January 11, 2018

January 11, 2018

We stayed last night at a Thai resort north of Kanchanaburi, nestled in the jungle. Across the river are steep cliffs shrouded in mist. Aimee and I walked down to the Kwai River. I feel like I am in the movie!

From our hotel, we drove northwest up the Kwai River. Very quickly, the valley narrows and enters steep-sided heavily-forested mountains. No wonder the Burma Railway was not built until the 20th century. Our drive ends at Hellfire Pass Memorial tucked inside a grove of Teak trees. While the movie emphasizes the bridge construction, most of the labor and deaths occurred building the rail lines' mountainous stretches. Only nine died building the Kwai River bridge.

We start our exploration hiking along a section of the old rail bed that hugs a cliff-side cut. We end at Hellfire Pass, the deepest cut made in the mountain. It was dug through solid rock without power equipment. Excavation ran 24/7. The oil lamps and emaciated laborers gave this section its Hellfire Pass moniker.

Afterwards we returned to the entrance and toured the museum. The railway was constructed in just 20 months using 250,000 POW’s and conscripted Asians. It is believed 90,000 men may have died from starvation, beatings, and disease. This memorial is funded by the Australian government. It is also the only museum where we ever had to remove our shoes at the door.

Part of the Burma rail line is still in-use. From the Pass, we drove downstream to the terminus at Nam Tok. Along the way we made a brief stop at Saiyok Noi waterfall. Because of the travertine deposits, it reminds me of Havasu Falls which we visited last Spring. We also tried and bought some local snacks made from tamarind, plantains and tapioca.

Afterwards we have a Thai lunch and then board the train. The rail cars are very vintage. We ride the train through the most scenic mountainous section and then get off at Thamkasae where we watch the train pass along a cliff-side trestle. After a little shopping where Aimee and I both buy shirts we make the drive back to our hotel.