RIDING THE RAILS OF HISTORY: THE REAL BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI, THAILAND
Jul 27 '04 (Updated May 09 '05)
The Bottom Line A moving experience, well worth the effort to get there.
The ancient train stops only briefly at Kanchanabari Thailand. There's barely enough time to either jump on or off and then it pulls out of the station and begins to cross the nearby steel bridge and roll into History. This is no ordinary railway bridge and no ordinary river. It is the River Kwai and the famous or infamous Bridge on the River Kwai.
In 1942 after conquering most of South East Asia, the Japanese military quickly realised that they needed a means of moving men and supplies around their conquests. Part of their solution involved building a railway to link the city of Rangoon in occupied Burma with Bangkok in Thailand. This railway would be over 400 kilometres long through impassable mountains and jungles.
The Japanese used 60,000 Allied Prisoners of War, mostly British, Australian, Indian and Dutch, to build the railway. In addition some 200,000 local Thai and Burmese were also used as slave labour.
Construction of the railway started in 1942 and was completed in 1944. It soon earned the name the Death Railway as over 16,000 of the allied Prisoners died during it's construction of disease, over work, deliberate mistreatment at the hands of their captors, and/or simple neglect. Figures for the number of Thais and Burmese that died are not known but most estimates place it as high as between 100,000 and 150,000.
There were several natural obstacles that had to be considered in the building of the railway including seven rivers that had to be bridged. Chief among these was the Kwai River. Just north of the present day town of Kanchanabari a massive multi span steel railway bridge was constructed between 1942 and 1943. In 1945 the bridge was attacked by Allied bombers and damaged. However it was quickly repaired and like the railway is still in use today.
The real bridge bears no resemblance to the giant wooden one made famous in the 1958 David Lean movie "The Bridge on The River Kwai,” and actually looks rather plain and ordinary. Originally it was in use in Java in Indonesia, before the Japanese dismantled it there, had it shipped to Thailand, and reassembled over the Kwai River.
The Bridge has become somewhat of a tourist attraction complete with stalls selling T-shirts and other souvenirs on both sides. For those interested you can even walk across it, although there is no pedestrian pathway and for some walking along the railway ties and looking at the river below may not be their idea of fun. There are a couple of small platforms that you can rest at and get a great view of the river and surrounding countryside. They also come in handy if you happen to be caught in the middle of the bridge when a train comes along.
The far side of bridge contains several stalls set up by Burmese nationals selling fairly inexpensive gold in addition to the normal array of souvenirs. There is also somewhat of a small zoo here with peacocks and elephants on display.
Kanchanabari has developed a bit of a tourist industry around the bridge. There are a couple of Museums in and around the town. The Thailand –Burma Railway Centre is located across from the main Military Cemetery and charges 60 Baht ($1.45 US) admission. There are several galleries that show through photographs and artefacts the construction of the railway and the plight of those who were forced to build it. From the second floor one gets an excellent view of the cemetery.
The JEATH (Japan England America Thailand Holland) War museum is located to the south of the town on the site of a former POW camp. Entrance to it is 30 Baht ($0.75 US)
There are two military cemeteries in Kanchanabari. The largest is the Kanchanabari War Cemetery in the centre of the town. Here the remains of almost 7,000 British, Australian, Indian and Dutch prisoners are interred. Walking around the immaculately kept graves and reading the names and ages of those buried here is a moving experience.
A smaller cemetery, Chungkai Cemetery is located to the south and across the river from the town. It was built on the site of another former POW camp and some 1700 former prisoners are buried here.
Kanchanabari has developed into somewhat of a tourist centre for the region, with banks, restaurants, bars and various hotels and guesthouses in addition to the souvenir stands. Most visitors come to see the bridge and the related sites, but there are other attractions in the area including rafting trips on the Kwai River. Most of attractions are located within walking distance of the bridge and each other. For those a little farther out there are taxis and bikes available.
Kanchanabari is fairly easy to get to, and only 2-3 hours drive from Bangkok. Due to its popularity, one can book a day trip to the bridge from their hotel or any of the hundreds of Bangkok travel agents. There are usually two types of trips available. The first is a half-day one combined with another attraction outside of Bangkok such as the floating market.
Alternatively one can book the full day River Kwai trip that includes a ride on the train from Kanchanabari across the bridge. The train takes a couple of hours to Nam Tok the final stop on the railway. Along the way the scenery is spectacular. Make sure you sit on the left side of the train to take full advantage of the view of the large wooden viaduct built by British POWs near the station of Wang Pho. This tour usually includes lunch at a jungle resort on the Kwai River near the Burmese border and a long tail boat ride on the river itself prior to returning to Bangkok.
For those who prefer to do it on their own there are several buses a day both air-conditioned express and slower local ones departing from Bangkok’s Southern Bus Terminal. There are also mini buses and taxis available.
Finally one can always take the train itself. Two trains a day depart from Bangkok Noi station to Nam Tok with a brief stop at Kanchanabari. The fare is around 25 Baht ($0.60 US)
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