Bridge Over the River Kwai, Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand

5poeinscotland 5:00 PM Nov 25, 2020

Sharing the misery of the Bridge on River Kwai
Imaging the effort in a state of near death to be forced to do physical labor on a construction project of this kind, in this heat, in these conditions. Beyond my comprehension. I am honored that history and posterity left me with the recovery of artifacts and evidence of that period. I met a few people of the local population who had local relatives who passed on stories of the events, too horrible even then to save in the memory. Every time I visit, this third time from my condo in Chon Buri, I take more informaton with which I process still more new information. Like many hugh projects in Thailand, regardless of how big, or how remote, River Kwai (aka: Kwae (Quay) bridge is a dynamic exhibit that changes and grows with the years. I am a retired U. S. Air Force structural repair engineer, so each rivet, each layer of metal, each foot of track I can feel like no other visitor can. Then, we are separated by modern bounderies of nations, race, and experience from those the make all of this meaningful or not to the visitor.

3Voyager720269 5:00 PM Mar 6, 2023

Take the trip……but be aware of the journey time
We traveled with a small group booking from Bangkok with pick ups at several hotels. Pick up was 6.00 am, on time and a reasonably comfortable mini bus. The guide was well prepared and informative giving good background information and facts prior to reaching the destination stops. The war cemetery is poignant and moving, the museum could be more emotive as it really doesn’t convey the atmosphere of a POW camp, the bridge itself is impressive in the context of the construction and the train journey is worth it, particularly in the final stage. However, the whole experience was seriously dampened by the hours spent getting there and back. The tours are sold with a‘nominal’ 2-3 hours travelling……we doubled that on the return!! Bangkok is just solid traffic from miles out and progress was so slow that my wife and I, both mid 70’s, decided to get out and walk back to our hotel…..a 15 minute walk that saved us at least another hour in a mini bus !!! Take the trip…….but be prepared for a long, frustrating and tedious journey!