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Bridge over River Kwai

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jurgen
jurgen
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4 out of 5
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Bridge over River Kwai

  • July 2, 2002
  • Rated 4 of 5 by Birute from Vilnius, Lithuania
Bridge over River Kwai

The most interesting tour in Thailand for me was the tour to Kanchanaburi province. Nice nature, people and interesting historical sights from World War II. Spanning the River Kwai, about 3 km north of Kanchanaburi town center, the iron bridge is part of the 'Death Railway', built by the Japanese during World War II as a supply route linking Thailand and Burma. An estimated 16,000 prisoners of war and 100,000 Asian coolies perished as a result of brutal treatment, starvation, disease and exhaustion during the 16 months it took to complete the 415-km railway. Allied bombs destroyed the original bridge in 1945.

From journal You can feel - you are the king!

Editor Pick

Bridge over River Kwai

  • May 16, 2002
  • Rated 4 of 5 by Keener from Oro, Ontario
Bridge over River Kwai

Kanchanaburi, a two hour drive from Bangkok, is the home of the famous black iron bridge which was brought from Java by the Japanese and reassembled by Allied prisoners-of-war as a part of the "Death Railway" between Burma and Thailand. Frequent bombings in 1945 damaged the structure but when the war ended it was rebuilt and is still in use today. Second World War-vintage steam engines and a road/rail car form a small railway museum at the eastern end of the bridge.

A Japanese War Memorial can be found just south of the bridge. Bus, rail, and tour vans connect to Kanchanaburi daily from Bangkok. A guided tour including transportation in a van cost about 750 baht (less than $20US). Rail trips can be taken over the remaining stretch of the "Death Railway". The track crosses a wooden viaduct over the river which clings precariously to a steep, cave-ridden cliff. The trip makes clear the difficulties experienced when constructing the tracks.

Each year in late November or early December River Kwai Bridge Week gives people a chance to visit historical displays, ride the vintage trains, watch a nightly sound and light show and take part in a carnival complete with sideshows, folk entertainment and rides.

People walk over the bridge between train times. There are small platforms on either side of the tracks so you can step aside if your timing is off.

From journal No elephants please!

Editor Pick

River Kwai Death Railway

  • March 13, 2002
  • Rated 4 of 5 by nmagann from Ventura, California
River Kwai Death Railway

North of Bangkok this tour began with a stop at a World War II cemetery (tombstones with ages of 18 years old that had died), then onto the World War II Museum that is located right near the River Kwai Bridge. Here models, photographs and writings told the story of how prisoners of the Japanese (Americans, Australians, etc.) were jailed in rail cars and forced to work on a new bridge that crossed the Kwai River. Thousands died during this time from disease, malnutrition and exhaustion. Allied forces were closing in on the Japanese and this was going to be the method for transporting supplies. When the allied forces were noted flying above, the Japanese told the prisoners to wave their hands in the air. In spite of this, a bomb was dropped, destroying the bridge as well the emaciated prisoners. After the museum we walked across (repaired) that had been destroyed. On both sides were well maintained longboats and speedboats as well as shops showing no signs of the past. Our van drove us to the Tha Kilen Rail Station to board an hour-long train trip to Nam Tok with views of the Kwai River. Along the way a sign indicated a prisoner’s work camp, which had been turned into an exclusive out of the way resort. It was strange how the cemetery with rows and rows of small tombstones and the photographs at the museum brought tears to my eyes and yet all around me life seemed not only to go on, but to actually prosper. On a light note, on the return trip we stopped at a waterfall for about an hour. This is an all day tour from 7:00 to 4:00 costing about $22.

From journal Bewildered in Bangkok

Editor Pick

Bridge over River Kwai

  • February 25, 2001
  • Rated 3 of 5 by akakd from , Arizona
Bridge over River Kwai

The Bridge over River Kwai was built in 1942 when Japanese decided to build a 260 mile railway linking Burma & Thailand, guaranteeing an unbroken link between the Japanese base in Singapore & the Indian front. Hundreds of thousands of laborers from the region, along with 60,000 allied prisoners of war were forced to work under inhuman conditions in order to complete the Kanchanaburi section through mountainous jungle territory. More than 90,000 laborers (coolies) & 16,000 prisoners of war died during construction of the railway, giving rise to the name 'Death Railway'. Unbelievably, the bridge was used only once by the Japanese in their invasion of India. It was bombed by Allied Forces in 1945. Today, a bridge stands firmly in it's place in a picturesque setting in Kanchanaburi. You can walk across this bridge, however, wooden planks are narrow & we found ourselves looking for one of the side overlooks when a train began coming in our direction.

From journal Bustling Bangkok

Editor Pick

Bridge over the River Kwai

  • October 3, 2000
  • Rated 4 of 5 by jurgen from Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
Bridge over the River Kwai

About 100km west of Bangkok is Kanchanaburi. A high quality road leads to this town with its famous bridge. It's a bit weird when you realize how easy it is for us to reach this place, when in the WWII 1000s of prisoners of war died here of malaria and starvation building this bridge. We all know from the movie. The original bridge is no longer there, it was destroyed in the war. Still, looking at the new bridge is very impressive. To get a better impression of the hard conditions the POW's had to work in, I advise a boat trip along the railroad line. This will not only show you the bridge but also the other wooden structures along the hills in the forest. In the village of Kanchanaburi is also a well kept war cemetery. Allied soldiers from countries like Great Brittain, Australia and Holland found their peace here.

From journal Bangkok, city of gold, temples and sex

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