Exploring Kanchanaburi

Exploring Kanchanaburi - Part 1

Kanchanaburi, known for it's World War 2 history, is in western Thailand, situated where the Khwae Not and the Khwae Yai rivers converge into the Meklong river. This scenic riverside town is just 120 kilometres from Bangkok and is easy to reach by bus, train or taxi. Most people come to this area to see The Bridge on the River Kwai and Death Railway

I took a mini bus from Hua hin which took about 3 hours and checked into the VN Guesthouse. This comfortable small hotel is right on the waterfront. It is peaceful, has a great restaurant and you can watch an amazing sunset from the deck. If you are travelling with kids, I wouldn't suggest it, as it's right on the water and there are no barriers, otherwise it's perfect.

The town comprises 2 main streets with lively bars and restaurants, from here you can walk to the bridge, it takes about half an hour or you can get a tuk tuk for 100 Baht. We decided to see the bridge at sunset. You know when you arrive as the place is packed with tourists and there is a night market selling food and touristy things.

Even though it is very busy here, it is well worth a visit, as the views off the bridge are amazing. There is also a war museum next door to the bridge which is well worth visiting, telling stories of the bridge and World War 2, however you will need to return as it closes at 6 pm.

A whole day can be spent wondering around Kanchanaburi. The next morning we visited Don -Rak war cemetery, also known as the Kanchanaburi cemetery, nearly 7000 Dutch, British and Australian prisoners of war are buried here, having lost their lives building Death Railway.

From here grab a Tuk Tuk to Wat Chai Chumpon, which was mainly constructed in the form of an allied prisoner of war camp, also known as the Jeath War Museum. The Wat and war museum is managed by Thai monks.

From the Jeath war meseum we took a fish tailed boat down the river, stopping off at a floating restaurant.

After lunch we stopped at the boat dropped us off at the Golden Buddha, which has magnificent views of the river .

The Boat skipper then dropped us off back at the bridge.

I would suggest visiting Kanchanaburi for 3 -4 days as there is so much to see and do and it would be a pity to rush it and miss out on some once in a life time experiences. This is part 1 of my Kanchanaburi trip, part 2 to follow...

All pictures are mine, and took them with my Samsung Prime Core Mobile phone.

A big thanks to:
@travelfeed for creating #travelfeed
@photocircle for #pc-magichour
@juliank for #landscapephotography contest