Kanchanaburi Thailand: You Can Feel The Tragic History

[@WalkAboutWayne]

So, I've learnt more on POW camp near the bridge. It was added as an entertainment place and not authentic. Pretty shocking if you ask me. I met the local tourists police guy ( great guy from Australia). I don't really know why they would call it a prisoner camp so close to the railway. But hey ho.

[@TheColossalBlanket]

I'm glad you highlighted this. I was quite disgusted by it when I was there. People don't believe me when I say this, but a relative of mine worked on the railway and survived it, he came home weighing four stone, the guys who own the museum pulled up all his records about where he worked, where he was medically treated, what camps he'd been in and so on, it was fascinating. To see some stupid POW camp food market with the slogan 'will fight for food' right next to a place where thousands of slaves died toiling in the blazing heat is pretty nauseating. However, it's not exactly Thailand's history, it's more something that happened on their soil involving other countries, and I get the sense most people who go to that bridge don't know or care about how it came to be, I think they just see it as a tourist attraction to take selfies in front of. Having markets by it is tacky, but that's tourism for you, but at least call it something else and not something that just makes a mockery of the tragedy that happened there.

[@WalkAboutWayne]

@@TheColossalBlanket Yes mate, I don't agree with it at all. I've been talking to some locals, who have lived here their whole life. None of them knew what I was really talking about when I was asking questions about the Death Railway. Like you said, it's not their history in a way. I think it would be better if they took away the Prisoner of War entertainment place. Thanks

[@scottsharp1118]

Hi mate, if you go into the Jeath museum you can see the start of the old bridge that was destroyed maybe 100m further on the left as you walk from the market side. I believe the steel bridge is a rebuild. Great place tho mate, I visited may last year and loved it. a friend of mine has his grandad in the graveyard. me, my Thai wife and daughters took some poppy's from his dad who is now in his 80s and has never visited his dads grave. very emotional. keep up the good work, and also Wat Tham Suea 30 mins from town is a good visit too, deffo check that out and the coffee shops on the outskirts with a great view.

[@Galvoflysoz]

​@scottsharp1118 yes the wooden bridge is at the Jeath war museum but they built two bridges, and this steel bridge is the original bridge as was the wooden bridge now demolished. 3 sections of this steel bridge were destroyed in 1945 😊😅but rebuilt but it is the real deal. Relatively few people died building this bridge only 9. The real tragedy was at hellfire pass and that area100km north which is a must visit. Run by the Aussies it is all free and an amazing well done interpretation centre and a very sobering walk. The 2 cemeteries In Town are immaculately kept.

[@Paul-wu5qy]

Very respectful video Wayne as others have mentioned. Cannot forget the Men who died far from home under such harsh and cruel conditions.

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Thanks Paul. The respect is the main thing I want in these Kanchanaburi vlogs.

[@user-uj7bu1xs8l]

Afternoon Wayne, howdy from Central Glasgow. Discovered your channel a few days ago. Very informative, not the usual stuff without predjuce, recent black jordan top you donned is mint. Anyway my jewellery pal have home in chang mai a mr. Simon. Speaks fluent thai down to a t, love your bobby dazzler declarations mr. Simon been going there 30 yrars plus, currently there in chang mai, wanna let you know theres a yorkshire lassie here who will now hire a 🏍 and spins about. Really motivate me to do it so you do, i been khason chang mai chang rai golden triangle. Formal shoutout to you alongside a golden salute.Appreciate all u share! .M.

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Thank you! From a Westcountry boy. I'm sure you'll have a great time riding about. Hope to see you on Chiang Mai. Thanks again 👍

[@mattt8931]

Great video. Very respectfully done. Look forward to your future videos. Well done mate

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Thanks Matt. 👌

[@user-uj7bu1xs8l]

Thanks for aknowleding all whom lost their lives there. Hats off to you...Respect

[@WalkAboutWayne]

The number 1 thing I wanted to do, is remember the people. They will come first in my Kanchanaburi vlogs.

[@leighhorne1670]

Great vid…in a world most have forgot…

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Thanks 🙏🙏

[@stevens8785]

Top video Wayne and the sombre music at the end a perfect way to finish with. Walked that bridge myself back in the 90s and did the train trip and wandered around the war cemetery also where so many were laid to rest. I am pleased you are enjoying your time there. Cheers buddy. 🤩

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Cheers mate! Yes, it's a very sobering place. Special town.

