World War II Stuff
We got to go to Kanchanaburi for the weekend! It's only a few hundred kilometers west-ish from here, but it takes about 6 hours (or more!) to get out there because we had to go into Bangkok in order to catch a bus going out there. We had heard that there was lots of neat things to see and do out there, plus, our friend Valorie lives near there, so we decided to take the weekend to go visit and tour the area. It turned out to be such a wonderful weekend! We got to do SO MUCH in 3 short days!!! (More pictures and blog posts to come....)
If you're familiar with the book The Bridge On the River Kwai, then you've probably heard of Kanchanaburi. Although the book is a ficticious account of what happened in that area during the Japanese occupation during WWII, the author uses a lot of true facts, such as the places, the amount of work the POW's had to do, and how they were treated. I also read a book called To End All Wars which is the true story of Ernest Gordon who survived the war as a prisoner in one of the Japanese camps. It was neat to read these books and then actually go and see the things and places that I had read about.
We visited one of the POW cemeteries in Kanchanaburi. Hundreds of gravestones. It was sad and sobering to see the result of all the sin in this world.
Of course, we visited "the Bridge on the River Kwai." The two sections in the middle that are different than the rest of the bridge were where it was bombed and later rebuilt.
Valorie and Andrew overlooking the river
Three monks walking across the bridge
We had some extra time on Friday afternoon, so Andrew and I went out to visit a museum and memorial at a section of the railway known as "Hellfire Pass." It was a particularily difficult section of the railway because the POW's had to cut through large sections of rock, and were often forced to work late into the night using torches which gave the place it's name.
Andrew.....admiring the bamboo. As you can see, the location is very remote, adding to the difficulty of construction.
Trains no longer run on this part of the line - this is just an old little railway car for visitors to see.
Looking out at the river from inside the temple
If you're familiar with the book The Bridge On the River Kwai, then you've probably heard of Kanchanaburi. Although the book is a ficticious account of what happened in that area during the Japanese occupation during WWII, the author uses a lot of true facts, such as the places, the amount of work the POW's had to do, and how they were treated. I also read a book called To End All Wars which is the true story of Ernest Gordon who survived the war as a prisoner in one of the Japanese camps. It was neat to read these books and then actually go and see the things and places that I had read about.
We visited one of the POW cemeteries in Kanchanaburi. Hundreds of gravestones. It was sad and sobering to see the result of all the sin in this world.
This man, only 24 years old..... the same age as I am now. I cannot even imagine what he went through before his life tragically ended at such a young age.
Of course, we visited "the Bridge on the River Kwai." The two sections in the middle that are different than the rest of the bridge were where it was bombed and later rebuilt.
Valorie and me on the bridge (trains still use this bridge....in fact, when we left on Sunday morning, we rode the train across the bridge and all the way to Bangkok!)
Valorie and Andrew overlooking the river
Three monks walking across the bridge
We had some extra time on Friday afternoon, so Andrew and I went out to visit a museum and memorial at a section of the railway known as "Hellfire Pass." It was a particularily difficult section of the railway because the POW's had to cut through large sections of rock, and were often forced to work late into the night using torches which gave the place it's name.
Andrew.....admiring the bamboo. As you can see, the location is very remote, adding to the difficulty of construction.
Trains no longer run on this part of the line - this is just an old little railway car for visitors to see.
We also visited a Chinese Buddhist temple. I enjoyed all the creative colorful designs....
Looking out at the river from inside the temple
Comments
We rode elephants not far from there also.