River Kwai bridge

I know there's quite a few posts missing from Cambodia to here in Bangkok, but I had to write this up while it was fresh in my head :)

1500 Baht for a tourist coach to Kanchanaburi (with free lunch)?! Who would get a coach to go and see the bridge over the river Kwai when you can get a train along the actual "death railway" for 120 Baht. The train in question actually goes to the Sai Yok Nei waterfalls at Nam Tok but handily stops at the Kwai bridge en-route. I found this bit of information thanks to the train-tastic Mark Smith over at the ever-informative Seat61.com. As I was one of three farangs amongst two-hundered Thai's I can vouch that it's still a mystery to Westerners. One train departs Hua Lamphong station every Saturday and Sunday morning at 6:30am and another at 13:00. I didn't pre-book and the train was 90% full so maybe out of wet season you might need to.

Not many people got on the train at Hua Lamphong and we set off; a slow winding clik-clak through Bangkok; picking up more and more people at stops along the way for about an hour. Food and drink people jump on the train at every stop. I munch some rice with a fried egg and chicken bits (and a fishy sauce) while shuffle on my mp3 player fittingly plays this. The train squeezes past tiny corrugated metal houses and crosses canals containing a mysterious misty blue water which delights the nostrils but people are fishing and I can see occasional ripples and bubbles so the pollution can't be that bad? Before long the train is picking up speed and the colour outside is no longer concrete and misty-blue but GREEN. Green like you've never see before; a million shades of green! Maybe I've been in Bangkok too long because it's striking; everything is covered! Cotton farms, corn farms, rice farms, hemp farms (I've never seen so many cannabis plants) and trees of every description; bushes everywhere and ivy climbing up anything that's not normally green; it looks like the electricity poles are fighting a losing battle.

Greenery

I'm not sure what you might call him; I hate to say ticket master or guard, or entertainment, though he seems to be all of these things. His name (I hope I have this written correctly as he wrote it down on a bouncy train!) is Rucha Mitrisu and he's the man. I couldn't get an exact gist but he was obviously talking about the atrocities that happened building the railway but also doing quizzes and getting everyone to sing (traditional songs according to the nice lady next to me) and clap; and all through a megaphone! I'm not sure if he works this route every weekend, or even if this is part of his job description but he certainly seems to enjoy it.

Rucha

We stop at a little station where Bangkok studios are filming inside an old army train. There's huge cameras and lights and dry ice coming from inside. As we pull away three western actors dressed in khaki coloured uniforms emerge from the carriage and wave at our train. Now this is most likely my imagination and severely unlikely but the one actor looked exactly like Jake Gyllenhaal. (I shall say it was when recounting the story to friends)

Jake?

We arrive at the Kwai bridge (which isn't actually over the Kwai) around 10:20am and everyone disembarks. On and around the bridge are hundreds of people, café's and souvenir shops; big business.  Rucha says to me "40 minute". Once I'd taken some pictures up and down the bridge and grabbed a coffee I hear the train whistle. Looking at the watch it's 10:40am. The penny drops and I dart back to the train. The whistle blows again, everyone moves off the bridge and we slowly edge on. It creaks loudly and is just wide enough to take the train.

A little further along the line we head upwards, and along a steep ridge to another bridge near Thamkase; this one is a little more breathtaking; again creaking and whining under the weight of the train. Sit on the left side and you'll get the best views down to the river then the hills with giant Buddha's and temples perched. Around noon we stop, then reverse, then stop abruptly with a huge shunt. I guess that we picked up some more carriages.

We arrive at Nam Tok at 12:30pm and everyone else hops into the back of the free trucks to take them up to the waterfall. I've spent a lot of time around waterfalls since travelling so decide to pass on this one and lap up some peace in this tiny village. I have some spicy soup and a pineapple shake then write a postcard to the folks, and another to my old workplace.

Spicy shrimp soup

The train leaves promptly at 14:30 and we clatter back down the line. On the way up I speak to a fellow photographer (and journalist) from the free (ad-based) Thai tourist guide "Tourism Unbound". He's writing a piece on the train tour to the waterfall and decides, as a bonus, he would like to interview me. He brings me a bunch of ngor (rambutan) still attached to their stalks (it's Thai tradition to give gifts to a stranger on first meeting). He writes down some questions for me to answer but the train is so bouncy it's impossibly to write anything coherent! I ask him to email me the questions later and I'll send them straight back before he hands it in next Wednesday. Maybe I'll be a famous farang :)

Aun doing his photographers pose

The rest of the journey back sleepy and a little rainy. We clack past the corrugated shacks in the dark but they're now all lit up allowing a glimpse inside. Lots of smiling faces, delicious looking food, hammocks and sofas and cats and dogs lolling about; but still corrugated houses. I look up over them and can see the Prince Palace glowing; a huge posh looking apartment block. Quite a contrast. We arrive back to Hua Luamphong station at 20:00. I say goodbye to the lovely Aun and wife and head back to the guesthouse to wait for my interview questions.