THAILAND TRIP
2 - Kanchanaburi 13th February
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Tuesday 13th February.

The Death Railway was a strategic railway built between Thailand and Burma. It was 415 kilometres long (303 in Thailand and 112 in Burma). Construction began in 1942 at Nong Pladuk, Thailand by approximately 30,000 prisoners of war from England, America, Australia and Holland and more than 200,000 impressed labourers from India, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Burma and Thailand. Of these, more than 16,000 PoW's and 100,000 impressed labourers died of many diseases, due to starvation and lack of medical equipment.
It is said that the first survey by the Japanese engineers predicted that it would take at least five years to finish the railway line, but the Japanese army forced the prisoners to complete it in only sixteen months. Thus it was completed on 25th December 1943.
Raymond had left his sun cream behind and it was a very hot day. Even the locals were complaining of the heat. The guide said that it was the temperature normally expected for April. Here we see Pia applying her sun cream. Many say that Raymond might have left his sun cream behind deliberately. Well whose to know?
We arrived at the bridge that had to be built over the River Kwai. The two square sections in the middle were rebuilt later when that part of the bridge was destroyed by a bomb. When we first arrived at Kanchanaburi we all got into a first class compartment on the train. We travelled on this train for about an hour and a quarter over the main bridge and then later the original wooden bridge. Then we got out, had lunch and the bus brought us back to the main bridge.
Although badly damaged in the war, the Japanese later rebuilt it for the Thais. We were given time to walk right over the bridge.
Then we got back into the bus for a short journey to see the war graves.
The war graves were beautifully kept and we spent half an hour walking round them.
Finally we were all taken for a ride down the river in three of these super fast speed boats like the one that James Bond had a chase in.
The boats dropped us off at the edge of the grounds of our next hotel. This was most comfortable and we soon settled into our rooms.
Most of us soon found our way to the swimming pool which was most refreshing.

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