Bangkok Getaways - Thailand - page 213

Hellfire Pass Memorial
To truly understand the suffering that occurred during the construction of the Burma-Thail-
and Railway in WWII, a visit to this war memorial ( www.dva.gov.au/commem/oawg/thail-
and.htm ; admission by donation; 9am-4pm) is a must. Start at the museum on the top
level, look out over the contemplation deck, then walk along the trail that runs alongside
the original rail bed.
A walking trail map and excellent audio guide are available. The museum is 80km
northwest of Kanchanaburi on Hwy 323 and can be reached by Sangkhlaburi-Kan-
chanaburi bus (60B, 1½ hours, frequent departures). The last bus back to Kanchanaburi
passes here at 4.45pm.
Train
Kanchanaburi's train station is 2km northwest of the bus station and near the guest
house area. Kanchanaburi is on the Bangkok Noi-Nam Tok rail line, which includes
a portion of the historic Death Railway built by WWII POWs during the Japanese
occupation of Thailand. The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) promotes this as a
historic route, and so charges foreigners 100B for any one-way journey along the
line, regardless of the distance. Coming from Bangkok Noi station (located in Thon-
buri), 100B is reasonable, but for short trips in Kanchanaburi it seems steep. The
most historic part of the journey begins north of Kanchanaburi as the train crosses
the Death Railway Bridge and terminates at Nam Tok station. Destinations include
the following:
Nam Tok (two hours, departs 5.30am, 10.30am and 4.19pm) Return journeys from Nam Tok
leave at 5.20am, 12.55pm and 3.15pm. Sai Yok Noi waterfall is within walking distance.
Thonburi's Bangkok Noi station (three hours, 7.19am and 2.44pm) Trains leave Bangkok
at 7.44am and 1.55pm.
The SRT runs a daily tourist train ( 0 3451 1285) from Kanchanaburi to Nam
Tok (300B one-way). This train also carries the 100B passengers.
Getting Around
Public Transport