Burma Railway, Kanchanaburi, Thailand

On to the Burma Railway "Death Railway" constructed by allied POWs under the harsh direction of the Japanese Army during World War 2.  Over 100,000 men died during the 20 months it took to construct the 258 mile railway.  90,000 of whom were Asians "hired" by the Japanese to build the railway.  On 20 September, we traveled by bus, train, boat, and foot back to a hotel in Bangkok from Pattaya.  The next day we took what remains of the Burma Railway to Kanchanaburi to the Bridge on the River Kwai.  The following day we took the train to the end of the line at Nam Tok and then by scooter to Hellfire Pass.  We spent an extra day in Kanchanaburi regrouping for the next leg of our journey to Hanoi, Vietnam on 24 September. (Paul)

One of the unexploded bombs dropped on the railway by the allies toward the end of World War 2.

The "Bridge on the River Kwai" that inspired the movie.  This is the actual bridge built by allied POWs and still in use today.  The middle two spans were bombed by the allies toward the end of the war.

Hellfire Pass chiseled out of the mountain by hand and dynamite by Australian, British, Dutch, and a few American POWs without any heavy equipment.

Cemetery in Kanchanaburi that is the final resting place for thousands of British, Australian, Dutch, and American POWs that died building the Burma Railway.

Once the dynamite detonated, the workers hauled the smaller rock fragments off in these carts.

A sweet looking resort along the way.

One of the many stops along the way on the 3rd class commuter train from Bangkok.

Lots and lots of jungle!

The seats don't recline, but hey, you don't have to worry about the AC being too cold.

Without any current information in Trip Advisor for the town of Nam Tok, we asked a waiter where we might find a scooter to rent.  Score!  No way were we going to pay $23 for a taxi to take us 12 miles (and back) when we could go by scooter for half of that.

This gives you an appreciation for just how much rock the POWs had to move.

In Kanchanaburi we stayed in a floating raft bungalow on the river.

Cool looking bridge that appears to be closed, but I suppose you could try it if you dare.  We did not.

These are EVERYWHERE!

There are other beers than Chang in Thailand, but "elephant beer" is really good.

This squat toilet is on the train - not sure what you hold onto.  Better have good balance.

Trestle built by allied POWs in the background.  Also, cool that you can take a two and a half hour train ride for $2.89 with the windows rolled down.  No one babysits you and reminds you of the obvious need to keep your body parts inside the train when going through the jungle.

Boxcar used to transport allied POWs several days from Singapore.  Up to 28 men were stacked into these railcars.

These mountains seem to explain, in part, why there is a border between Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand that otherwise doesn't make sense when looking at a map.

Another cool trestle made by POWs during World War 2.  I don't know for sure, but several of the piers look like their members consist of the original teak logs.  I know....only an engineer would even look that close.  Oh, and the concrete is holding up really well in case you were wondering.

  Chickens everywhere.

Another "Wat" (temple) en route to another hotel.

There are more dogs than chickens. Apparently, according to Buddhism, these may be somebody's uncles reincarnated. So, they are left alone and treated pretty well.  I'm not sure how to explain cattle, pigs, and chickens that don't seem to be as lucky.

This was our "guest house" for our last night in Kanchanaburi.  Nice rooms among the jungle motif.