About 120 kilometres northwest of Bangkok, nestled against the Myanmar border, lies the province of Kanchanaburi. The province’s capital town – perhaps a little confusingly, also known as Kanchanaburi – is home to some 30,000 residents and swollen all-year-round with a never-ending tide of tourists. Notoriously, the province is home to the Death Railway – the Burma-Thailand line built by prisoners-of-war under the watchful eyes of the Japanese occupying forces of World War II.
To many, it will be best known for its starring role in The Bridge On the River Kwai, the 1957 movie that told the tale of the construction of this infamous project. The movie, though, was actually filmed in Sri Lanka – although The Deer Hunter, Michael Cimino’s 1978 Academy Award-winning film, genuinely was filmed here.
Over the years, historians – and politicians of various hues – have taken issue with The Bridge On the River Kwai’s take on this controversial episode. Both its geography and its depiction of the inhumane conditions of the POWs toiling over its construction have been greatly disputed.
Today, the bridge seen by many visitors is not the original one. That was bombed several times by the Allies back in 1945. In fact, even the railway line itself no longer exists, closed in 1947 when it proved economically nonviable in peace time. Some sections of it, however, were re-opened in 1957.
In many ways, it is its symbolism that makes the bridge quite so significant today. The war fought here was brutal and even the tourist recreation of the original bridge remains a testament to that. The events that took place here some 70 years ago still define the area, though the many that come to revisit the past, often find themselves transfixed by the present, enraptured by the incredible landscapes and unique wildlife that abound here.
The war, though, remains omnipresent. Close by the bridge is the JEATH War Museum. It takes its name from an acronym of the forces from Japan, England, Australia and America, Thailand and Holland who laboured, fought and fell here. It houses a small but memorable collection of war relics – guns, Japanese swords, uniforms, money and photos. The fact that it looks like it hasn’t been touched since it opened in 1977 only adds to its charm.
The English translations of the captions to the collection are often hand-painted on the walls and typically too long to read. This simple presentation, though, and the way that the items have been left unmaintained actually gives them an authenticity missing in many Western museums.
In terms of travelling around the wider region, although a rail line still stretches out to Kanchanaburi, no trains pass over the famous bridge. In fact with only two trains a day heading out from Bangkok, travelling by rail is seldom a really viable option in this particular part of the world.
A better bet is the rather more frequent bus service – first class with air conditioning and fewer stops, then the second and third class options with reduced comfort and a lower likelihood of arriving at your desired destination. These services leave Bangkok several times a day and typically cost around 100 Thai baht (HK$22). It’s also easy to hire a taxi for the whole trip, which shouldn’t cost more than about HK$650. Alternatively, for about HK$110 day, you can hire a car from one of Bangkok’s more reputable auto leasing companies.
The journey between Bangkok and Kanchanaburi town inevitably sees you hit pockets of local traffic on the narrow highways, prolonging the journey somewhat. The flexibility of having a hire, though, will be the envy of many of those confined to the buses. Overall, the province extends some 225 kilometres, running from the bridge to the Three Pagodas Pass on the border between Thailand and Myanmar, with a host of spectacular sites to savour along the way.
Kanchanaburi town will inevitably prove the ideal place to start your visit. Small and with an ever-shifting population of backpackers, it still maintains that uniquely Thai vibe. While there are no five-star hotels here, there are a number of well-run and comfortable places to stay set along the river, many of them offering the ideal locale to watch the sun go down. These establishments range from the modest Good Times Resort to the more upmarket U Inchantree Kanchanaburi, with plenty of others falling somewhere in between.
A bustling night market runs throughout the week, one clearly geared more towards the locals than the tourists. With sleepy fruit-stalls lining the road, there’s something timeless and uniquely charming about Kanchanaburi. Throughout its stretches of barely touched land, you can find waterfalls, caves and fast-running rivers with clean, fresh water.
By contrast, the winter here is so dry that forest fires are commonplace. The charcoal remains of such blazes – brief or otherwise – can be found scattered throughout the hills. It all makes for a suitably savage backdrop to the area, an ever-present reminder of its history of conflict and bloodshed. Surprisingly, though, many of the POWs confined here found that this manifestation of nature at its rawest was the one thing that kept them going. Indeed, many vowed to one day return and revisit it in happier times.
It is perhaps such sentiments that have allowed the region to come to terms with its troubled past, without ever trying to forget it. Indeed, there are reminders everywhere – notably the Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum, one of the best maintained repositories of its kind to be found locally.
