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Asia 2006 Thailand

Riding the rails of the "Death Railway"

Greetings from Kanchanaburi! Yes, that’s right…I’m here in the town that is the site of the bridge over the River Kwai, though I have yet to see it (will do that tomorrow). 3 of my friends from school came up and met me today and we went together. We took the train to get here, which rode along the remaining section of the “Death Railway” that was built by POW’s and laborers during WWII when the Japanese occupied Thailand, and thousands of them died in the process.

I met my friends at the Victory Monument, where they got off the van, and we took a taxi together to the Thonburi Train Station, across the Chao Phraya River (trains here don’t leave from the main Hualampong station) and I got to try out my Thai as the driver spoke no English. We got here just in time for the train, which was a commuter train of sorts. We made quite frequent stops and it was all 3rd class…wooden seats that really weren’t that uncomfortable at all.
Upon arrival in Kanchanaburi, we walked to this hotel that is really cool. It consists of a bunch of bungalows which back up to the River Kwai. I’m sharing a room with one of my friends and the total cost of the room is 200 baht per night. The bathroom isn’t attached and it’s got a cold water shower, but that’s ok…you can’t argue about that price, and place is really cool!
Since arriving all we’ve done is had dinner and walked a little bit. I think we’re going to make it an early night as we all got up early (the joys of staying at a hostel…I woke up at 6am when someone else got up). On the agenda for tomorrow is a visit to the bridge itself, as well as several WWII museums and a cemetery housing many of the allied POW’s.
Well that’s about all for now. It was a fun and relaxing day. I’m going to keep this brief as people are waiting for me!
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By Aaron

Hey there! I'm Aaron and this is my travel site, where I document my adventures to all corners of the world. My love for travel started at the ripe old age of four, when a midlife crisis uprooted my family to Ecuador for five years. Since then, I've been to countries on 4 different continents. When I'm not blissfully on the road, I reside in New York City, where I become the ultimate travel junkie and spend my days dreaming up my next great adventure! Read More...

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