The Bridge on the River Kwai...

We kicked off our week-long break, headed down to Bangkok on a 12:30am bus.

We arrived around 7 am, and were desperate for sleep. We decided to hop straight on the next bus to Kanchanaburi, home of the famous Bridge on the River Kwai. Immediately upon arrival, we climbed into bed and slept the afternoon away. After a much needed dip in the pool, we spent the evening walking around the nearby night market.

The next morning we awoke to the sound of rain. Great, our first day of break and it decides to rain ALL DAY. Our plans to climb Erawan Waterfall clearly had to be rescheduled. Hannah and I decided to ride the Death Railway to pass the rainy day ahead of us.

 In 1943 thousands of Allied POWs worked on this railroad under orders from the Japanese army. The train would link Burma and Thailand and serve as a means to transport men and supplies to the Burmese front, where the Japanese were fighting the British. Construction of the railway required blasting of deep valleys and hills. All work was done manually from dawn until dusk, through perilous conditions. By the end of the war, thousands of these laborers perished. Two war cemeteries are located in the town of Kanchanaburi, commemorating almost 8,000 men of Australian, British, and Dutch descent.  

But enough with the history, you probably could have looked that up yourself. Back to the visuals.

Hannah in Don-Rak War Cemetery

 The beginning of what would become a very long train ride.  At least it was one of the most beautiful rides I've taken! 

Passing over the River Kwai.

Falling asleep after six hours spent riding the train... woopsies.

We successfully passed an entire rainy day sitting on this train. Luckily, we met some nice tourists and breathed in the fresh air of the countryside. The more we thought about it, we came to realize there was literally nothing else we could've done in Kanchanaburi on a rainy day. We were happy to have had the chance to learn about this important aspect of World War Two. 

We topped off our night with a traditional Isaan meal, and hit the hay by 9pm.