Wednesday the Second of March is a pretty ordinary day general speaking. It is the 61st day of the year, with a mere 304 days left until the end of the year. But this year I had a plan for the next four of those 304 days. A dear friend and fellow veteran Andy Payne and I had cooked up a plan to visit Kanchanaburi and especially ‘Hell Fire Pass.’ This Plan had taken two years to come together. What with Andy’s work commitments and then the dreaded Covid 19, causing travel restrictions to change by the week. Well, finally opportunity, free time, finances, the easing of Covid restrictions and the will to do it all came together. After numerous face-times and text’s we had worked out our journey, and set the plan in motion.
For those of you that don’t know, Kanchanaburi is the location of the infamous Bridge on the River Kwai. Memorialised by the movie of the same name. It’s a Bridge and Railway built by British and Common Wealth soldiers as slave labour who were prisoners of war held by the Japanese. Though I will focus general on the military element. It must never be for gotten that also 90,000 Southeast Asian civilian forced labourers died as well.
A interesting and thought provoking book and movie, is called the Railway Man. Well worth a read and a watch. The book is written by Eric Lomax. Eric and many others were tortured by the Japanese on the Burma Siam Railway. 50 years later he met one of his tormentors. His book The Railway Man tells this horrific story.
Andy and myself being military veterans ourselves felt that it would be a worthwhile trip to go and pay our respects to the servicemen who did not survive that horrendous ordeal and are now buried in the Military Cemetary in Kanchanaburi and numerous places along the rail line.
We would also use this opportunity to visit the Bridge itself and the museums in Kanchanaburi. We would then journey on by train to Hell Fire Pass and the Interpretive Centre. A place Andy had never been too.
Andy and I had tried to keep our plan simple. He would fly from Phuket to Bangkok. I would take the Bus from Hua Hin to Bangkok. Here we would meet with another dear friend and fellow Light Infantry Man. Gavin Fifield, Gavin and his family live in Bangkok so no traveling for him. We would spend the night catching up with Gavin and a few other people in town, then the next day myself and Andy would journey on to Kanchanaburi.
Well it goes without saying that everyone the world over slept peacefully in their beds on Wednesday night because Gavin, Andy and myself with the help of Mr Leo, Mr Chang, and Mr San Miguel Light put the world to rights and solved all it’s problems before heading to our respective beds. Happy having had a catchup, we will not leave it four years until Gavin and Andy meet again.
Ten O’clock on Thursday the Third saw Andy and I in a Grab taxi pulling into Bangkok Bus Station. Finding the correct bus to Kanchanaburi was easy and a mere 420 baht secured us two seats on a nine seater bus. Fifteen minutes later and we were negotiating the roads out of Bangkok. A couple of hours on my iPad with the delights of YouTube and we were nearly there.
We had booked into the Bamboo House Kanchanaburi. It’s a venue that I had been to before. The rooms are warm, dry, clean with hot showers and great air con. And only a few hundred meters from the Bridge itself. An Ideal location for us touristy types.
Having taken time to settle in and grab a quick power hour. We meet in reception and decided to visit the Death Railway Museum and Research Center, then pay our respects at the War Cemetary. Getting a Grab Bike was our easiest option and we were soon outside the Museum.
The Museum and Research Center is on two floors, it is fully air conditioned and you get a free coffee or tea with your ticket. It would take me hours to convey the contents of the museum. And I don’t think I should do that here. What I will do is explain that it is heart wrenchingly sad what one man can do to another. Our inhumanity to each other knows no bounds. And yet we still have not learnt from the atrocities of our history. And we even to this day continue to repeat them. Maybe if our politicians were made to visit war graves and sites where atrocities occurred they would not be so hasty to send young men into combat.
Both Andy and I were deeply moved by the experience. We both would like to thank the Thailand Burma Railway Centre, and the Hell Fire Pass Interpretive Centre for all their hard work, support and comfort they provide for the visitors and families of the fallen soldiers and remaining survivors of this sad part of our history.
