Our first stop was the war memorial and grave site, honoring all the men who died while working on the Bridge over the River Kwai, during their time as prisoners of war in Thailand. It was shocking that so many of the men were only in their early twenties.
Next, we visited the actually Bridge over the River Kwai. Construction of the Thailand-Burma Railway began on September 16, 1942 at two existing railroad terminals, one in Thanbyuzayat in Burma and the other in Nong Pladuk, Thailand, about 25 miles west of Bangkok, in the Ratchburi province. As early as 1939, the Japanese had drawn up plans to build the railway, which was to provide a supply line capable of transporting 3,000 tons of supplies per day to support their frontline troops in Burma. At that time, Japanese engineers estimated that the 257-mile line would take five years to build because of the harsh conditions and treacherous terrain. Much of the railway, particularly the roughly 175 miles of track that ran through Thailand, required high bridges (more than 600 along the entire line) and deep mountain cuttings. The railway was completed in just 16 months when the two separate lines joined 23 miles south of the Three Pagoda's Pass. But the cost was incredibly high.
Though records are sketchy, approximately 61,000 Allied prisoners of war are believed to have labored on the railway, including 30,000 British, 18,000 Dutch, 13,000 Australian, and 700 American soldiers. An estimated 16,000 of those troops died, many of them from diseases like cholera, beri beri, malaria, and typhoid, most during an intensified period of construction known as "speedo" that commenced in January 1943. Another 200,000 Asian laborers, mostly Thai, were forced to work on the railway. More than 80,000 lost their lives.
The railway operated for just 21 months before it was crippled by Allied weapons, including the revolutionary radio-controlled AZON bomb. Most of the railway was dismantled soon after the war's end with the rest lost to the Thai and Burmese jungles.
We spent the day visiting the memorial, museums, the bridge, and riding the Death Railway. We boarded the old train and spent the two hour journey picturing what it would have been like to build this railway over the steep passes we were chugging over. Unimaginable really. As I looked out the window I see a guy running beside the train, who looked like Ian. Wait a minute! It WAS Ian! I look the other way and see Brent hanging out one of the train doors. He's dropped his flip-flop off the train, and without hesitation, Ian jumped off, grabbed it, and jumped back on again! Everyone was just staring at him like he was crazy. Ian, as usual was loving it.
The next day we walked the trail through Hell Fire Pass, where so many of the prisoners died. After such an intense morning, our day picked up as we spent the afternoon elephant riding. With our guides, we plodded along until all of a sudden, Brent's guide jumped off the elephant and left it all up to Brent. Ian and I turned around to watch Brent's runaway elephant take off in the opposite direction, with Brent on top with a huge grin on his face, and not a care in the world. Just call him Mowgli. Next, we went to the tiger park, run by monks, where we were actually allowed to pet the tigers! You don't realize how HUGE they are until your right up close. Nothing has ever happened to a tourist at the park before, but that didn't stop me from picturing my face in the next days paper, as the first casualty.
Kanchanaburi was amazing. So much history and so beautiful. I highly recommend seeing the movie: Bridge over the River Kwai
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