Plenary Indulgence: A Visit to War Cemeteries, in Kanchanaburi (A day trip to Kanchanaburi)

I'm a bit exhausted from our group trip to Kanchanaburi, last Sunday- 5th of November, 2023. I woke up at 4:30 AM to meet up with my friends at the bus stop in Ramkamhaeng 166. We hired a van it was so cheap. A total of 13 passengers were in the van from different schools. We usually see each other at St. Thomas Aquinas Church every Sunday. I don't personally know some of them, but they're co-teachers of our event organizer, Lannie.  Our meet-up time was at 5AM sharp, and I was late for 5 mins. The trip was around 3 1/2 hours from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi, with less traffic in the morning and messy heavy traffic in the evening. Since we're already in Kanchanaburi, we had agreed to visit nearby tourist destinations that we don't get to see in Bangkok or on a daily basis. The last time I went was about 14 years ago with my Rex, I only had one child (Nikki), then😂 It was such a long time! 

Here's our itinerary for a 1-day trip and a short history that you might be interested to know:

1. The Bridge on the River Kwai (Death Railway) 

9:05-9:30AM 

It's based on a movie and a novel with the same title (I don't remember the director or the author).  The Death Railway in a nutshell is a horrendous part of Thailand’s history that was created by the blood and sweat of WWII prisoners of war (POWs) and Asian slave laborers. In WWII, the Imperial Japanese Army had taken over South East Asia and accumulated tens of thousands of skilled and healthy prisoners of war, which were later used as laborers to support their war effort and one of the major projects that these POWs were funneled to work for was constructing a railway. These men, along with many other Asian laborers simply looking for work, were assigned to build the railway. It originated in Thailand and cut across to the Burmese war front to aid in the Japanese invasion of India. It was originally named the "Thailand-Burma Railway", it earned the nickname “Death Railway” because over one hundred thousand laborers died during its 16-month construction between 1942 and 1943. Once completed, it stretched 250 miles from Ban Pong, Thailand to Thanbuyuzayat, Burma. Many more died while remaining in the POW camps until 1945.

2. Beati Mundi Regina Catholic Church - 9:30-10:30AM 

We attended a Thai mass since it's a Sunday obligation. It was amazing how Thais attended masses. I guess they're more cultured than us (no offense). As I have observed, kids stayed in their seats and did not run around anywhere; kids did not eat snacks; people were participative singing the songs with the choir; and they're very down to earth. No gadgets during the mass. After the mass, we had group pictures taken with the priest and nuns for souvenirs.  

3. Jeath War Museum  at 10:30-11:00AM 

There's a 60ThB entrance fee. The acronym JEATH stands for the primary nationalities involved in the construction of the railway: Japanese, English, Australian, American, Thai, and Holland, whereas the Thai name is Phíphítháphan Songkhram Wát Tâi (Wat Tai War Museum). It's not a big museum, so if you're in a hurry you may want to include this in your bucket list.

4. Street Markets at 11:00-11:40 AM

We took a side trip for pieces of jewelry (mostly stones, gems, and gold-plated items). The accessories are way cheaper than in Bangkok. Like, the ones that I bought only cost around 20-50ThB but in Bangkok, it's about 100-500ThB depending on the shop location and the packaging. But, to be honest, they just look the same quality as the other. 

5. Floating Raft Restaurant (under the River Kwai) for Lunch at 11:40-12:40 PM 

I only spent 260ThB on food and drinks. What we did was we ordered three kinds of food and split the bill into three people per group. We ordered the spring rolls, chicken cashew nuts stirfry, Tomyum Goong (shrimp), Thai milk tea, and coke. Then, we went around the area to show for gems, souvenir shirts, and other accessories. I bought bracelet gems and 1 gold plated bangle worth 680ThB (10 items). 

6. World War Cemeteries   - 12:40-2:00PM 

There's no entrance fee (free). We came here to pay respects to all the POW by offering flowers, lighting a candle, and most of all praying for their souls in purgatory so that they may have eternal rest. This is part of our main objective as we gathered to offer prayers for them. 

- Kanchanaburi War Cemetery 

The Kanchanaburi War Cemetery is the main prisoner of war (POW) cemetery for victims of Japanese imprisonment while building the Burma Railway.

- Chungkai War Cemetery 

Chung Kai War Cemetery is a war cemetery in Tha Ma Kham near Kanchanaburi, Thailand. Established in the 1950s, the cemetery hosts the graves of 1,426 British and 313 Dutch prisoners of war who died during World War II. It was originally a POV camp on the Burma Railway.

7. Wat Tham Khao Pun Cave  (Temple inside the cave) - 2:00-3:00PM

I paid 30ThB to visit the temple in the cave. It was creepy (sorry for the word) It's not dark nor hot inside the cave, it's just that I have a health problem, which I thought I could get over because I have company. I was wrong. I didn't pass through tiny passages inside because it was steep, small holes which I couldn't fit in (perhaps) or the smell of the bats' urine surrounding the area that I wouldn't be able to breathe. I had less oxygen as I went under it. I hurriedly ran back from the main entrance and threw up. Please don't get me wrong. It was my very first experience going to a cave, so please bear with me. It was beautiful from the entrance because of the striking colors of the lights. I saw the Buddha images, musical instruments, and ancient other tools. I have allergies so I couldn't bear it staying for a long time, let alone pass through the tiny cave tunnels. I witnessed the enchanted beauty of it through my friends' videos and pictures who went all the way through.  

8. The Curve Cafe - 3:00-4:00 PM

After the Cave, we went straight to the Curve Cafe which is nearby. It has an overview of nature's beauty (the River Kwai, mountains, trees, birds, etc.) It's majestic and solemn. As I sipped my coffee, I felt more relaxed and I even wanna stay there for a long time. We had tons of group and self-portraits during our stay there (of course!😂). The place is so captivating and I hope to come back there soon with my family.

We were planning to visit the Glass Bridge and the Tiktok Dance at the viewpoint, but it was raining hard. So, we agreed to go home instead.  Inside the van, It was full, I couldn't stretch my legs and move freely. But, I understand that it's what I paid for lol! So how much is the total budget going there? It still depends on whether you'll travel alone or in group. Based on my experience, if you travel in a group, you'll save more money because you'll share expenses as a group. When you travel alone, probably it will cost you about 3,000-5,000ThB or more for hotel accommodation, transportation, shopping, entrance fees, etc. 

Here below is my computation of my travel expenses to Kanchanaburi:

1. Transportation (Van)  - 500

2. Food - 390

     7-11 (Chips and Coffee) - 35

     Lunch (group) - 260

     Coffee - 95   

3. Entrance Fees - 90

     JEATH War Museum - 60

     Cave - 30

4. Shopping - 680

Total Amount:  1,660😍

Kanchanaburi is indeed a place worth visiting. Please check Google to search for more places to visit in Kanchanaburi. We went to Erawan Falls and the Elephants World many years ago and this is just my second time. Can you imagine living and working here for 14 long years! I haven't visited the entire Thailand tourist destinations, this is so unbelievable! This is all for now. Thank you for dropping by and reading my long post. I will insert some photos and videos, too a little later. I still have to manage other things like TikTok and FB Reels. Until next time! See yah🤗😉 

Elektra🦋 

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References:

1. tourismthailand.org

2. thailandstartshere.com

3. tripadvisor.com