22.10.2018

The provincial town of Kanchanaburi is located 130 km from Bangkok (the capital of Thailand).

Tourists from all over the world come here to see the famous “Road of Death” - the railway between Thailand and Burma.

The classic version of the excursion includes: a military cemetery, a war museum, a trip along the “Bridge of Death”. Lasts 1 day, from approximately 7 am to 6 pm.

If you have enough time, you can enrich the excursion with other attractions. For example, on the first day visit the “Road of Death”, the War Museum and the Hell Fire Pass Museum, on the second - the floating market, the Tiger Temple, on the third - Yerevan Park, the elephant village. With such a schedule it will be convenient to live in Kachanaburi.

Those who like comfort and stability will, of course, choose an excursion through a travel agency. It’s convenient because everything goes according to schedule and there’s no “one step to the right, one step to the left.” If you want to truly feel the flavor, enjoy plenty of beautiful landscapes, experience untouched nature, plunge into history without haste, then it is better to take a map (a guide with the main stops), a taxi or rent a car and explore the area yourself.

You can get there by bus (2-3.5 hours) with or without air conditioning and amenities (cheaper). Depart from the Southern Bus Station every 20 minutes. Or by train (3-3.5 hours), but this is not the same. In any case, the excursion will be interesting and useful.

In 2 hours the car will take you from Bangkok to the war cemetery (Kanchanaburi War Cemetry), where almost 7 thousand are buried. prisoners of war from Austria, Holland, Great Britain.

Next is the war museum, or literally JEATH War Museum. The first word of the name is made up of the first letters of the list of countries that participated in the construction of the bridge over the River Kwai. These are Japan (Japan), England (England), Australia (Australia), Thailand (Thailand), Holland (Holland).

In the museum you can see photographs, weapons, testimonies of the surviving builders of the unfortunate bridge and much more from those times. There is also a souvenir shop with lots of beautiful trinkets.

"Bridge of Death" is the most famous section of the Thai-Burmese railway. The reinforced concrete bridge originally crossed a river called Maek Long. But after the successful release of the film “The Bridge on the River Kwai” (1957) on the big screen, the Thai authorities gave it the name that tourists still hear today – the River Kwai. During the war, the bridge was bombed 2 times and restored 2 times.

The next stop on our excursion is the “Road of Death”, with a length of more than 240 thousand crippled destinies, more than 100 thousand. killed by inhumane working conditions, hard labor and constant abuse.

At this cost, the Japanese government during World War II shortened the route from Burma to Thailand to supply its troops with everything they needed. But the British government in Burma also considered such construction. But the dense impenetrable jungle, a large number of rivers, rocks and mountains made this task impossible.

Japan retook Burma from Britain. There is a sea route from Thailand to Burma, but it is very unreliable. It was often attacked, many submarines and ships were required. Therefore, the Japanese authorities decided to build a shortcut bypass at any cost. In just over a year, convicts and prisoners built 415 km of railway track through thickets and stones, through suffering, illness and death.

To date, 130 km of the road have been reconstructed, the rest is in the plans. And Japan's actions are recognized as a war crime. A ride on the Death Road train serves as a reminder of the perseverance and courage of the builders, and of the terrible consequences of the Second World War.

You can also visit the Hell Fire Pass Museum and Road. This 4km section of the Death Road passes through a hole in the rock of HellFire Pass to the Burmese border. Almost 700 people died when it was built. Nearby, in Hell's Passage, there is a museum and an Australian memorial (in memory of the fallen builders).

On the River Kwai, many tourists raft in vests for about 2 km along the stream. In this case, you don’t need to do anything, the river itself will carry you away.

Damnon Saduak floating market is located 100 km from Bangkok. From the very morning, traders from different surroundings come here in narrow boats. They sell fruits, souvenirs, flowers, seafood, fashionable clothes, etc.

To appreciate the beauty and unusualness of the market, the variety of goods, the ingenuity and resourcefulness of the traders, it is better to rent a boat for half a day. This way you can enjoy Thai life, capture moments and treat yourself to national cuisine cooked on the boat. And 4 hours will fly by.

The other part of the day can be spent at the Tiger Temple. It is open until 16.30. The bus will take you here in half an hour from Kanchanaburi (40 km). Founded in 1994, the temple has become home to many tiger cubs, as well as a couple of wild boars, horses, water bulls and other exotic animals of the local jungle.

