Jon the Traveller

After leaving Bangkok, I headed to Kanchanaburi, site of the famous Bridge over the River Kwai and the infamous Hellfire Pass.

Kanchanaburi was a nothing little place in a backwater part of Thailand, up until the Japanese arrived during the Pacific War – the regional name for this rather brutal theatre of World War II – and made it the central holding centre (prison camp) for allied prisoners forced to create the necessary rail link with Burma that would enable them to invade India, then the shining jewel of the crumbling British Empire.

Tens of thousands of captured Allied soldiers, sailors and airmen, as well as upwards of one hundred thousand Malay, Indonesians and Koreans found themselves drafted into “service” constructing a rail-road though some very unforgiving terrain, in weather that was the just as harsh and of course suffering under the brutality of their Japanese captors. By the end of war, over 6000 Allied servicemen had died in the creation of what became known as the “Death Railway”.

I only stayed a few days in town, there is a slightly sleazy feel to the main tourist drag – Thanon Maenamkwai – but if you stick the traveller haunts you wont really see that side of it much; although I did find the BEST English food outside of England at a bar on that road, including real back bacon and HP sauce.

As well as the Bridge, Hellfire Pass and the Cemeteries, there are other draws around town, including a couple of good museums, river rafting, waterfalls (Ere wan falls is possibly the nicest set of waterfalls in the region) and trekking of various sorts. However this time round I was just there relax and see the highlights before I headed off to Ko Chang for some beach time.

We – Anna, Luke, Mat & I – spent some time while in Pai doing a spot of sightseeing.  We visited a bridge the Japanese used as a supply route in World War II:

As well as Pai canyon, a waterfall and a working rice paddy:

It was also Luke’s birthday during our time in Pai. We as usual ate at Na’s, however Anna arranged for a cake and candles to be brought out. Very impressive cake and Luke was I’m sure very surprised by it all, especially when half the restaurant joined in with Happy Birthday, before helping polish off his cake.

The rest of our time in Pai passed very quickly in a haze of Jungle Trekking (Post to come shortly), drinks and sunbathing. In the final few days we met another couple of people from “the group”: Clare & Shaheen, and many drinks where had over the days we were in Pai together.

However, eventually the slow pace of life in Pai gets to you and Anna moved onto Laos, a few days after Luke & Mat did the same and I moved back to Chiang Mai to sort a new battery for my netbook – it gives 2 hours max these days. The bus ride back was great fun, sitting chatting with a couple of Monks at the back of the bus, which had stacks of leg room, only place that did.

So I am back in Chiang Mai for a short while, before heading to Laos myself.