Now it was appropriate that we payed our respects to the fallen in the war cemetery. We strolled the aisles of the fallen in silence. One very odd coincidence I noticed as I walked a row was the uncanny amount of fallen soldiers buried here with exactly the same names of soldiers I had served with. There but for the grace of God…! On completion of paying our respects at the cemetery and presenting a Salute at the Gate as we left, myself and Andy moved across town to the bridge and another museum, this one being open air.
The museum is called the “WORLD WAR II & JEATH WAR MUSEUM” Have no idea why Death is spelt with a ‘J’. There is not an entry fee as such but they ask for a maintenance fee of 10 baht. £0.23 or Euro 0.27, $0.30. You are at liberty to wander as you wish, but conveniently on the floor are fairly large Blue Arrows to follow.
This museum focuses mainly on Japanese artefacts, and there are some fantastic vehicles to see. On the ground floor at the rivers edge is the remnants of the first bridge over the river Kwai. This wooden bridge complete with one meter gage railway was completed first to get people and stores to the other side of the river to speed up construction of the main bridge and railway.
During our visit we encountered only four other people, two couples enjoying each others company as they took in the displays on view. So Andy like myself took our time to let the experience sink in. This museum though it covers the experiences of the prisoners it is less morbid. And doesn’t focus on death and suffering too much. So once I had bathed myself in sufficient culture and soaked up the memories and experience, I felt it was time for a nice cool drink.
Just opposite the main entrance to the museum is a handy cafe. So that’s where I retired to awaiting Andy who was not far behind me. In the cafe was a myriad of fantastic cakes and creamy sticky buns, and I do declare my will power was tested, though I was a good chap and beat the temptation. Just a cool drink for me, my coconut smoothy hit the spot..!
Andy also grabbed a cool beverage and joined me to discuss our next plan of action. It was decided to stroll back to our rooms grabbing food on the way. Have an early night. Rise early and refreshed in the morning to get the early train to Hell Fire Pass. No need for beers tonight as we had supped enough in Bangkok to float a small boat.
About half way back to our lodgings at Bamboo House was a large but fairly empty restaurant, emitting wonderful smells of great thai cuisine. So our noses led us in to a vacant table. To be honest I was so hungry I’d have eaten anything, but I have to say my two pork dishes with steamed rice went down well, as did Andy’s choices too.
Once back at our lodgings we had a quick photo call by the river taking in the bridge lit up for the evening, then we retired for the night. I don’t know about Andy but I was in the Land of Nod within seconds of my head resting on the pillow. The bed was comfortable, the pillows firm enough, and with the gentle throb of the air con serenading me I slept wonderfully.
Unknown to us, we were sharing our accommodation block with a pleasant Indian family. And it was to the sound of their little girls laughter that I awoke in the morning. We had arranged to meet at 09:30 for breakfast down at the restaurant area. both Andy and I were a little early. Breakfast was fried eggs sausage, salad and toast. With help yourself coffee or tea. Ham was also on offer as per the menu, but we saw none at either breakfast. Not that it mattered really.
We shared the dinning area with what I feel can only be described as a group of French Millennial Traveler’s. Why would I call them Millennials well here goes. Millennials are between 23 and 38 they seem to be the age group that travels the most with an average of 35 vacation days a year.
Millennials spent $300 Billion on travel in 2020/22, 33% plan a spending budget of $5000+ on their vacations. 82% of millennials travelled last year, compared with 75% of all other generations. 86% of millennials chose new culture over 44% who wanted to party and 28% wanting to shop. 87% use Facebook to inspire their booking, and over 50% used Pinterest or Twitter. 97% will share travel experiences on social media, with two in three posting once a day. 58% of millennials stated they would solo travel, and already have. Now with all that being said all six of the French group sat at the breakfast table each with their own laptop open and buzzing away.
We only ever saw our millennial group at breakfast complete with laptops. I wish them well at least they are out traveling not stuck somewhere burdened under Covid restrictions..! Good luck and happy travels to them where ever they are heading next..!
Our next port of call was the train station..! We had a train to catch. Another grab taxi was booked and ensuring we had all we needed for the trip we were off, and soon at the train station. Under normal circumstances you would purchase your tickets at the ticket office. Sadly in times of Covid the office is closed so tickets are purchased on the train. I would recommend having some smaller denomination notes as the ticket sellers change swiftly runs out.