During the day they do not sit in enclosures, but walk freely and eat from the hands of tourists. For a fee, you will be taken closer to the tigers and given the opportunity to take photos together. Many visitors believe that the monks greatly inflate their prices. But it’s up to you to decide whether or not it’s worth supporting the temple and the animals living in it.

On the third day of the excursion, you can pay attention to the Elephant Village and Yerevan National Park with its amazing waterfalls. This system of waterfalls is conventionally divided into 7 levels: the first level is the lowest in height, and then, gradually, you need to climb up and pass all the rapids.

The water here is saturated with calcium, which is why it takes on unusual shapes and has a beautiful turquoise color. In many places there are lakes and baths in which you can swim or lie down, enjoying the panorama of the jungle. And many small fish will peel your feet (gnaw off dead and dead skin). The feeling is fantastic. If you come to Kanchanaburi, be sure to visit Yerevan Park.

Next stop is the elephant village. Here you can watch a baby elephant show, take a photo with them or feed them bananas, and also ride elephants in the jungle for an additional fee. Only the elephant rides, it’s safer.

For such a rather large excursion, you need to take a little: cameras/video cameras, swimsuits/swimming trunks, a change of underwear, a light hat, beach slippers, a warm sweater and towel, soap, toothpaste and a brush, if you are planning an excursion for more than one day. Clothes should be made from natural fabrics (cotton, for example).

A guidebook will be very useful to you. One of the best guides in the world is the Lonely Planet guides. Its cost is considerable. The information provided in it (routes around the country, description, work schedule, cost of entry to museums, galleries, castles, hotel rooms and meals) is worth it. It will save you time, money and effort. And, of course, don’t forget to bring a good mood!

Tourists who come to Kachanaburi must be vaccinated against hepatitis A and hepatitis B due to the risk of encephalitis and malaria. At the floating market it is impossible to resist buying fresh fruits, but they must be washed thoroughly before eating.

It is also not advisable to get carried away with the various exotic drinks themselves, of which there are a large number here. Your body may not be able to do this. If you want to try local spirits, the best way to do this is by buying beer. It tastes quite pleasant and will not cause a violent reaction in your body. It is not advisable to stroke or caress local cats and dogs. There are a lot of fleas.

There is a myth that Thailand is a very cheap country. Everything is relative. For example, a taxi from Bangkok to Kachanaburi will cost around $100. It will be cheaper by bus and train. Car rental from $30 per day, moped – from $5. Gasoline - about $1 per liter. The price of a hotel room ranges from $20 to $200. You can have lunch in a cafe for $3-5. You can't go to a floating market without a boat. That's another $3/hour.

The cost of products and souvenirs at different market sellers can vary significantly. Very popular among tourists are souvenirs made by Thai hands, as well as gold and silver items with semi-precious and precious stones. In museums, some people use a guidebook with a detailed description of the attractions, while others are more comfortable with a guide (such services start from $30).

A taxi from Kachanaburi to Tiger Temple costs about $20. Entrance fee – 15. If you take an excursion there to Kachanaburi, local travel agencies will ask for $100 or more. Bus to Yerevan National Park - $2, taxi - $30, entrance - $6.5. Walking in the jungle on elephants – $13.5 per person.

Sightseeing tours from agencies in Kanchanaburi are quite expensive and include 4-5 excursions per day. To enjoy and remember well, you need at least 3 days. The Bridge over the River Kwai should be seen separately from the Tiger Temple or the exotic Yerevan Waterfall.

If possible, it is better to take a tour for several days or explore the area yourself. You can get to almost any point by local buses. There are no problems with accommodation and food in Kachanaburi. There are many hotels with different levels of amenities and prices, many cafes, bars, and restaurants.

The sights of the city and surrounding area are very interesting and educational. The most popular among tourists is the “Road of Death” excursion, in which the history and richness of nature, culture and pain of Europe and Asia are intertwined together.

Tourists from all over the world come to Thailand these days. But not everyone is attracted here by the world-famous resorts. Relatives of thousands of soldiers who died in Thailand during World War II want to see a forgotten jungle prison.

With the hands of prisoners of war, the Japanese built a railway crossing here. The Bridge over the River Kwai was made famous throughout the world by the film of the same name directed by Lin David. About the “road of death” report NTV special correspondent Airat Shavaliev.

Once every half hour, the hot sun seats are occupied by tourists, and the old locomotive begins to move. The driver can drive his train and with his eyes closed, he crosses this river for 30 years. All around is a familiar tropical paradise, with pleasure boats sailing below and elephants grazing. But the tourists of the old train are reserved and sad. They come here not to rejoice, but to mourn.

