Today I visited the Kanchanaburi Death Railway museum and cemetery, which are within easy walking distance of my guest house (where I had the best museli, fruit & yoghurt yet for breakfast!). [View from my room on the river]
The museum tells the story about how the Japanese tried to expand their kingdom into the rest of Asia in the early 1940's and about the railway that thousands of POW's died building and how it was integral to the Japanese effort...
The cemetery across the road is a memorial and final resting place of some of those who were burieid in POW camps all along the length of the rail line. It is yet another sobering experience when you see just how many soldiers from many nations, were slave driven in horrendous conditions and with practically no food, water or medical care, in order to build an amazing railway line through some of the worst terrain!
After that I took a ride up to the north of town to see the bridge over the river kwai. It wasn't as busy as I expected it to be, so it was quite nice to walk over it and have a good look around.
I'll book a tour later to take a trip to see Erawan falls (the famous 7 tiered falls), Hellfire pass and museum and then catch the train back down the line, over the river Kwai and home. I'm not so sure about swimming in the falls pools now though, after meeting yet another quality Aussie guy last night (John, a 6'3" pro level rugby union player from Brisbane), who said when you're trying to climb out at the slippery pool edge, loads of big fish nibble at your feet! If they had him kicking out in panic then it might not be fun! Lol.
I'll probably book an afternoon visit to the Tiger Temple for Saturday too, I figure it must be safer with more people there, if the tigers go nuts and start attacking, I can use someone small as a shield/bait to escape! ;)
Not sure what I'll do tonight, getting fed up with beer now, Lol! Might eat and then chill out back at my little resort with a book for a change...
Ta ta for now!
Oh yeah, happy valentine's day to all those girls that are waiting for me at home... Lol! ;p
Sloggs
