Kanchanaburi and Around

After the chaos of Bangkok we headed to the peaceful riverside town of Kanchanaburi. Famous for being the basecamp for prisoners of war (POW) building the Burma railway, Kanchanaburi has much nature sightseeing to offer as well. 

We arrived in town and were met by excruciating heat, thankfully Slava was willing to help carry both backpacks.

The most famous site in town is the bridge over the river Quai. It is still an operational railway, although the train is strictly a tourist attraction, taking you to the Hellfire pass and back.

 Peace vessel at the Hellfire Pass museum set on a shaded terrace overlooking the valley. It is a beautiful place to reflect. The museum itself gives a great overview of the history of the death rail. Almost impenetrable terrain was chosen by Japanese military leaders for the construction of 415km of the Thai-Burma railway. The project that lasted for 15 months during WWII employed 60000 Allied POWs and 200000 Asian laborers. By the time the railway was completed it earned its nickname - the Death Railway by taking the  lives of 16000 POWs and 100000 Asian laborers. Overall they built over 14 km just worth of bridges with the most famous one being the bridge over the river Quai.

We took a walk on the remains of the railroad track and were amazed how these people carved pathways in mountain rock with basic tools while being under the most miserable conditions. 

The infamous Hellfire Pass, nicknamed so because the workers were forced to work through the night illuminated by torches which resembled from a distance the fires of hell.

 Our next stop was the multi-level waterfall of Erawan national park. Composed of 7 tiers of turquoise clear water you can hike all the way to the topmost level through the jungle making up for a nice daytrip.

 At about the 5th tier the water collects into a pond with fish. Which unlike any other fish isn't scared of you and would gladly munch on your dead skin. It feels a little bit ticklish.

 

The short visit to Kanchanaburi and around was definitely worthwile as we were left pleasantly surprised with everything that area had to offer, from history to natural beauty.