Somkiart Chamnankul, train driver: “My mother told me that on this bank there was a camp for prisoners of war, who were building a bridge under the guard of the Japanese. So many people died here.”

The original bridge supports have been preserved. The British, Australians, Americans and Dutch, even in captivity, built conscientiously. Prisoners of war began to be transported to the west of Thailand in 1942, when the Japanese needed a railway from Bangkok to Burma.

The whole world learned about the construction after the war thanks to the film “The Bridge on the River Kwai”. The march of prisoners of war from this picture is still required to be performed at parades.

Even the war memorial in Thailand consists of frivolous bungalows. One thatched building is authentic camp guard tower. The museum curator is more suitable for the role of an exhibit; she saw with her own eyes how the railroad of death was built. Shows a photograph of the doctor who saved her life, then a ten-year-old girl.

Exhaustive labor, heat and tropical diseases killed people at the construction site every day. They didn’t even have time to bury them. 16 thousand prisoners of war and 100 thousand local workers died.

The museum does not remain without visitors. A lot of Europeans, Australians and Americans come. There are both Japanese and Germans here.

What would local residents earn if not for the legacy of war? The River Kwai is the only tourist attraction in this part of Thailand. There is a museum on one bank of the river, and a military cemetery on the other.

Dozens of Thais are caring for the graves, trying to stop the riot of local nature. The cemetery is a corner of Europe in the middle of tropical forests. Modest tombstones recede into the distance; prisoners of war were reburied after the war.

The Book of Memory contains dozens of reviews. The British and Australians thank you for your attention to the graves. Actually, grieving over death is not in the Buddhist tradition, but Thais respect the grief of others. Besides, 15 dollars for the crossing is not extra money.

In 1942-1943, at the height of World War II, while the Soviet people were fighting the Germans and their allies, a completely different battle was taking place thousands of kilometers from Stalingrad and the Kursk Bulge. In the mountains of Burma and Thailand, under monsoon rains in the tropical jungle, overcoming cholera, malaria, dysentery, hunger and the monstrous cruelty of the Army of the Great Japanese Empire, a quarter of a million slaves built the railway. In just a year, the impossible task was completed, but the price for this most complex engineering project was paid at a terrible price. In total, more than 100 thousand prisoners of war and forced Asian workers died at this strategically significant construction site for Japan - 250 people for each of the 415 kilometers laid. The history of the Death Railway - in the review Onliner.by.

By 1942, the Empire of Japan was in a difficult situation. On the one hand, most of Southeast Asia was occupied: the Philippines, Indonesia, Manchuria, part of China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Hong Kong and even Singapore, the loss of which Churchill called “the worst disaster and the largest capitulation in British history.” Moreover, by the middle of the year the Japanese occupied Burma, coming close to India, the main pearl of the British crown. However, on June 4, 1942, the Imperial Navy suffered a crushing defeat at Midway Atoll, which became catastrophic for it and marked, as it became clear later, a turning point in the war in the Pacific.

Nevertheless, its outcome by the summer of 1942 had not yet been finally decided. In this regard, one of the important tasks (albeit unnoticeable against the backdrop of large-scale hostilities) facing the Japanese was to ensure unhindered supplies to occupied Burma. This British colony was to become a springboard for the coming attack on India. In addition, it was after its capture that Japan planned to cut off the supply channels of weapons and food for Chiang Kai-shek’s army, which fought against it in China.

The problem was that the Japanese were forced to supply their Burmese group only by sea, and after the defeat at Midway, this route was under threat. The imperial ships had no choice but to travel more than 3,000 kilometers, skirting the narrow and long Malay Peninsula and becoming easy prey for the Allied submarine fleet along the way in the Strait of Malacca and the Andaman Sea. The solution to the situation seemed to be simple: connect Bangkok and Rangoon, the capitals of Thailand and Burma, with a relatively short railway, making it the main source of supply for the army. However, the simplicity of this solution was deceptive.

The British thought about such a project in the 19th century, but after studying the route of the proposed railway, they shed tears and abandoned the idea. Between the Burmese town of Thanbyuzayat and the Thai town of Ban Pong, already connected to a functioning railway network, there were only about 400 kilometers, but only 200 of them were on conveniently flat terrain. In the depths of Thailand, the Tenasserim mountain range stood in the way of future builders, and the approaches to it were reliably blocked by seemingly impassable jungle and hundreds of streams, which turned into turbulent rivers during the rainy season.

