Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Drinking & Nightlife
30
Buddha Bar
B4
31
Pal Bar
B4
32
Sugar Member
A4
33
Tham Naan
D4
Sights
Death Railway Bridge
(Bridge Over the River Kwai)
(Th Mae Nam Khwae)
Bypass the tourist scrum by the entrance, and the famous 300m railway
bridge still retains its power and symbolism. The centre was destroyed by Allied bombs in
1945 so only the outer curved spans are original. Every 30 minutes a train rolls over the
sleepers - stand in one of the safety points along the bridge when one appears.
On the other side, pop in to the Chinese
temple
on the right and view the bridge from its
tranquil garden.
The first version of the bridge, completed in 1943, was wooden and was later replaced
by a steel bridge. During the last week of November and first week of December a nightly
sound-and-light show marks the Allied attack on the Death Railway in 1945. Rooms are
hard to come by at this time, so book ahead.
The bridge spans Mae Nam Khwae Yai, which is 2.5km from the centre of Kan-
chanaburi. This means it is walkable from Th Mae Nam Khwae or you can jump on a
northbound
sŏrng·tăa·ou
(10B) along Th Saengchuto. A mini rainbow-coloured train runs
regular trips
(20B; 8am to 10am and noon to 2pm)
over the bridge from the nearby train station.
HISTORICAL SITE
Allied War Cemetery
HISTORICAL SITE
(Th Saengchuto; 24hr)
Across the street from the Thailand-Burma Railway Centre is
the Allied War Cemetery, which is immaculately maintained by the War Graves Commis-
sion. Of the 6982 POWs buried here, nearly half were British; the rest came mainly from
Australia and the Netherlands.
