The Burma Railway, also known as the Death Railway or the Thailand–Burma Railway was a 250 mile railway between Thailand and Myanmar (then Burma), built by the Empire of Japan in 1943 to support its forces during World War II. The reason it is now called Death Railway is because forced labour and prisoners of war (POWs) were used in its construction. More than 180,000 Southeast Asian civilian laborers and 60,000 Alliedprisoners of war worked on the railway. The death toll was immense, estimates are little more than guesses, but approximately 90,000 civilian laborers died and over 16,000 Allied POWs died during the construction, including British, Australians, Dutch, and American soldiers.
Today sections of the railway remain in remembrance of those fallen and some are still in operation. Train rides give some perspective on the harsh conditions and landscape these men had to work in. It also allows for some beautiful views of the river and countryside.
The town of Kanchanaburi has one of the most famous landmarks of the Death Railway, the Bridge over the River Kwai (pronounced like 'square' or 'where').
Allied Forces bombed the iron bridge in 1944. Three sections of Bridge were destroyed. The present bridge has two of its central spans rebuilt. The Bridge, together with the Death Railway, is now regarded as the significant symbol of peace, portraying that war is the great illusion that benefits no one.
Another important sight to visit is the nearby Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, around 7,000 POWs, who sacrificed their lives in the railway construction, are buried. Another 2,000 are laid to rest at the Chungkai Cemetery. Across the street is also the Death Railway Museum, with stories and artifacts of the POWs and forced laborers.
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.