The task of constructing a full-fledged railway line, albeit a single-track one, especially in an ultra-short time, looked impossible against such a background. This, of course, did not stop the Japanese, because they had free labor at their disposal, which could be easily sacrificed.

In total, for the construction of the Thai-Burma highway, the imperial army recruited about 60 thousand prisoners of war: British, Dutch, Australians and Americans. They were transferred from prisons and camps from all over the occupied territory of Southeast Asia: from Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines. However, the main labor force (and then the victims) of this inhumane project were the local residents of Burma and the Malay Peninsula.

They were called romusya (“laborers” in Japanese). It is curious that the Japanese initially tried to recruit them on a voluntary basis. The Malays and Burmese were promised mountains of gold: normal working hours, salaries, housing, food and a limited duration of the shift (three months). The first builders sometimes even went there with their families, wives and children. However, the number of volunteers quickly ran out, after those who left disappeared, not returning either after three months or after six months. After this, the Japanese began to practice forced recruitment of “unskilled workers.” For example, the following scheme was used: free film screenings were announced in Malaya, during screenings the cinemas were blocked by soldiers, and all men of suitable age were forcibly sent into the jungle, where they essentially became slaves.

The mortality rate among them was appalling. Although the Romus were much better adapted to the tropical climate than prisoners of war of the Allied powers, they were practically defenseless against epidemics of infectious diseases. The allies had their own doctors who had ideas about the need for quarantine, prevention and hygiene. The unfortunate Asians, who often could not read or write, did not suspect this. They were even kept in separate camps that had no sanitary infrastructure at all. Of the 180 thousand “laborers,” in total, attracted by the Japanese to the construction of the Death Road, more than half died, remaining forever in the jungles of Tenasserim.

The road was built simultaneously along its entire length, and its chances of survival directly depended on the conditions in which the victim was lucky or unlucky to find himself. In flat areas with relatively simple terrain and better food supplies, it was still possible to endure the hardships of construction. In the mountainous areas, in the jungle, the task became difficult to complete, especially for the Russians and especially during the period of the so-called “acceleration”. From April to August 1943, the Japanese, concerned about the speedy commissioning of the highway, repeatedly increased the length of the working day (sometimes up to 18 hours) and production standards. People died in the thousands every day.

The unfortunate builders had three main scourges: malnutrition, unbearable working conditions and especially illness. A significant number of prisoners, having made the trek on foot to their camp at some 280th kilometer of the road, were already exhausted. At the construction site, they were housed in open barracks made of bamboo. Each of these typical buildings housed about 200 people, and one of them accounted for about two square meters of space. However, this was only the beginning of their suffering.

In the lowland camps, food was relatively adequate. There they had the opportunity to set up their own gardens, growing additional vegetables for themselves. It was simply impossible to do this in the mountains. The basis of the diet was regular white rice. It seemed to be accompanied by vegetables and meat, but the former were often an ordinary green mass, and there was simply nowhere to get meat. Food was cooked in huge metal pans, but during the wet season, simply maintaining the fire became a big problem. There was not enough food, especially for people doing the hardest physical labor. One of the surviving British doctors wrote in his post-war memoirs: “Hunger has become a normal part of our lives. Food was like sex, we just tried not to think about it.”

Any water had to be boiled first, because the threat of epidemics constantly hung over the work camps. About a third of all deaths of prisoners of war (it is impossible to establish statistics for “laborers”) were caused by dysentery and diarrhea, another 12% by cholera, and 8% by malaria. The most terrible disease was tropical ulcer. An open wound could harbor special microorganisms that literally ate the victim alive. The salvation was the removal of infected tissue. Sometimes this was done with an ordinary spoon, someone lowered the injured limb into the water, where the dead flesh was eaten by fish, someone had to do amputation - all this, of course, without the necessary medications, equipment and anesthesia.

But among the prisoners of war, the Japanese at least allowed doctors to work. Doctors knew that if cholera was suspected, the patient needed to be isolated; they knew that water simply had to be boiled and spoons had to be sterilized. Prisoners of war had relative discipline, hierarchy, and organizational structure, which made it possible to maintain order in their environment and distribute additional food among those who especially needed it. Help and mutual assistance really mattered. The mortality rate among prisoners of war was significantly lower: out of 60 thousand people employed in the construction of the Thai-Burma railway, 16 thousand died.

