KANCHANABURI

After having the usual 'discussions' with a taxi driver in Bangkok we made it to the bus station and caught a govt. bus to Kanchanaburi. Three hours later we got off to be greeted by a wave of pure, unadulterated heat and humidity! We then began our hunt for acomodation ........ 4kms later we came across the most perfect, perfect place to stay ......... a floating pontoon containing 4 rooms each with A/C and veranda, right on the River Kwai and 150 metres down from the famous bridge. All worth the treck and the resultant fractious mood (having visited several accomodations that simply did not 'do it for me')!

We think that everyone knows of the story of the Bridge over the River Kwai (as immortalised by the film) so we will not go over it here but what we had not expected was the strange feeling that the place holds. We visited the Kanchanaburi Cemetary in town which was very moving especially as we were able to have the place to ourselves ... many of the headstones carry personal messages from loved ones and it is difficult to read them without feeling something both of the sacrifice that these men made and of the suffering that their loss caused. The Museum opposite is excellent and gives a very balanced and suprisingly unbiased overview of the suffering that the construction of the railway caused. We also walked to the Chunkai Cemetary which , again, was pretty deserted but immaculately kept.