Kwai Not?

Ok, so, Sunday night, got a call at about 9pm got a call from this place I’d emailed about a trip earlier that day, that I’d been recommended by a girl called Jemma that I met in Cambodia. It was called Kitti rafts and basically they pick you up from Bangkok, and you visit the bridge over the river Kwai, the death railway and hellfire pass, which is cool to have seen a place of such historic significance.

But you also visit the Tiger temple, Erewan national park which has spectacular waterfalls, and have the opportunity to swim with and bath elephants as well as traverse the river on bamboo rafts, before you get bussed back to Bangkok. Slightly outside my budget but well worth a few days of really cutting back afterwards for.

Didn’t expect to be able to do the trip the next day but he called at 9pm and told me he’d pick me up at 6.30 the next morning! Hurrah!

SO after a 3 hour bus ride we arrived at the allied forces cemetery which is a beautifully kept memorial in for all the allied POW’s that died building the Thailand to Burma railway for the Japanese during the Second World War.

Only 6942 people of the 12,000 or so allied POW’s were buried there, or marked however it’s a beautifully kept and tended memorial to all that died at the hands of the Japanese, largely

from malaria, starvation exhaustion and torture. Known as the JEATH memorial, which is an acronym of Japan, England, America, Thailand and Holland, which constitutes the countries involved in that conflict at that time. It was very moving especially seeing the stones of men ages under 25.

We also visited the war museum, but it wasn't that great - not an awful lot to see there..... and this chap rather stole the show.

Then a few minutes walk away from was the bridge. It was a wooden bridge back then, and we visited the original site - it is now a metal one across which a train still runs. We all had to get off the bridge as a man with a red flag held up the train before it could pass.

We later got this same 1940's train that still runs along art of the track that was built, the Death railway as its known. It was needed by the japans to supply their troops as they invaded Thailand, for which they used the slave labour of POW’s against the Geneva Convention.

Here I am, on the bridge. – Stunning scenery and amazing views from the antiquated train carriages as we travelled 5 stops along it.

After a Thai family style lunch we then went to the Tiger temple.

This is where tigers rescued as cubs from poachers were raised by monks. Unable to release them into the wild the population grew as more tigers arrived and they reproduced. They are exercised daily and fed well and are not afraid of humans or at risk from poachers. After they have been well fed they loll around in the sun in the heat of the afternoon digesting whilst we can go up and meet them and touch them and have our photos taken. The money raised goes to expanding the park so that each tiger has enough space to roam and exercise. It does seem a bit weird as they are chained for the meeting the public part of the day ... but you don’t mess with tigers and they really don’t seem to mind.. and they also seem to be respected and well cared for, all have luscious coats and are good tempered (undrugged we are assured.... but if they aren't I'll eat my hat, no animal is THAT mellow)

We were told not to wear anything dangly like bags or hats as these look like tiger toys so they are clearly kept entertained as well. You are never allowed to touch their heads or rub their bellies however tempting it may be like when this guy just rolled over for me.

As it was the last part of the day and the tigers get walked back to where they hang out at night, I got to walk with
 one for a bit too!

The often spray to mark their territory and the poor chap next to me Josh got completely covered... really felt for him as he was just about to get a bus back to Bangkok. They assure him it was lucky (not for the person sitting next to him on the bus though! Sorry for laughing so much Josh!
Then on to see some little waterfalls before we finally got to go for dinner and then on to the rafts where we are staying for a shower and bed.
Here's the view from the raft along the kwai from our raft.