The Japanese achieved their goal. In just one year - from October 1942 to October 1943 - the Death Road was built and completed two months ahead of schedule. What seemed impossible to British engineers of the 19th century was achieved. The bare hands of slaves, using only the most primitive tools, built not only 415 kilometers of railway track in the most difficult geographical and climatic conditions, they also built 60 stations with all the infrastructure necessary for the passage of trains, their maintenance, refueling with fuel and water.

Thousands of prisoners of war and unnamed Romus "laborers" broke through the Tenasserim mountain range at the cost of their own lives. The pass where many of them died was named Hellfire. "He deserves such a name,- Jack Choker, a former British prisoner of war who left behind dozens of drawings he made in that terrible year, wrote after the war in his memoirs. - After all, he looked, no, he was for us the living embodiment of hell.”

A quarter of a million people who passed through this hell in a year built as many as 688 bridges, the most famous of which was the bridge over the River Kwai, glorified in the famous 1957 epic drama directed by David Lean.

An important survival factor for these builders was the attitude of the soldiers of the imperial army towards them. In total, the labor camps were guarded by 12 thousand Japanese military personnel, among whom were 800 Koreans (Korea during these years was actually a colony of Japan). Indeed, in most cases (though not in all) they treated both prisoners of war and Rorus with exceptional cruelty. Physical punishment, sometimes even leading to the death of prisoners, was part of their daily life. However, this attitude was largely a consequence not of some primitive cruelty, but of the traditional Japanese mentality.

Part of Japanese culture was unquestioning submission to elders - not only in age, but also in rank. Orders from superiors should not have been discussed, they simply could not be discussed. They should only be carried out without thinking about the causes and consequences. The Emperor, revered as a god, needed this railway. This means that it had to be built - at any cost, regardless of any sacrifices.

In addition, the Japanese (especially Japanese soldiers) had a completely unique perception of military duty. According to their code of honor, a real Japanese had to die in battle, and surrender was considered a disgrace. They treated prisoners of war of the Allied powers in the same way. They were not worthy of respect and human treatment, because they surrendered, did not die for their country, their king, their president.

Physical punishment was an integral part of life in the Army of the Great Japanese Empire. A general could punish an officer, an officer could punish a soldier, a Japanese soldier could punish a Korean soldier, and they only had the opportunity to beat to death people who were at the lowest level in their hierarchy - prisoners of war or Romus. The builders of the railway between Thailand and Burma especially hated the Korean guards, because they were the most cruel.

At the same time, Japanese originality was expressed not only in such issues, but also in a completely unexpected way. For example, all prisoners on the construction of the Death Road received money for their work, albeit small. This was absolutely unthinkable for the European theater of war. Soviet soldiers who were captured by the Germans were not considered human beings. In the Thai mountains of Tenasserim, the British also died in the thousands, but at the same time they were all paid for their work - from dawn to dusk, among clouds of malarial mosquitoes, under torrential rains or scorching sun, eating rotten rice, and then dying from cholera. Money with which later the prisoners of war could buy at least a little extra food from local peasants or the Japanese themselves.

In Pattaya you can visit many excursions and interesting attractions. But for many years now, the first place in the tourist hit parade has been a trip to the legendary River Kwai. We also visited there and tried to understand the reasons for the phenomenal popularity of this place.

ON THE ROAD WITH THE CLOUDS

I slept well under the whisper of the rain and the rustling of bus wheels. I didn’t want to wake up at all, much less go outside. But the rain subsided for a while, it began to get lighter, and the drowsiness gradually dissipated. Outside the windows, landscapes, villages, and spirit houses along the roads changed every now and then.

The official religion of Thailand is Buddhism. But the everyday life of local residents is inextricably linked with animism. Simply put, belief in spirits. In order not to enter into disagreements, so to speak, with invisible forces, the Thais cajole them in every possible way. They bring flowers, incense, food and other gifts to the spirit houses.

In a farmer's house at one of the stops we get acquainted with the life of the local population. This is the outback. The villages have their own measured life. It seems that she has completely frozen here and time has completely stopped here. Children feast on sweets made from coconuts, women never cease to admire the vegetation and flowers. And the men smoke, discuss the life of Thais, which in the eyes of a foreigner looks very exotic.

LIFE ON THE WATER

But the real exotic awaits us ahead when we get to the floating market. We board the boats and set off on a boat trip. The shabby boats and muddy waters of the canals cause bewilderment among the pale-faced strangers: they say, where have we ended up? There is an answer to this: into the very thick of Thai life, real, without embellishment and all sorts of tinsel.

This is exotic! - my friend says with admiration. - Where else can you see something like this? Life on the water!