There is only second class on this train, all carriages are similar though the seating configuration can alter carriage to carriage. Some seats are just wooden benches others the comfortable padded seating. As the train travels from station to station the occasional vender will pass up and down the train selling cold drinks or different types of fruits and snacks.
Perhaps it took us two hours maybe a little more I really wasn’t bothered about the time. As the train rattled its way along the track all manner of scenery was passing by the open window by our seating. Quaint village train stations with station masters who would ring a bell for the train to proceed on its way. Rice paddies, and great swathes of bamboo flickered past our window.
For me the interesting part of the journey is when the train slows down to negotiate the section between Tham Kra Sae and Wampo/Wang Po is called the wooden wampo viaduct. It was built along the edge of the Kwai wampo River and hang on to the mountainside. A small ledge was carved out of the cliff face to form a base for the construction. The 164 trestles along the “Burma Death Railway” were originally built of bamboo but the Government of Thailand has replaced them all with wood. That being said there were signs asking you “to take care” because quite a few of the boards were loose, broken and had big holes in them. This dangerous and exhausting section for the POW work force was considered “lucky” because only 4,000 men died. It has been said that every spike in the railway represents 5 to 7 deaths.
It is here that the train has to slow down to a crawl, as the train is nearly touching the cliff face. You can if you choose to, reach out from the train window and actually touch the cliff face. Once past this point the train regains its speed and you are quickly at Namtok Train station. From here on it’s by taxi.
Too facilitate a speedy seamless return to Kanchanaburi we booked the Taxi to Hell Fire Pass, and instructed him to wait for us then drive us back to our accommodation, this way we didn’t have to rush around and try to meet train timetable deadlines. A cunning plan if I say so myself.
Entrance into Hell Fire Pass Interpretive Center was free. Although there was a cursory Covid check on entry. Which we both passed with flying colours. There were several sweet Thai ladies in the reception area who were more than helpful steering us the right way and giving us a guide book each.
I have to be very truthful here, the Interpretive Centre is a very thought provoking place, and extremely sad in places and it will get you right in the feels. On more than one occasion tears were just a blink away. It is a no holds bared clear cut account of what conditions these poor individuals suffered under. Yet to a man they stood tall and would not let the Japanese see them defeated.
On completion of our tour of the centre we ventured out into the heat and the thirty minute walk to Hell Fire Pass. The walk though hot and involving a lot of stairs is manageable by anyone reasonably fit, with good footwear. I would not recommend it for the very young or very old, as once you start you are on your own. At the bottom of the stair section the path has been modernised and is no longer an earthen walk way, but now represents a railway bed just missing the sleepers and track.
Once you start walking you will occasionally see the odd sleeper, and to the right in a couple of places are collections of Track Pins and Spikes. Also on the right as you walk towards the Hell Fire Cutting, there are old working marks and blasting channels still visible. These took hours if not days to make. One man holding the Steel Rod, the other the Hammer. The actions went like this ‘Hit the Rod, lift the Rod give it a twist set the Rod, Hit the Rod again. And on it went ‘Hit, lift, twist, set, hit! Hour after hour until the Rod was three to four feet deep. And this had to be done into solid granite.
When sufficient holes had been prepared explosives were set, then detonated. And the rubble cleanup would then begin. Big boulders were smashed into little ones and the little ones carried away. And all this destruction was completed without the aid of a single wheel barrow. Every rock was cleared by hand or on a sack suspended between two bamboo poles.
Hell Fire Pass gets its name from the burning glow of fires that were used to illuminate the activity at night as this was a 24hr operation. Non-stop day and night. “Speedo Speedo” was the shout most heard from the Japanese guards. And the prisoners worked on..’Hit, Lift, Twist, Set, Hit Again..! As I approached the actual cutting, it was the sheer size of the undertaking that left me in awe. To build a railway to Burma, was an insane idea in the first place.
Several surveyors had been here before the Japanese and ruled out the idea. But I think what sold it to the Japanese was basically the unlimited supply of slave labour they had to hand in the manner of Allied Prisoners and Southeast Asian civilian forced labourers. So the idea was given the green light and to hell with the human life cost.
