10 O’clock Cafe, Kanchanaburi, Fujifilm Industrial 400
Nikon FM2 | Fuji Industrial 400
The River Khwae
Nikon FM2 | Fuji Industrial 400
The Bridge on the River Kwae
Nikon FM2 | Fuji Industrial 400
Mae Nam Khwae Yai, Fuji Industrial 400
We decided to have desert for breakfast (my idea) in the delightful 10 O’clock cafe and then wandered along Mae Nam Khwae Road until we got to Thanon Sud Chai which turns into this bridge which spans the River Kwai. It was nice.
The Kwai River is pronounced “kway” but it was frequently mispronounced by non Thai-speaking people as ‘Kwai” which means buffalo. This gave rise to the spelling. The river was originally named Mae Khlong and none of the bridges in existence today were featured in the famous David Lean film. The stretch of river that the new bridges span was renamed Khwae Yai (meaning “big tributary”) to cash in on the film’s fame.
The bridge is part of a railway line that became known as the “Death Railway” due to the fact that over 100,000 human beings died constructing it.
Japanese military officials were tried as war criminals for crimes they committed during the building of the railway. Thirty two of them were found guilty and sentenced to death. No reparations or compensation has been paid by the Japanese government and non has been paid by the Thai government who were part of the Axis until the end of the war.
Sadly the Thais have shamelessly cashed-in on tourism to Kanchanaburi through associations with the film.
Nikon FM2 | Fuji Industrial 400
Ordinary Train No. 259 – Thonburi to Kanchanaburi
Nikon FM2 / Fuji Industrial 400
Our Kanchanaburi trip started at Thonburi railway station. The station is actually the old Bangkok Noi station as the old Thonburi station was given to Mahidol University a few years ago. The Ordinary trains 257 and 259 terminate at Nam Tok.
The trip is classed as a “tourist train” which means the SRT charge tourists B100 for any journey on it regardless of the length. It’s not cool but, whatever, it’s still a snip and a nice journey and if you’ve ever visited a national park or a historical monument in Thailand you’ll know it’s not the only way the Thai Government shamefully rinse tourists. I wouldn’t recommend the journey in March.