This is truly a unique water world. The banks of the canals are strewn with many benches. Here you can buy everything: from all kinds of souvenirs to local food. You look at all these boats, driven by both children and very decrepit old men, and you are amazed at the invisible harmony of their existence.
Stairs that are rickety from time and dampness lead from the houses to the water. A house on stilts is a traditional Thai housing. Since ancient times, such buildings have been saved from floods, besides, the height protects from snakes and insects, and small cracks in the floor provide a kind of ventilation. The air circulates, which allows you to maintain an acceptable temperature inside. And if you take a break from the water and plunge into history, there were times when the Thais transported their houses from place to place. If for some reason the peasant decided to leave the inhabited territory, he simply knocked out the piles, put his “house of cards” on a cart and changed his place of residence.

Houses located along the banks of klongs (“canals” in Thai) seem to us generally unacceptable for existence. But this is just an apparent perception. Inside they have a modern atmosphere: there is a sewer system, and household appliances... And don’t be surprised if you see a car parked nearby, which is by no means a cheap one.

TEAK FACTORY. WITHOUT A HIGHLIGHT

How can you do such monotonous work all day long? - we ask ourselves, looking at the paintings made by Thai masters. These are truly priceless works of art, especially considering that they were carved from a single piece of wood, without a single nail or screw.

At first glance, it may seem that Thais are lazy, in no hurry, never in a hurry, and lead a kind of half-asleep lifestyle. But this is not true at all. Huge wooden statues, massive tables, frames for mirrors and paintings, and the paintings themselves say otherwise. Rather, they even turn the slowness of the local population into a huge plus.

Not everyone can afford things made in a teak factory. These are exclusive items. Most often they are bought by various hotels, companies or simply very rich people, collectors. And it’s unlikely that a two-meter giant sculpture, a bulky bar counter or a huge rocking chair will fit into the interior of an ordinary apartment.

Watching wood carving. The master cannot be distracted, because he creates a masterpiece according to the drawings. If you make a mistake, you will have to change the entire creation - correct, say, a bird for some bush. Some paintings take from several months to several years to create. This is very painstaking work. But what we see on wooden canvases is amazing. The landscapes are made so skillfully that it seems that if you touch them, a stork frozen in the branches will fly up; if you touch them, a wooden elephant will come to life under the warmth of your hand.

ON ELEPHANT TRAILS

By the way, about elephants. It is common knowledge that Thailand is the land of elephants. And the very first, so to speak, duty of everyone who visits the kingdom is to certainly ride this majestic animal. There are a lot of different elephant shows all over the country. In them, animals show themselves as real artists. But here in the Thai village, everything is different. Of course, elephants are trained here too, and they also put on a mini-show. But riding through a real jungle on an elephant is something you won’t find in the city!

How not to fall from above: the height is considerable,” the timid blonde was worried.
“Oh, mommy, mommy,” the driver teased the girl.
The local elephant drivers - the Mons, a short people - have learned Russian words very well. And at every opportunity, be sure to use them.

We go into the jungle amid laughter and jokes. It started to rain again. The elephant slides with its massive feet on the sticky soil. Extreme! You can’t find another word.
Such a drive! - my neighbor exclaims, impressed.
Girl, why are you shaking? - everyone reassures the blonde. - Where else could you walk on an elephant in the rain, and even through a real jungle?!
An elephant never falls, someone shares their knowledge. - He has a kind of fat pad on his foot, with which he probes the ground and stands only where he feels support.

And the driver, after we asked his name and the name of the elephant, apparently decided that he had gained our trust. He pulled out a box from somewhere and offered to buy... diamonds! “Of course, they are real,” the short man assured us. Now it was our turn to laugh.

BRIDGE N277

We continue to joke at the next stop. It’s impossible not to laugh when you hear in broken Russian with a Thai accent: T-shirt, T-shirt, S-ka, M-ka, L-ka, shouts a local girl, who herself has already become a kind of attraction for tourists.

But the further we go from the souvenir shops, the more serious the faces become. It seems that sadness hangs like an unbearable weight in these places. We walk along the rails, step over the sleepers...
This railway was built to connect Bangkok and Burma during the Second World War. It was built by Asian convicts and European prisoners of war under Japanese control. The war spared no one - people died from unbearable working conditions and diseases. About 90 thousand Asian prisoners and 16 thousand prisoners of war laid down their heads in these parts. At first, the corpses were buried along the road itself; after the war, the remains were transferred to cemeteries. People paved a path through the impenetrable jungle, the length of which was more than 400 kilometers, 13 of which were bridges.

