Whether you are a lover of military history, or just a fan of old, war movies, a visit to Kanchanaburi is absolutely required during your next Bangkok, Thailand visit.
Located about one and one-half hours outside the city of Bangkok, the bridge over the River Kwae (not Kwai) is still operational. Repaired after allied bombers destroyed it (unlike the movie depiction), you can still ride a steam locomotive and see what is now referred to as the Death Railway.
In actuality, over 100,000 conscripted Asian workers and 12,000 Prisoners of War died while building a bridge for the Japanese Army that would connect Thailand to Burma (now Myanmar).
After you ride the train and marvel over how a railway could have been carved in the Thai mountains using just rudimentary tools, you have to visit the JEATH Museum.
You may think that I spelled DEATH incorrectly, but JEATH is correct it is an acronym for Japan, England, Australia, Thailand and Holland – the five nations who lived and died on the ‘Death Railway’.
The museum has been constructed to resemble a Prisoner of War barracks and has many artifacts on display. There are also...