Prior to going on our 2012 Thailand Golf Tour to Hua Hin, our oldest tourist JC [now 76], told several of us all about his desire to visit the River Kwai to pay personal homage to all the allied soldiers who died whilst building the Thailand-Burma 'Death Railway' for the Japanese in World War Two.
Safe in the knowledge that Hua Hin is only a two and a half hour drive away from the Kwai, JC did bring the subject up several times once we arrived at our base, the Hua Hin Golf Villa. One way or another he was quite determined to go on this trip.
'Mr. Hua Hin Golf Tours' aka Ian Lewins also managed to get his ears burnt by JC on the subject so without saying a word to any of us he initiated some research on our behalf. With just seven days left of our holiday Ian approached us with what we perceived as a brilliant idea.
His proposal was that the three of us that were left [me, Chris and JC] take a two day historical/cultural visit to the Kwai to include two further days playing golf with our final night at a top Bangkok Hotel before flying home. A total of five nights with transportation in a luxury mini bus with our own driver for the duration.
What an opportunity! Our own personalised tour combining both golf and history without the constraints that come with an organised Coach excursion. We all jumped at the offer and Ian finalised the itinerary.
That trip is now firmly etched in my memory.
Kwai Tour-Day One-23rd February 2012
Our driver [Simnot] picked us up at 8.30am and drove to our first venue, the Royal Ratchaburi Golf Course 75 miles north of Hua Hin, a one and a half hour drive.
Royal Ratchaburi GC opened in 1988. It's referred to in several articles that I have read as a 'hidden gem' and now that I've played it, I fully agree. Plenty of water and bunkers, rolling fairways and some very undulating greens mean that you really need to think your way around here.
Have you ever had that feeling that your being watched? It happened more than once during our round.
It was a bit like having your own gallery following you.
An hour after leaving Royal Ratchaburi GC we arrived at our hotel for the next four nights, the Pung Waan Resort, situated right on the banks of the River Kwai, and two miles from the town of Kanchanaburi, the tourist centre for the region.
What a superb setting this resort hotel has.
After a quiet night we headed into day two and the onset of our cultural experience.
Day Two-24th February 2012
We left Pung Waan Resort at 9am and ten minutes later Simnot found a parking spot close to the Kwai bridge in Kanchanaburi, the same bridge that you will often see depicted on postcards and photos.
A local Guide Book seller talked me into buying one of his books for 200 baht. I was sceptical at first but I'm so glad I did as it proved to be £4 very well spent. That book contained an excellent historical insight as well as dispelling all the myths that had formed in my mind over the years through watching the film 'Bridge on the River Kwai' atleast 30 times.
We walked across the current bridge with all the other tourists and looked along the river to where the original Kwai bridge once stood, before it was bombed and destroyed. It was not
blown up by Alec Guinness in Burma.
At the JEATH Museum, just a short walk away, you'll find a section of the original Kwai bridge and the museum itself is built on the site of that bridge.
JEATH stands for Japan, England, America, Australia, Thailand and Holland and represents the nationalities of the prisoners of war forced to work on the construction of the bridge on the River Kwai in Kanchanaburi.
There is a steam locomotive at the museum entrance
with an inscription on it which indirectly tells the reader why the building of the Thailand-Burma railway was so crucial to the Japanese war effort.
I found it quite poignant to discover that the locomotive had been constructed in GB in 1921. Then twenty two years later it was being used, along with many others, by the Japanese in their quest for victory in south east Asia against Britain and her allies.
Move on some sixty seven years after the end of World War Two and there I was taking a picture of a train crossing the Kwai bridge and heading in the direction of Burma.
Our next stop was the Don Rak War Cemetary, also in Kanchanaburi.
In this cemetary lay the bodies and remains of 6982 British, Dutch and Australian prisoners of war, who all died building the 415 Kilometres [260 miles] of 'death railway' between Thailand and Burma.
The cemetary is beautifully layed out and immaculately kept. It was so peaceful there as we wandered amongst the headstones. What a fitting monument this small piece of Thailand is to so many brave men.
By luck we discovered a hard backed register hanging on an outside wall of the Groundsman's Office. This book held details of every soldier buried in Don Rak Cemetary. If you go there looking for one particular grave I suggest you seek out that register because it will direct you to straight to the grave you want to see.
We spoke with an English lady who had come to visit the grave of her grandfather and to delve into the history of the Death Railway. She found his grave.
I know we all felt very humbled by our visit to Don Rak that day.
Opposite the cemetary is the Death Railway Museum and Research centre. This is an interactive museum that tells the story of the 'Death railway' using models, pictures, first hand accounts and video footage. It is superbly constructed providing a walk through experience that shouldn't be missed.
Entrance fee is a mere 100 baht [£2] and it's worth every penny.
Later that evening we returned to the bridge and ate at the floating restaurant.
Then it was back to our Hotel to reflect and to prepare ourselves for day three.
I'll be recounting days three, four and five next week.
There you have it. A blog in two parts either side of Remembrance Sunday. Quite fitting I reckon.
For more information about Kanchanaburi go to
www.visitkanchanaburi.com
