Kanchanaburi

As I've already mentioned, I arrived in Kanchanaburi on Sunday, the tenth anniversary of September 11. As with many of you, it is a day that I will never forget and a day that makes me proud to be an American. Since it was the bravery of our first responders that saved so many lives and the resilience of our country that allowed us to come back from such tragedy. Although I wasn't at home, I watched a bit of the ceremony from Ground Zero and also felt the history of tragedy of another war around me.

I visited the Bridge and rode the line which heads northwest to Kanchanburi, over the Bridge on the River Kwai, along the Kwae Noi ('Little Kwai') and over the Wampo Viaduct to Nam Tok. The track actually continues to Konyu Cutting ('Hellfire Pass') and into Burma (Myanmar). The Japanese used Thai forced labour to construct the section from Nong Pla Duk to Kanchanaburi, and Allied prisoners of war for the section from Kanchanaburi onwards to Burma. It was a bit eery to know the history and see the tracks with 1940 etched into one side of the rails.

Fortunately, this was only part of my day in Kanchanaburi. While the town has been built up around the bridge, there is so much more to see and do in the area. My day began with a two and half hour trek at Erawan Falls at the National Park by the same name. It takes its name from the Thai word for the mythological Hindu three-headed elephant Airavata. The triple cascade at the top of the famous seven-tiered waterfall is said to resemble the elephant's head. I was told that this was the 12th best waterfall in Thailand (who has this job? ranking waterfalls?). The walk was beautiful, lush woods and beautiful waterfalls - especially at the very top. It was truly breathtaking. Unfortunately and fortunately, I didn't see much wildlife - including the monkeys who are supposed to be terrors looking for food from humans.

After the falls and a well-deserved lunch (even if I say so myself), the tour carried on to an elephant ride and a bamboo raft ride down the river. Both, I could have passed on. I had hoped to go to Hellfire Pass - a museum set above the Death Railway, the tours were not going there on Monday. So instead, we went to Krasae Cave - on the Death Railway where soldiers were housed when sick from working on the railway. Not much remains of that past, but the views along there were amazing.

All of this and I hardly completed half of the tourist attractions in the area - it would be worth another visit - unfortunately for me, I had run out of time and was headed to Ayutthaya the following day. Maybe another time.