[@dentravelarky]

Excellent vlog Wayne. Very emotional I think. So many people died there. Thanks for sharing mate, really appreciated. Cheers Wayne, all the best mate.

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Thank you ! 🙏🙏

[@seanpower1595]

I like the place you stayed at great price looked perfect

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Yes, I really like the hotel. It's a bit dark, but it's perfect for what I need.

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Check Inn Hotel does seem to be used as a Love Hotel, but lot's of families are staying here. It's really well run and It's a proper hotel, A bit of the old Humpty Dumpty does go on here, so I could be onto a winner, if I play my cards right 😉

[@MortenKristensen-p1h]

The rooms don't hurt to be quite expensive either

[@broadwoodloch]

Love the mirrors behind the bed,great for filming yourself.

[@KingBrew187]

Definitely a Bobby dazzler mate. Large and clean and pretty nicely renovated too. Winner

[@antruok4950]

Humpty Dumpty 🤩

[@markroberts2528]

fantastic video mate,....the film was actually made in Sri Lanka,........what app ,..website do you use for booking your rooms please,..

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Thanks mate! Nice bit of info also, I didn't know it was made in Sri Lanka. I use Booking..com 90% of the time. Agoda occasionally. 👍

[@markroberts2528]

Cheers skipper,.. keep up the good work 🙂

[@charlieh108]

A very informational video. I enjoyed it a lot.

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Thank you 😀

[@lyndiebright8508]

This is a better way for me to see history, thanks Wayne.

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Thanks you.

[@andyjackson5986]

I went there about 15 years ago,the war cemetery really is humbling a lot of graves aged 19-20 years old

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Yes, it's a very sad place.

[@BrianFairlamb]

I have been there the cemetery is beautiful and some of the inscriptions on the headstones really pull at your heart strings .....

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Yes, the headstones are heartbreaking

[@hfc6535]

Good one again Wayne. Ill definitely pay a visit

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Thanks! It's a special place.

[@phil4187]

hey! dont think its always that quiet, it isnt..! not as packed as pattaya or phuket etc. of course...!! hotel looks ok pricewise... , little bit strange with no windows at all and yes, it looks little bit like a "short time" place.. 555 you should go to the night market at river front...very nice!! nice location, lots of restaurants, floating ones as well, cool live music spots, skywalk etc. kind of touristy... but nice! lot of fantastic temples little outside of kanchanaburi, erawan waterfalls (go very early!) etc. lot of things to do/see..!! have fun/enjoy, cheers

[@WalkAboutWayne]

I don't think it's ever over run mate. The market gets busy but I think it's all in all a pretty chilled town. 👍 Thanks man

[@malcolmcrick4071]

To see the original tracks after the bridge you need to go a lot further along from that bridge which were all supported by wooden structures the first bridge was wooden also this is possibly the second bridge the metal structure was imported by the Japanese from Japanese controlled java. Cemeteries are all.over Burma( Myanmar) and just down the river from the bridge

[@WalkAboutWayne]

I think they have a small section just left of the metal bridge. Not sure if it's a replica or they moved it here.

[@travelsolo2677]

There were two bridges from what I read in the museum. One was wooden. The one in this video was bombed in WW2 and sections fell into the river. It was retrieved and rebuilt sometime after the war I believe from memory. There’s an explanation in the museum there.

[@user-uj7bu1xs8l]

Marissa ❤

[@WalkAboutWayne]

👍👍👌🏻

[@samsmalle]

Hi Wayne, the POW camp isnt real, it was built as a tourist attraction. Not many people bother with it as there is real locations that show the true futility of war and what happened in Kanjanaburi.Go to Hellfire pass and Konyu cutting. I went in December for the Red Cross week to commemorate the story of the bridge. It is held every year and they re-enact the story of what happened. I got interviewed by Japanese TV after the opening night performance. My favourite place in Thailand, ex services and always have a cry when i stay there ❤

[@WalkAboutWayne]

I did get told that after from the Australian tourists police guy ( great Man) I'm still confused by why they would put that there though. Shocking really. Hellfire Pass will be very emotional. I have a vlog coming soon. I've seen about the Anzac day also. Cheers mate

[@kregeckert8351]

Lots of history in that bridge. This is the kind of video I enjoy. Thank you Wayne. BTW- Did I mention how much I love trains?