We are standing at bridge No. 277. We admire the landscapes, we are sad, realizing how much pain war brings into human life. It is no coincidence that the Thais installed a statue of Buddha in a cave next to the bridge - as if they decided to call on higher powers for help so that they would cleanse this land of grief, suffering and torment that the people who died here during the construction of the road felt.

The bridge connects the banks of the Khwe Noi River, known to us as Kwai. It is often and erroneously called a tributary of the Mekong. In fact, Khwe Noi and Khwe Yai (translated as “big and small tributary”) form another river - Maeklong.

It is difficult for us Farangs to correctly pronounce and, of course, hear the difference between the words “Mekong” and “Meklong”. Therefore, the entire world community happily seized on the new option proposed in Paul Boulle’s novel “The Bridge on the River Kwai.” The distorted name of the reservoir became famous in the Hollywood film adaptation of the work, and since then even the Thais prefer to call the river Kwaiem - so as not to go into the jungle of linguistics and geography.

WIDE RIVER, DEEP RIVER

We sit on the bank of the river, dipping our feet in the cool water, and are immediately warmed by warm water flowing from the springs. There are two of them: with warm and hot liquid. We splash, frolic, feeling the temperature changes. The local population bathes in clothes; there are separate fonts for the monks. Someone is trying to stay on their feet in stormy water, measuring their strength with the river. And the rest simply enjoy the serenity in the springs.

Then the girls dry their hair under a fan. We will have to spend the night in a pontoon hotel in the middle of the river. This is the outback, exotic, as noted above, and there are no hair dryers here. But there is wonderful air and good company!
And in the morning another extreme event awaits us - river rafting. So, the most prepared put on life jackets on their own, the most courageous try to figure out the fastenings of their swimming clothes themselves, and the most indecisive remain to watch what is happening from the sidelines.
With shouts of “ur-r-a-a-a!” everyone jumps into the water. "Crocodiles!" - some joker immediately shouts, trying to scare the ladies. While some enjoy swimming in the middle of the river, others, who chose to stay on the raft, are delighted with the waterfalls that our boat approaches.

ERAVAN

By the way, about waterfalls. There are a great many of them in Thailand.
Erawan, named after the mythical elephant, just like the animal, is huge, beautiful and, I would like to say, obedient. But no. Personally, Erawan showed us his obstinate disposition. At first we tried to avoid puddles and mud, looked for drier paths, looked at where to put our feet so as not to get dirty, but the rain gave us a real test.

Here, literally at the fifth point, a French woman and her boyfriend come down the hill. Both are up to their ears in mud, but happy and smiling. We looked at each other in bewilderment and asked: how far is the fifth level? Having received a vague nod to the side, we went in the same direction. Let's go, climb and climb, trying not to pay any attention to the dirt...

If it were dry, everything would be perceived differently,” my friend reasoned. - And such a drive probably would not have been felt.We really made our way through the jungle, the adrenaline was overwhelming. But the reward for labor and torment turned out to be truly magnificent! The purest water, amazing nature, fish are visible in the crystal of the reservoir. We laughed nonstop when these fish gave us a free manicure. The energy in this place is amazing. Having recharged ourselves with the power of nature, we began to return back with completely different emotions and thoughts. We looked with smiles at the people we met, who came into the jungle in white trousers and white sneakers, who, like us, first stepped with caution so as not to get into the mud. We were even more cheered up by the wild monkeys who were playing mischief in the trees and feasting on all sorts of sweets that the tourists generously treated them to.

Kapun ka,” we said goodbye to the park workers in Thai. And, probably, we left Erawan with the same Thai smile, realizing that for some time we had become part of this world of exoticism, harmony and tranquility. However, soon we were vigorously sharing, in a completely un-Thai way, impressions that literally a whole river had accumulated during these days - swift, eternal, unique...

And we continue to write about our 10-day trip to Thailand. The goal of getting to Kanchanaburi was not only the Tiger Monastery, but also the famous iron Death Road and Bridge over the River Kwai.

There are also places in Russia known for their difficult and tragic history, for example, our 501 construction site and others; in Thailand, this is the so-called “death railway”. It received this name after a huge number of people died here. But first things first.

Death Road in Thailand (Thai-Burmese Railway) and Bridge over the River Kwai

The Second World War was a difficult period in human history, when confrontations took place in many parts of the planet. At the beginning of the 20th century, Burma was a British possession, but Japanese troops recaptured it from the British during the 1942 war. In order to somehow supply their troops, the Japanese decided to build a railway connecting the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea by land. The original map can be downloaded.