Just as you enter the cutting there are remnants of the railway line on the floor, and off to the right a grouping of tributes left by visitors or relatives of the fallen. Right in the middle of the cutting is a Tree which is 75 years old, as it could only have grown after the war ended and the line no longer in use.
At the far end of the cutting is the formal monument to the fallen. Here also you can see many tributes left by family and friends of those who suffered here. Andy and myself payed our respects to the fallen and left a copy of our regimental flag in honour of those brave soldiers.
Hellfire Pass was a particularly difficult section of the line to build: it was the largest rock cutting on the railway, it was in a very remote area and the workers lacked proper construction tools to complete the building. The Australian, British, Dutch and other Allied prisoners of war, along with Chinese, Malay, and Tamil labourers, were required by the Japanese to complete the cutting in twelve weeks. Sixty-nine men were beaten to death by Japanese guards in those twelve weeks and many more died from cholera, dysentery, exhaustion and starvation. It is aptly named “Hell Fire Pass.”
Andy and I returned to the carpark up the stair way in comparative silence. Each of us reflecting in our thoughts, it wasn’t until half way up the stairs that we properly spoke. To the left of the carpark are several little Mom n Pop shops selling drinks and street food. We were both in need of hydration so chilled smoothies were the order of the day.
On the path leading to the restrooms a young lady was washing a small boy with a garden hose. He was having a great time of it and returned to our shop and his Mum happy, naked and dripping wet.
Andy like myself is a big softy when it comes to children, so he quickly proffered a 20 baht note and gave it to the young boys sister. She promptly nipped next door to the Ice cream seller and got herself and her brother a nice Red and Green ice lolly.
While sat enjoying my smoothie myself dripping with sweat. I decided to take a leaf from the young boys book. I headed for the restroom, and as a reach the young lady now continuing to water the hedgerow I asked to borrow her hose. Which with a odd look at me she gave me. I proceeded to then hose down my upper body….! It was fantastic a true moment to experience. Not only did it wash away the sweat and dust, but in away the sadness of the occasion. I regained my smile.
Once I had finished in the restroom I re-thanked the lady with the hose and returned to my Smoothie. I’m glad that I had my smile back as I now had to laugh. The young naked boy was sort of still licking his lolly. But most of it had melted, and had run down his arm and tummy. He was a Red and Green sticky mess. So back to the hose for him, and with polite thank you’s off to the taxi for us.
There was very little traffic on our road so the return to our rooms was swift and uneventful. We had decided that after a wash and shave we would sample the delights of town, and see what the local pubs had to offer.
And this is how we found ourselves in Cuddles Bar. Not a bad place I may hasten to add. The owner Bill and the couple of guys with him made us very welcome. The beer was reasonably priced and our hamburgers arrived in a timely manner and were delicious. So we settled down for the long haul and enjoyed the moment.
I have no idea at what time we got back to our accommodation for the simple reason we did not care, we were on our Hollibobs and time did not matter. Let’s just say it was beyond the witching hour.
I woke naturally, no happy child’s laughter today. Andy and I met for breakfast. Once having eaten and enjoying our coffees I tried to book a grab taxi to Hua Hin. Perhaps it was the distance, no grab taxis would pick up the journey. So plan B it was, a quick trip to the bus depot and another nine seater too Hua Hin.
If you travel light, packing is easy. And I work on the old adage that if you don’t have it you don’t need it. Non the less I do have a small yet comprehensive travel kit, that experience has taught me is the minimum I definitely need. And it has held me in good stead all around the world. So once packed and a quick glance around the room to ensure all is in order it was off to the bus depot.
With the tickets purchased and Andy installed on the bus securing our seats, I quickly popped to the 7/11 for ice creams and a bottle of juice. Then moments after my return we were off. For most of the journey I slept as I had the front three seats to myself, and could lay down. Andy was not so fortunate having to share his seating.
On arrival at the clock tower in Hua Hin, I called Maggie my girlfriend to come and pick us up as Andy was going to remain with us for the next four days. With the arrival of Maggie in her Nissan March our Kanchanaburi trip drew to a close. Andy is a great travel companion, and a wonderful person to have shared such a moving experience with. Until the next one mate. Stay Safe.
Chesty Traveling 