The most famous – and arguably scenic – spot along this infamous stretch of
the "Death Railway" is of course the bridge that crosses the Khwai Noi river
close to the town of Kanchanaburi – better known as the Bridge on the River
Kwai, immortalised in the 1957 David Lean film of the same name.
Adrian at 24 with his brother Jerry on the bridge
While largely a reconstruction, the bridge today is a huge tourist draw,
attracting some three million visitors a year.
I have visited it twice: once as a 24-year-old backpacker on a day trip from
Bangkok and once, more than two decades later, as a passenger on board the
rather more luxurious Eastern Oriental Express making its way from
Bangkok to Singapore.
On both occasions I was struck by the physical beauty of the area (the latter
journey involved travelling over the wonderfully picturesque wooden trestle
viaduct at Tham Krasae) – and the immense difficulty building the bridge
must have entailed.
The grim details are sensitively presented in the excellent Death Railway
Museum and Research Centre in Kanchanaburi. Here, through a graphic
assortment of photos from the time, artefacts and moving testimonies of
survivors captured on film, is the story of how the railway was built as
Japan sought to provide a new supply route to its troops in Burma and
consolidate and expand its grip on the whole of Asia.
Some 60,000 prisoners of war (mainly British, Australian and Dutch) were
involved in the construction of the railway – as well as almost three times
as many indentured Asian labourers (who, I was told, were treated even more
appallingly).
Toiling in searing heat and subjected to systemic torture, the conditions in
which they worked were unimaginably harsh, and by the end, an estimated
100,000 had died, including more than 6,000 British servicemen.
A large number of the latter have been laid to rest in the immaculately
preserved Kanchanaburi war cemetery in which simple headstones have been
inscribed with messages such as "To live in the hearts we leave behind is
not to die" (W.E. Adams, Royal Artillery, 24. 5 November, 1942).
It is hard sometimes to reconcile the experiences more commonly associated
with travels – a pleasurable concoction of cultural sights, scenic
splendours, over indulgence and lots of lounging and lazing – with the more
harrowing realities of some of the atrocities that have happened in, or
close to, the very same places we are visiting.
But inevitably such encounters enrich and inform.
And they are as nothing compared with those of Lomax himself, who, more than
50 years after his ordeal, returned to the Bridge on the River Kwai to meet
one of his Japanese tormentors, Nagase Takashi - and to forgive him.
How to see the River Kwai
Train from Bangkok
Kanchanaburi can be visited as a day trip from the Thai capital. The best way
to do so is by taking a seat on the Death Railway itself (3rd class tickets
cost around £2). Two trains a day leave Bangkok from Thonburi station. The
journey takes you over the River Kwai Bridge and runs along the Kwai Yai
before crossing the striking Wampo (Wang Po) Viaduct and heading to Nam Tok.
For more information see seat61.com.
Eastern Oriental Express from Singapore
Those wanting a luxurious delve into the past can take the Eastern
Oriental Express train from Singapore. Hayes and Jarvis (www.hayesandjarvis.co.uk)
offers a nine-day tour, including two nights on the train, from £1669 per
person, including a talk about the Thailand-Burma railway by a local
historian.
The train also stops in Kuala Lumpur when passing through Malaysia.
Tailor-made to Kanchanaburi
Audley Travel (www.audleytravel.com)
offers tailor-made tours that can arrive in Kanchanaburi by river on a
colonial boat. There are also options to vary the trip by visiting the
nearby Erawan National Park – a haven for elephants and birds. Prices
available on request.
Where to stay
The FloatHouse River Kwai (www.thefloathouseriverkwai.com)
resort has thatched riverside lodges fitted with drapes and decked balconies
overlooking the water. It's only accessible by boat but makes a scenic base
from which to explore the region. Doubles start at £147.
Alternatively, the RS Hotel (www.rshotelkanchanaburi.com)
is a 5-minute drive from the centre of Kanchanaburi, with smart rooms an
orchid garden and a swimming pool. Doubles from £21 a night.
http://www.information.myanmaronlinecentre.com/the-railway-man-visiting-thailands-bridge-over-the-river-kwai/
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