Kanchanaburi: Bridging the River Khwae

We arrived in Kanchanaburi after an incident-free bus trip from Ayuthaya, and quickly checked into the Jolly Frog. It's a lovely place with a good restaurant, and even better, the grounds are scattered with hammocks and the whole place is right next to the river. Tempted as I was to pick up my book and lounge around, we were limited for time so we headed straight for lunch on the premises (check out the photo - that's a pineapple feast!) and headed out to hire some bikes (everything here is accessible within a short bicycle ride).

At the Jolly Frog... the cat's an added bonus!

Pineapple and cashew extravaganza - yum!

We were able to hire bikes from just outside the hostel, so we headed straight to the Death Railway Bridge. This is the infamous 'Bridge over the River Kwai' (although it's actually the Mae Nam Khwae). Whatever you call it, history remains the same - Kanchanaburi was the site of a prisoner-of-war camp where many British, Australian, American and Dutch POWs lost their lives during the second world war. However, though nearly 7,000 POWs are known to have died here in Kanchanaburi (with over 12,000 POW lives lost during the building of the railway), it's estimated that over 100,000 lives were lost from throughout Asia, so the toll on human life goes beyond the horrors of the POW camps. It also goes beyond Kanchanaburi - the railway bridge runs the railway line out of town, but the length of the railway is over 400km, and it was built at breakneck speed. Understandably, much of the sights in Kanchanaburi provide the opportunity to reflect on the hardships faced by the labourers and POWs caught up within this devastating period of the second world war. 

We crossed the bridge (it has been repaired since the Allied forces bombed the completed bridge and supply line in 1945) and felt small within the oppressive iron girders - on a bright sunny day, surrounded by tourists, it's difficult to imagine what really happened here during the war.

Feeling troubled, we headed next door to the WWII museum. From here, you can see some incredible views of the bridge, but barely anything else within the museum walls offered any perspective on the experience of war. Yes, there were many cabinets filled with weapons (ranging from guns to swords), and yes, there were photos and uniforms and memorabilia galore... but it was like a strange dream, as the WWII museum mainly consisted of an indeterminate temple-styled building full of artefacts entirely inappropriate for a museum about the war. My perplexed expression in one of the following photos sums up our reaction!

Far more interesting, and certainly more relevant, were the Allied War Cemetery and the Thailand-Burma Railway Centre Museum, situated a short distance away from the bridge. The War Graves Commission keeps the cemetery in pristine condition, and it's very peaceful and respectful. They also provide a lot of information about the POW memorials within (including how to locate different people and nationalities), which I'm sure is some small comfort to the families.

In many ways it's good that the real railway museum is a little detached from the bridge itself, as the atmosphere at the bridge feels very different. The cemetery perhaps lends it an aura of respectful clarity - also, the bridge isn't the whole story at all, and you can better appreciate that at this museum. It's an authentic and educational experience after the tawdry surrounds of the bridge, and offers a far deeper sense of understanding about what really happened here during the second world war. You reflect not only on the building of the bridge, but also on the conditions at the POW camp, and the experiences of individuals. 

One thing I found particularly quaint, but beautiful: as you leave the museum, you follow a route into a café area. You're offered a free cup of tea (no apparent sales pitch to buy cake, lunch etc) and this allows you the chance to absorb what you've seen (and have no doubt, the museum is truly harrowing). This is a thoughtful enough gesture, but the view out of the window to the adjacent Allied War Cemetery perhaps solidifies the impact of your visit.

You can't take photographs in the museum - I'm not even sure they could have done the experience of the visit justice. But if you're ever in the area, it's not that far from Bangkok., and anyone with an interest in war or military history would find this museum well worth a visit.

We took our bikes back and returned to the Jolly Frog for dinner. We also messaged Kate and Pete, just in case they were still in town, and had a lovely impromptu evening with them in the Jolly Frog bar before they headed to Bangkok the next day. I'm sure I always say this, but I love the way that you reunite with other travellers while on the road! Your experience of a place always evolves in lovely and unexpected ways.

After Kate and Pete left, I Skyped home and virtually attended Laura's annual wine and cheese party - Jo led an excellent rendition of Jingle Bells (because it was the 22nd December, after all) and it was great to check in and hear about everyone's Christmas plans. It was also good to realise that, despite the Mayan prophecy, the world didn't end!

The next morning we hired bikes again and headed south to the Jeath War Museum. This was also a short distance away from the bridge (which translated again into a respectful if harrowing experience). It's only a very small museum, but it packs an emotional punch because as well as containing some very uninhibited exhibitions, it also shares more information about the experiences of the POWs in the camps (including torture and their hard living conditions). The museum itself is also built in the style of the shelters that the POWs stayed in, which is another somber reminder of the challenges faced by the POWs working on the railway.

After the museum, we stopped briefly at neighbouring Wat Chaichumphon. It's quite a startling contrast to the museum, especially because the monks at the temple actually run the Jeath war museum. The temple grounds also house a rather dramatic-looking monument of a horse - I have no idea what to compare that to!

 
At this juncture, we were quite hot and bothered (and in need of a lighter attraction) so we parked up our bikes, grabbed an ice cream and walked the nearby Heritage Walking Street (starting at the City Gate). There are over 20 different heritage buildings with information boards for each building of note. Hotels and shops, some over 100 years old, line the street and it's a peaceful way to spend an hour or two.

Feeling relaxed and refreshed, we braved the nearby Kanakan mall and stocked up on a few essentials (we even found a Converse shop, so bought some clothing that wasn't covered in red dust/general dirt that won't wash out, and we even got two free converse notebooks for our trouble) and I indulged in a Santa hat for Christmas. Not a lot of point having a massive spend-up though as we were heading to Bangkok the next day!

For our last supper in Kanchanaburi, we had dinner at Nut – a good recommendation from Kate and Pete (if I remember rightly). It's rather unfortunately named though, as it's branded in full as the ‘Nut Bar and Restaurant’. The food was amazing though, and they went out of their way for us. But Bradley was broken by the spiciness – his jungle curry was overwhelming (but delicious in small doses)! I loved their heart-shaped bowls though - I had crockery envy!

Jungle curry

Brad - broken by the curry!

We had time for a last drink or two by the river at the Jolly Frog before heading to bed for an early start the next day (we had a bus booked to take us back to Bangkok). We'd almost come full circle - Bangkok would be our first and last stop in Asia.

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