In Thailand, a bpai tiao is a trip of any length. I’ve written about some of my more significant bpai tiaos to tourist destinations here, to be used as travel ideas and tips.
Last week was Mother’s Day weekend, so I took the opportunity to travel to the other side of the country, which has piqued my interest for quite some time: Kanchanaburi. I had heard stories of beautiful national parks and of the storied history of the provincial capital’s key involvement in World War II, and so I packed up my tent and headed west, all the way to the Burmese border.
WWII History and the Bridge on the River Kwai
One of the more famous movies set in Thailand is the “The Bridge on the River Kwai,”. This movie tells the story about the delusions of a British officer and collaborators to continue to build the Siam-Burma railway bridge as ordered by the Japanese during WWII, in spite of the prisoners’ of war (POWs) desires to sabotage it and, unknown to him, Allied plans to destroy it.
The bridge and its construction are true historical events. The Japanese, having their supply routes in the Andaman Sea threatened needed to establish a new supply route to their forces in Burma and so set about building what became known as the Death Railway from, what was then Siam to Burma.
The project earned this name due to the 13,000 POWs and estimated 80,000-100,000 civilians who died during the construction. The route the railway took is one that wound through mountains with few safe passes. Today, the train still operates and for 100 baht flat you can ride it up to the point where it is not cut off, because of a dam and subsequent flooding.
I took a mid-morning stroll down to see the bridge and, it being a holiday weekend, was flooded with tourists. I was able to watch as a train crossed the bridge and everyone hustled onto the side platforms to clear the way.
There are a number of museums and centers in town that are dedicated to the story and lives of the people who built this bridge, but I didn’t see too much of it around the bridge. The touristic pride that Thailand has for this place left me questioning as to whether the defense of ignorance is truly warranted when called out for the proliferation of casual Nazi paraphernalia here. Something for my mind to chew on at least.
(Side note: the name of the river is pronounced kwae, like “square” without the “r.” Kwai means water buffalo in Thai and is also a euphemism for stupid.)
Sangkhlaburi and the Burmese Border
I then made my way to the bus station to make my way to Sangkhlaburi, where the railway once crossed the border into Burma. I put on my headphones and gazed out the window as we wound through gorgeous scenery of rugged mountain-like hills and away from the troves of backpackers that overwhelm Kanchanaburi.
We passed the entrances and turn-offs for many national parks, some I had originally planned on stopping at but changed my mind once I got a better idea of the weather and forecast. We arrived in a small town that is centered on a lake and home to many Karen refugees and Mon people.
Sangkhlaburi sits on the the shore of Khuen Khao Laem, a reservoir lake formed when the Vachiralongkorn Dam was built in 1983 and flooded the homes and villages of the Mon people. During the dry season, the remains of a submerged temple are visible and you can take a boat trip to see it.
The town is known for the longest wooden bridge in Thailand, known as the Mon bridge which goes to the Mon settlement, the large, golden Chedi Luang Phaw Uttama and the nearby Three Pagoda Pass and border crossing.
After finding all the rooms filled when I arrived, I was able to set up my tent at one of the guesthouses which overlooked the lake and luckily it did not rain that night. I took a trip up to the Three Pagoda Pass, where it rained the whole ride up, then the sun broke through when we arrived and I was able to take some pictures until I decided to check out the small market and the skies opened up again.
With the wet weather, I decided to sit under cover and enjoy the scenery while reading a book and not explore much further. And after checking the forecast for the parks I planned on visiting, I also decided to return home early and try again in the dry season. I look forward to returning to the wilder places Kanchanaburi has to offer.