Tuesday 21st Nov to Wednesday 22nd. Kanchanaburi and Hellfire pass
I drive ‘quick quick’ said the driver. We were relieved, as a succession of cancelled Grabs this morning in Bangkok central meant we had missed the planned early train from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi. Backup plan involved booking a 3 hour bus ride, on the hoof, which arrived a couple of hours later than we wanted. So much for enjoying this travel planning lark! Despite our wishes for slow travel a few excursions demand that we are where we are supposed to be when required. PY guest house (our accomodation in Kanchanaburi) came to the rescue as Mrs PY already knew what we wantd to do (it is what everyone does) and immediately arranged a taxi driver to get up us up to Hellfire Pass and then ensure we got the train back from Nam Tok to River Kwai bridge station. The last train back was at 3.30pm and that was one we really did not want to miss.
Most everyone has heard about the bridge over the River Kwai. Hellfire Pass, about 1 hours drive further north, is the notorious cutting that symbolises the inhumane treatment of PoWs and the brutal expectations of their Japanese captors towards the end of WW2. It is now a monument to the mostly British, Australian, Dutch and American POW’s and the Romusha, the local Burmese, Malay and Tamil men initially recruited with false promises of high pay and latterly press-ganged into service. The total dead numbered well over 100,000, killed while being forced to build the railway line connecting Thailand and Burma in a single year during Japan’s bid for supremacy in Asia during the second World War. This was our reason to detour to Kanchanaburi before going north.
Australia has stepped up to develop a genuine memorial which remains free to enter at the site of the notorious pass. The recorded memories of the men who survived, the few photos which were taken at great risk and the cutting itself make the place sombre but still beautiful. Hellfire Pass is a 75 meter section of the original railway that was cut through granite by hand tool (hammer and tap) and sheer human cost. Although the planned track was completeed and used before the end of the war the tracks in this section were lifted at the instruction of the British in 1947 after they had done what was possible at the time to recover bodies. There was not much in the way of trust regarding the end of hostilities and the complted railway line was seen as a possible threat. Up to Nam Tok, just south of Hellfire Pass the line was left in tact and it was sold back to Thailand with the income going to the countries that had been plundered for the raw materials. This track is now part local train service and part tourist as it runs alongside the river Kwai back into Kanchanburi. The beauty of the scenery especially from the train is at odds with the horror of the track’s origins.
We get off the train back at Kanchanaburi – at the bridge made famous by the film. Since the 1980’s there has been concerted effort to record memories – maybe buried or at least not openly discussed until it felt safer to do so when cultures were more encouraging. Now there are memorials on both ANZAC DAY, 25th April, at the pass itself and also on November 25th when the bombing of the bridge is remembered. The Railway Museum, a mile or so away next to the beautifully maintained war graves cemetary, is impressive with the many perosnal stories it relates. The cemetry is well cared for and a place of quiet. Weirdly there is also a local beer garden for locals and tourists called the Prison Concentration Camp next to the bridge, which seems completely inappropriate even in a non PC country- still I guess it takes all sorts.
Back at PY the looking after continues. Mrs PY sorts out some sightseeing for our last day and Mr PY takes us to the nightmarket – he also points out the best stall for Pad Thai. None of this is in the ridiculously low cost of our room and nothing is asked for in return except that we enjoy their hospitality and their town. Which we do. We are at the less touristy end of town and the nightmarket is for locals. After a beer, some snacks and me ordering something intended for cooking at home – and therefore inedible – we move to the recommended Pad Thai stall and then go to bed overfull!
The following day we switch ‘quick quick’ for a ‘slow slow’ Tuk Tuk. Tim risked vertigo as we sampled the glass skywalk and took in breathtaking views of the river and the mountains. We watched the train come over the bridge and walked its length while being observed by the very Australian tourist police officer – bonds are obviously still strong.
Back to the bus depot and a van back to Bangkok in time to board the overnight train to Lampang, North Thailand. We had missed the sleeping berths so we are feeling a bit anxious about our second class seats … but a few beers at the closest restaurant we can find to the spangly new station help
The train is fine – it is full but thank goodness we are in Second class with car like seats and plenty of leg room. Third class is a hard and unyielding banquette with no personal space whatsoever. Eventually manage some sleep between 3 and half 5 remembering the kindness of the Thai people we have recently met and then wake to a beautiful sunrise guiding us into Lampang, the oldest capital of this area of Thailand although overshadowed now by Chiang Mai. As we are one of a few westerners getting off the Chang Mai train early we are hoping to get off the tourist track for a short while.
