Bangkok to Nam Tok: On the Death Railway

January 23, 2017

I didn't want to spend a whole week in Bangkok, and decided to take a short trip to the Kachanaburi area and see some of the WW2 history there.

I started today's trip with a short bike ride to a ferry to cross the Chao Phraya river in Bangkok, another short bike ride to Bangkok Thonburi Train Station, and a train ride to Nam Tok.

My bike on the ferry across the Chao Phraya. I just missed one, so I was the first passenger on this one. It left the pier with only a handful of passengers.

I bought a train ticket for me and another one for my bike. This is a tourist route, and foreigners are charged 100 baht for any distance on this train line. I was asked for my passport when I bought my ticket, and my name and passport number were printed on my ticket. That's a first for me in Thailand. Usually they don't ask or record a name for a train ticket. My bike ticket was the expected 90 baht. The train did not have a luggage car, and I had to lift the bike up onto the train and wrestle it through the narrow door. Fortunately I got some help this time, and it wasn't too hard.

The train car had benches running lengthwise. They were quite small and hard, making a long ride. Once we got to Kachanaburi, things got interesting. Kachanaburi is where the Bridge Over the River Kwai is located. Yes, the bridge of movie fame, except here they say the river Kwae. I stayed on the train, and it went over the infamous bridge.

The Kwae Noi River, taken from the train on the bridge.

Kanchanaburi is also the start of the railway known as the Death Railway that was built mostly by prisoners of war during WW2 to connect to Burma. Most of the tourism in this area is related in some way to the railway and WW2 history. Well, also to the Soi Yak Noi waterfall and the national park.

The train continued on the track, across trestles built by POWs and past rock walls that had been carved open by the prisoners.

The train runs really close to the rock faces cut by the POWs.

I got off of the train at the end of the line at Nam Tok. It's a small town, and the train station and vicinity is overrun with tourists. I headed into town and found a place to stay, the Sai Yak Noi Bungalows (500 baht for AC, hot water, fridge and non-english tv, bucket flush toilet, drinking water supplied but no toilet paper). It's fairly nice. Then I headed back to the railroad station for a late lunch and fruit smoothie.

I plan to ride Hellfire Pass tomorrow. I'll admit that I'm a bit nervous about the climb.

Entry to the bungalows. It's up a short dirt road.

Today's ride: 9 km (6 miles)
Total: 2,824 km (1,754 miles)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	1
Comment on this entry	Comment	0