Kanchanaburi: The Bridge of River Kwai

If I were to list out all the destinations, I went on this Hua Him Familiarization Trip with TAT (Tourism Authority of Thailand), you'll be so confused and close off the page than to read it.

But I'm going to name you a few anyway.

The trip started from Bangkok, and then we headed down to Suphan Buri -> Kanchaburi -> Ratchaburi -> Petchaburi -> Hua Hin (in Cha Am), and finally returning to Bangkok.

So I checked into my Amari hotel in Bangkok, a taxi ride from where I was staying in Din Daeng.




I like this hotel because you know that it's designed for business travelers.

I could just sit in and start typing away on their working table and chair, and the fax machine was just next to the table, along with internet cable.




It was my second fam trip of the month (October 2008) so I wasn't particular about my fashion during this travel trip. I decided to keep it to minimum. :)


Shirt and khakis


I loved Bangkok hotels because most of them were able to provide its residents with lovely night views.




For this particular hotel, I admired their creativity for a breakfast menu order list door hanger.




Wasn't it genius? Basically you just write in the night what you want to eat the next morning and hang it on the door knob outside your bedroom door before 4am, and poof! you're breakfasts served at your bed the next morning. :D

I also liked the fact that they have these nifty little donation packet for you when you check out and have spare coins to put in for charity.







I inserted a note inside (forgot how much) when I checked out.

The hotel gave me a tour around their presidential suite and club lounge on the top floor.




Sigh, when oh when will I ever have the chance to sleep in a presidential suite on my own expense? I would like to think soon, but I guess the real answer is never.




Like jeez, the amount I'm paying for a night here, I might as well take it and go shopping for a whole day.

But it's nice to have your own club lounge right outside your suite with breakfast served in the morning.







No need to mix with everyone else on the ground floor and have a spectacular view to chill in.







Cookies anyone?

We departed for Suphan Buri in the morning to visit the Golden Dragon Museum and Pah Leh Lai Temple.







The museum was incomplete, so we stood outside and took photographs.




Then we proceeded to one of the main highlights on the trip, the River Kwai Bridge (aka Death Railway) in Kanchanaburi.




The railway was built from 1942 to 1943 under the commands of the Japanese, who gathered tenth of thousands of prisoners of the war, consisting mostly of Americans, Australians, Dutch and the British, to construct the Death Railway that linked Burma and Thailand.




A near 90% of the prisoners died from the ordeal.




I visit the Jeath Way Museum in this region. It was very enlightening while at the same time saddening. The punishments, incredible ill-treatments received from the Japanese by these prisoners were inhumane.

Quoted from Wiki:

The acronym JEATH stands for the five main nationalities involved in the construction of the railway: Japanese, English, Australian, Thai and Holland.

There were photos of the olden days (taken by the Japanese) displayed in the Museum, you can see these white people in their bare skin, getting skinnier from photo to photo and until, only descriptions of the condition of their health and lifestyle were only revealable through words.

But those were in the past, so while you're here, talk a walk on the remaining existing full bridge on River Kwai,




then hoped over one of the riverside restaurant to enjoy some authentic Thai food.







Yummy Thai food~




Served by some pretty Thai waitress in costume. :D




During lunch, we saw a boat passed through River Kwai, booming music along the river.




The Thai really know how to provide a good time to the tourists. Good lunch, good view, good music.




When leaving on the bus to head toward our hotel nearby, we passed by the war memorial of the Jeath War.




I didn't know why I do it, but I closed my eyes to say a few prayers in silence.


Our hotel was a really beautiful hotel in the region called Felix River Kwai Resort.




The room was nothing special to shout about.




The bathroom was even worse to compare (to most 4/5 star hotels I've stayed in Thailand).




But the surroundings of the hotel was beautifully decorated by their man-made garden.







Their swimming pool was like an Oasis amidst the jungle.




At night, we were pleasantly surprised by the hotel crew for throwing us a fancy river boat dinner down the River Kwai, just like the one we saw in the afternoon.







Basically it was two large flat wooden platform tied together and being towed by an engine boat in front.


First platform



Second platform


Despite the simpleton design of the "boat". Dinner was fabulously prepared.




The Thais have always been skillful in presentation, I'll give them that.
Be it food or flower decorations.




And with that, Richard (from TAT) and I spent the rest of our night stuffing ourselves silly with mountains of food catered only to us.




And sang ourselves mute with Karaoke on board. :D




Who needs presidential suite when you have you very own dinner boat.