River Kwai Bridge Week, Thailand
Posted by Jackie Hewett on Thu 25th September 2008 at 03:13 AM, Filed in Far East, November
Most of us know about the River Kwai from the famous (semi-fictional) film that depicted the conditions in which the Japanese prisoners of war were made to work in constructing the bridge. Although the film is a good one, it makes the treatment of the prisoners look a picnic in relation to the reality of what happened. 65 years ago allied prisoners of war built a 415km railway and an estimated 16,000 died in the process. It is understandable why it became known as the Death Railway.
These people are remembered every year in late November through to early December (in 2008 this will be from 24th Nov to 5th Dec). Although the original bridge was bombed several times it was rebuilt after the war (the curved sections are original) and this is the centre piece of the festival.
The festival isn’t solemn, and includes the following:
• Historical and archaeological exhibits
• Rides on WWII vintage trains
• A light and sound presentation re-enacting the bridge’s legacy (there are headphones available in English, Japanese, German and Chinese)
• Carnival
• Folk shows
Special trains operate from Bangkok (Hua Lamphong station) to the bridge, and usually a steam train runs on the last day. Many visitors stay at the closest city -
Kanchanaburi, which is about 130 miles from Bangkok (very close to Burma) as it has many waterfalls, caves and national parks nearby to visit.
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