And they succeeded - a little more than a year later the railway was built. Such rapid pace was ensured by the labor of thousands of convicts and prisoners, both from the local population and prisoners of war from Europe. The working conditions here, as you can imagine, were terrible, and tens of thousands of people died as a result.

During the war, the death road was destroyed, and to date only a part has been restored - from Bangkok to Nam Tok station.

You can easily come here for one day on your own from, if you leave the southern bus station or the Victory Monument early in the morning, you will return to the capital by evening. But we would recommend combining this with national parks, which are literally at hand here. These places are popular with package tourists, but they are mainly brought to the Bridge over the River Kwai.

Our journey began at the Kanchanaburi railway station - a small, nice building with bells on the platforms. Before the train arrives, a special person in uniform comes out and rings the bell, as if they had stepped back into the past. If it weren’t for a group of schoolchildren with phones and players, complete immersion :-)

Bell at Kanchanaburi Station

Only half of the carriages arrived from Bangkok - the second was already attached to Kanchanaburi - here they are standing on the platform

The train, in general, is an ordinary local one and is used by local residents for its intended purpose, but they also take tourists on rides.

Train arrives at Kanchanaburi station

Thai trains are not electrified, as you can see there are no wires!

The Thais' passion for beauty is amazing! They try to decorate any place somehow - they put flower pots on the platforms, it’s nice :-)

After departure, the train moves slowly through the city for some time towards the bridge over the River Kwai, but along some block parallel to the main street, surrounded by greenery.

Thai-Burmese Railway

We stop in front of the bridge, and the bulk of tourists enter. People hire local guides, or one per group - you can join the Europeans and listen :-)

We slowly stretch across the bridge, Thais are standing on the islands and waving))

The Bridge over the River Kwai was an important part of the Thai-Burmese railway, but it was blown up in 1944 during the fighting. However, the building was soon restored. By the way, the bridge received this name thanks to the feature film “The Bridge on the River Kwai”, which received as many as 7 Oscars! And the river was actually called Maeklong.

Next to the bridge there is a museum where you can look at the remains of the real structure, as well as other exhibits from the Second World War.

I love traveling by train - one of the best ways to explore the territory, see the real life of the country, and communicate with the locals. We pass through rice fields

Rice fields on the way to Nam Tok

The area is very different from southern Thailand, where we recently came from, it feels like it’s autumn, the vegetation is a little withered. The air here, by the way, is much drier.

At some point, the train emerges from the forest into the open air, and wonderful views open up to our eyes! River with resorts below

View from the train window on the death road

Thai girls also enjoy the scenery and us!

Death Road in Thailand

View of the River Kwai from a train window

Here we agreed that the area is very similar to the north of the Omsk region - like the Tara River, if not for palm trees and mountains on the horizon;-)

The River Kwai takes a turn

After all these beauties and panoramic views, most of the people left, and we drove further to Nam Tok station, overlooking such beauties - picturesque!

We've reached the final point - it's time to head out! Indeed, the paths further were overgrown with grass.

We have not yet decided how to get back to Kanchanaburi, but obviously not by train. Firstly, everyone has already seen it, and secondly, he won’t be back soon. So we found a place to have lunch in a tiny village and, in a good mood, went out onto the highway to catch a ride.

As happens with a good mood, after two minutes Boy stopped - as it turned out, our travel buddy and just a good guy. He spoke little English, we spoke little Thai, so the 2 hours of travel flew by!

Article on the topic: everything about Thai trains - classification, types of seats, prices, schedules

Bridge over the River Kwai and the Road of Death - useful information

The bridge over the Kwai is located in the city, how to get to it was written in the previous article at the link.

You can take the train directly from Bangkok, but not from the main one, but from Thonburi station, which is on the other side of the Chao Phraya River. There are 3 trains a day. The journey from start to finish takes 5 hours.

But the most beautiful views are located precisely on the section from Kanchanaburi to Nam Tok station, this is how we drove. The train departs from Kanchanaburi three times a day - at 06.07, 10.35 and 16.26, and spends 2 hours on the way to Nam Tok. The fare for foreigners does not depend on the distance and is fixed - 100 baht, either from Bangkok or between the last two stations. And the locals seem to buy at the usual cheap rate :-)

A complete timetable for trains on the Death Road hangs at the station in Kanchanaburi.

Death Road in Thailand - schedule