are for example two war-cemeteries in the city and surroundings. The largest and best known is the Kanchanaburi war cemetery which contains some 7000 graves, including almost 1,800 Dutch KNIL (Dutch Colonial Army) soldiers.

The other is called Chungkai containing 1750 graves and is located about 2 to 3 kilometers outside the city limits. There are also three museums in the city; the first and oldest is the JEATH (Japan, England, Australia, Thailand and Holland) Museum - in this museum you can find all kinds of information about the railway in wartime; it also contains a reconstructed prison house from that time (see below at museums).

The second is located next to the field of honor and is called Thailand - Burma railway center (entrance: 120 Baht) and finally there is the WWII museum (entrance: 50 Baht) which is located near the bridge. Finally, near the second field of honor is the Wat Tham Khao Pun (5 km outside the center), a cave that WWII was used by the Japanese to store weapons and supplies. The great cave would also have served to torture prisoners of war.

Now it is a cave dedicated to Buddhism with many altars.

Tham Krasae + Wang Pho viaduct:

At about 50 km northwest of Kanchanaburi lies the Krasae cave. Now filled with Buddha statues and other religious matters, it was used in WWII by the Japanese as a shelter and storage for supplies and weapons.

In front of the cave and above the river the little Kwai you can still find original pieces of the famous dead railway line. You can walk quite a distance over the railway-viaduct, which gives you a beautiful view with the high cliff on one side and the small Kwai river on the other side.

Hell Fire Pass (+ museum):

The most famous piece of the the rail dead-line next to the section over the bridge over the river Kwai is probably the 110-meter-long passage that has been called the Hell Fire Pass. This is because during the speedo weeks the work pressure went to 18 hours per day and this for 12 weeks long.

The workers were lit by kerosene lamps that gave the image in the deep groove together with the brutal Japanese guards of Hell’s or the Hell or Purgatory. Above (300 meters stairs) the platform where once the rails was built is nowadays a museum. The museum was constructed in 1994 by a number of former camp residents of Australian descent and the trail was uncovered in 1995 for a 10 km jungle that had grown over the past 50 years.

You can take a 4 km walk along the original rail path to the bridge (the bridge was folded a few times) and Hinton station.

Other attractions:

Sai Yok National Park and the tiger temple.

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tips & advice (1997 and 2014)

The train station is located on the northern edge of the city center, centrally located near the international cemetery. Trains do not go to Bangkok very often, but it is comfortable to travel. On the south side of the elongated center (about 5 kilometers from the tourist centers and maybe 4 km from the cemetery) is the bus station. From the main road (Th Saengchuto) you can take a songthiaw from almost at the bridge to the bus station - cost 10 Baht. You can hop on and off everywhere.

Kanchanaburi - Sai Yok NP (2014): you have to take a bus to Sangklhaburi - these are about every hour from the bus station (platform 9, pay in the bus); there is certainly one at 8 o'clock and the journey takes about 2 hours. Costs 55 Baht.

Kanchanaburi - Hell Fire Pass (2014): see the above information - you only have to get off half an hour earlier. Costs 50 Baht.

Kanchanaburi - Tham Krassae (2014): see the above information - you only have to get off after an hour after departure at a reasonably large intersection (with the sign Krassae cave) from here it is still 5 to 7 km drive the valley in to the cave, the station and the famous viaduct.

Kanchanaburi - Bangkok (2014): buses leave from the corner of the bus station and the main road in a room with a large (official) counter. Price 110 Baht, departure frequently but surely at 08:00. Duration about 2.5 hours. Arrival at Sai Tai Mai (south) bus station in Bangkok.

Name: JEATH war museum

Address: Th. Wissuttharangsi, Kanchanaburi

Price: 50 Baht (2014)

Time: 8:30 am - 6:00 pm

Content:

This museum located on the river Kwai in the center of Kanchanaburi consists of three sections. Located on the grounds of a Buddha temple, you can see a large area map on the small courtyard with the railway “stops” (stations), camps etc. of the train. Section 1 consists of a U-shaped counterfeit prisoner of war hut of reeds.

Where once the prisoners sat there is now some series of impressive photographs and drawings to see made by the prisoners. Section 2 is a room with large glass cases full of things from WWII; helmets, field bottles, weapons, samourai swords and bombs and grenades. Here you can also watch a short (9 minutes) film of the famous bridge. In section 3, the last piece newspaper clippings are kept of old prisoners who tell their story.

Name: Hell Fire Pass memorial museum

Address: 80 km west of Kanchanaburi

Price: Free (2014)

Time: 09:00 - 16:00

Website: www.dva.gov.au/commem/oawg/thailand.htm

Content:

This museum is located about 80 km west of Kanchanaburi at about 500 meters. from the big 323 road. At the same height is the super modern warmuseum with a panorama, photos, films and a lot of information about the construction of the infamous dead railway line from Thailand to Burma (now Myanmar). Through a long wooden staircase going down you arrive at the former train-rail bed which is now a gravel path.

By means of information panels you are informed until you are walking into the famous narrow path with rocks on both sides where many memorials, photographs and red roses are to see. On the other side another memorial, a Japanese train cart and possibilities to view the "gap" from above. Here begins the 4 km long hike over the bed of the former rails towards Hinton.

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At the tourist center section in Kanchanaburi (Th Mae Nam Kwhae) there are plenty of restaurants, bars and cafes where you can get everything - pizza, macaroni, noodle soup, Chinese food and of course rice. Here are also supermarkets - the only thing I have not (yet) seen is a big snack chain like KFC, McDonalds or BurgerKing.

At KTC you can get a good meal for 50 to 60 Baht, but the staff is not really customer friendly.

Name: Sugarcane II hostel (2014)

Address: 7 Soi Cambodia, Maenamkwai Road

Price: 200 Baht (single)

Phone nr. : 034 514 988

Website: www.sugarcaneguesthouse.com

Content:

The hostel is located about a kilometer before the famous bridge at the end of a very busy tourist street (Th. Mae Nam Kwhae); here begins the quiet part. It’s quite a bit of a walk from here to the cemetery and "songthiaw" do not come here. The restaurant is located on the riverside and you can get excellent and reasonably priced food and drinks. There are possibilities to sleep on the water in a houseboat but have no idea what the prices are. The whole looks nicely cared for and there is a large courtyard where cars and scooters can park.

Plants, greenery, gravel and a row of well-kept bungalows; mine had its own shower and toilet (cold shower because otherwise it is more expensive). There is a fan, good WIFI, people speak a little English and "tours" turn out to be offered but this is still in its infancy. I got a discount because I stayed 3 nights. Big disadvantage I found that there is mosquito netting in front of the window but no glass so you really hear everything. And I would have liked to receive a towel, maybe a piece of soap.

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TOURS Kanchanaburi:

Numerous "tours" are offered in and around Kanchanaburi which differ in price from 130 Baht (for a taxi ride only to the bridge) to a multi-day trek for more than 1000 Baht that will take you to all the important sections of the railway and nature beauties. Options are everywhere and these are all offered by numerous travel agencies and hostels.

The first real tour you can get from 800 Baht and often goes to the Erawan National Park, Sai Yok waterfall and of course the death trail sites (see above).

KANCHANABURI tour (done in 1997, price in 2014):