Established back in 1998 by the Australian Government, it’s dedicated to all of those who lived, worked and died on the Death Railway, regardless of their ethnic or national origins. Also known as the Konyu Cutting, a small podium nearby provides a view out over the grassland the rail line skirts.
In the eerie semi-silence, broken only by buzzing insects, it’s hard to imagine this landscape was once alive with enforced labourers using their bare hands to build such an historic railway, enduring both searing heat and 100 days of monsoon rain.
At the entrance of the memorial, a small building gives visitors the chance to watch videos and peruse photos and relics from those bygone days. Tellingly, though, a sign informs all-comers that it is the cutting and the rail tracks that are the real museum.
Getting away from this history and deeper into nature is also surprisingly easy. In fact, many visitors find themselves spoilt for choice. The Sai Yok Noi Waterfall is only about 19 kilometres from Hellfire Pass, although the locals maintain that Erawan – set within the Erawan National Park – is actually far more beautiful.
Erawan’s seven-tiered falls are said to resemble Airavata, the three-headed white elephant who bears Indra on his back in Hindu mythology. Fittingly then, the park itself is home to a number of wild elephants, as well as tigers, deer and gibbons. It is unlikely, however, that even the stealthiest of visitors could ever move deep enough into the forest to actually be able to make an encounter with many of them.
A visit to the waterfalls is best made in June or July, when the water flows more freely. If you visit later in the summer, though, you may find the upper tiers closed for safety reasons. Each tier has a name and the best is Phu Pha Erawan, set some 1.5 kilometres from the bottom and only accessible by a fairly steep hike up through slippery rocks and tangled tree roots. Forming the seventh tier, it has the best rock pools and the clearest water – frosty blue and enriched with minerals. It is ideal for a cool swim or a complimentary fish spa courtesy of the exotic specimens that inhabit every level of the waterfall. For a more authentic experience, true nature lovers should opt to spend a night in the park, renting one of the simple fan-equipped cabins closeby the falls.
A still better way to get to the heart of the province, though, is to stay along the river itself. Several floating hotels are moored along the Khwae Noi river, grouped where it actually fringes the Sai Yok National Park.
While its not easy to find the small pontoon where long-tail boats ferry guests back and forth, it’s worth the effort. Once you are aboard one of the floating hotels, you won’t want to return to dry land any time soon. Surrounded by water and jungle, it takes less than a day to fall into a truly natural rhythm.
The pick of the bunch is the River Kwai Jungle Raft, an award-winning eco-floatel. Although lacking an electricity supply, both dinner and breakfast are included in the price, while its kerosene lamps amply light the way at night – 21st century natives be warned, however, the whole place is smart-device-charging point free.
While this bamboo lodge is connected to a sand bank, this is submerged at high tide, leaving residents temporarily cut off. There is, though, more than enough things on board to keep them diverted – a large dining room and a series of rooms spread along the river, each with an almost obligatory hammock. There is also a front deck from where many guests pass the time simply diving in and out of the cool, fresh river.
At night, the floatel offers traditional Mon dances – graceful performances inspired by the flora of Mynamar. The sky above – stunningly starry and clear – is, however, by far the best entertainment.
By day, visitors can try out a number of river activities including bamboo rafting, or simply relaxing. In the misty, early morning you can also sometimes glimpse the locals riding elephants to work.
To ease your transition back to dry land, strawberry picking is a fine diversion during the winter months. There are also a number of explorable caves in the area, though some, such as those at Erawan National Park, are closed to the public. It is worth exploring the Lawa Cave, which is set close to the River Kwai Jungle Rafts and features a host of stalagmites and stalactites dotted throughout its various chambers.
Closer to Kanchanaburi town is the Kra Sae Cave. This is sacred to the locals and houses several depictions of Buddha. It’s near to the remaining traces of the Death Railway and even a more modern line goes there, though times and journey durations tend to be somewhat on the unpredictable side.
A few days in the Kanchanaburi province is barely enough. There’s just so much to explore – especially in the border areas – and rushing would seem an affront to the area’s ancient solemnity. Like so much of this region, its bloody history is thinly buried beneath its tourist-friendly veneer, abiding and ever-present beside the genuine welcome of the locals. Scratch a little deeper, though, and the Death Railway is just a few stops down the line in this timeless wilderness.