Kanchanaburi

Up at 6.30am (reluctantly) for an organised tour to Kanchanaburi in order to see the bridge over river Kwai .

This was a standard Thai organised tour, where you are not able to go straight to the place you actually want to see, but rather are shepherded throughout the country to various ‘factories’ and shops in an effort to part tourists with their money.

First we were delivered to a ‘sugar factory’ which was no more than a man showing us how to get the milk and meat out of a coconut, and then giving us some sugary stuff apparently made from coconut. It was no Cadbury’s World but it did provide an opportunity to get out of the minivan.

Afterwards, we headed to the famous floating markets just outside of Bangkok. Although the floating market of Damnoen Saduak in Ratchaburi Province is now only really for tourists, it does give the opportunity to see what life used to be like. We simply sat on the river banks and watched the boats floating by with all their wares.

Next we were taken off the beaten track for a lunch on a floating restaurant, located on the River Kwai which was very tranquil. The restaurant itself was a floating platform with a little canopy roof. We sat with the other people from our trip, who were a right mixed bunch.

Next was a visit to the World War II memorial museum, which I actually found rather horrific and not commemorative at all. I suppose it was meant as a token of respect, but as the it was the Thai’s and Japanese who forced the British and Australian Prisoners of War to build the bridge it seemed rather odd from a western prospective.

The prisoners of war completed the bridge in just one year. They were worked hard, resulting in the majority of the PoW’s dying. The museum mainly consisted of shop mannequins positioned in a variety of  ‘death style poses’  reenacting various scenes while building the bridge;  covered in wounds and blood. This included scenes such as the mannequins as falling off the bridge and dying in the water below. It was quite surreal, almost a piss take.

We got the opportunity to physically walk over the bridge. This would never have happened in England as the whole thing would have been shut down for health and safety. There was huge gaps between the slats and no hand rails. However, good old Asia doesn’t acknowledge things like that yet. It was quite satisfying to be able to walk over it, after the sacrifices made by those PoWs. A bit strartling when a train came towards us.

Next was a visit to the tiger temple; a huge sanctuary for tigers, run by local monks. It is advertised that the tigers have been hand reared from birth and are very friendly. They are not in cages, but in the middle of a canyon area that you are allowed to just walk around with them and pet them. I seemed to be the only one who found this very odd. The tigers were chained and staked, but there was a good amount of slack on the chains.

You are able to have your pictures taken with the tigers and they seemed unusually placid. A little too placid for a wild animal with natural basic instincts to kill and maim.  They are quite clearly drugged/sedated. Anyway, it was nice novel experience and better they be looked after by monks than left to the poachers.

Things are ok here, settling in ok… slight culture shock (mostly food related). Generally, I really would rather eat my own face than eat at most of the places around here. At some point soon, I suppose I will simply succumb and not care anymore. I hate having to carry my own bag and sleeping in dives every night, but that is the nature of travelling so I am putting up and shutting up. Who knows, at soem point I may even enjoy it!

Can’t face the street vendors just yet. How do I know I am not getting cat? I settled for what was sold as chicken and flat noodles yesterday, but it was probably cat. Oh well.

Spent the evening drinking with some of the guys we’d met on the Kanchanaburi trip down in Rambuttri.

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