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Thanks Kreg! Yes, I think I seen you comment on trains 🤣

[@antruok4950]

Looking good mate - it’s a good area - the bridge walk is cool - look forward to more Humpty Dumpty soon 😎😃👍👋🙏

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Cheers Ant! Nice bit of Hunpty Dumpty mate.

[@franbrinda]

When I visited the cemetery there I was overwhelmed with sadness. I couldn’t speak or be spoken to for the rest of the day. You could feel the sacrifice of the souls.

[@WalkAboutWayne]

The cemetery is the worst 😢. People were so young.

[@billmoeller8897]

Felt the same way.

[@beverlycowan6025]

Thank you for sharing this very sad video ❤

[@WalkAboutWayne]

🙏🙏🙏

[@HowWhatWhyWhenWhere]

There are so many things to do in Kanchanaburi you should have an amazing time....enjoy

[@WalkAboutWayne]

I'm sure I will 👍👍

[@Wayne-e1m]

Hi great video the bridge you was on was built in the 60’s I believe,the actual bridge is further up and what I remember when I was there there was three bridges,your fellow blogger Sean king done a video on the bridge,keep the good work up

[@Wayne-e1m]

Ps the camp is about three years old mate the hold kick boxing there

[@WalkAboutWayne]

I think it was before that, because it got bombed. Cheers mate

[@WalkAboutWayne]

@@Wayne-e1m Yep, it was made for tourists. The metal bridge was built a few months after the original 👍

[@Wayne-e1m]

@@WalkAboutWayne nice one mate keep the good work up,if you get chance go to hell fire pass the museum will bring a tear to your eye,top man

[@travelsolo2677]

Wow, very emotional place. I was there 15yrs ago and there weren’t any food vendors at the PoW camp. It was a semi museum with WW2 vehicles and bamboo reconstructed buildings. From memory I had to pay 40b to enter. You are doing well to document this location 👍🤟🙏🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Thank you mate.

[@38below39]

Are you going to have time to do any Condo tours in Kanchanaburi ?

[@WalkAboutWayne]

I would like too. I'm interested for myself also. I'll try to view at least one.

[@38below39]

@@WalkAboutWayne That would be great Thanks Wayne

[@johnanderson7883]

Good on ya mate.

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Cheers John 👍

[@manosparavida3551]

It's been 9 years since I visited the river Quai Bridge and I wondered where the museum was? Then you found it. Mind you it's quite a harrowing experience. Can't recall where our digs were, but I remember they were on the riverbank with very basic rooms, but only 200 or 250 baht a night and plenty of scorpion's underfoot by night😆🤣

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Very emotional place. Kanchanaburi is a very special place. I'll be back, for sure.

[@adrianskipper-i8o]

In the film the bridge is made of wood . This one is steel . Was there a memorial for our warriors.? My father royal signals was in Burma waiting to greet the enemy ! Nice informative video thanks for the walkabout mate . The camp should be turned into a museum.

[@WalkAboutWayne]

The first one got bombed, then they made this one. Many memorials around the city mate. Thanks.

[@craigj4979]

you must have gone at a good time ive been before and its been rammed hundreds of people on the bridge. and yh that area next to it last time i was there it was a little music venue with a bar. the war cemetery is only down the road aswell thats worth a visit

[@WalkAboutWayne]

The rest of the town is virtually empty, the bridge attracts people then they seem to be gone. A few museums around, that i'lll be doing. I can't film in one though. Cheers.

[@broadwoodloch]

Your pad looks like an industrial storage unit,there is a museum inside the Wat Chai Chumpon temple.,you should also check out the Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum.

[@WalkAboutWayne]

All coming in future vlogs 👍. Yeah it did look like a garage, I loved it.

[@MEEG0L]

very cool Wayne, you sometimes forgot about Thailands involvement in ww2. rip

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Thanks 😀😀

[@mrekin2146]

Lest We Forget.

[@WalkAboutWayne]

🙏🙏🙏

[@clinth2414]

Thank you for your walkabout video's, very entertaining. I visited Death Railway myself in 2019 with my Thai wife. I was corrected on the pronunciation of "Kwai" is vocalized as Kway. Kwai as all farangs say it literally means "penis" in Thai. Of course this correction came after using the wrong pronunciation in front of her family many times to their chagrin. Another note, their is an impeccably maintained cemetery and tribute wall in honor of he fallen in the city of Kanchanaburi. This is located just a few minutes from the rail station towards town and bear to your left. Very moving. Also much more to the railway if ride the train to the end. There are tours that take you to Hellfire pass as well. Beautiful area of Thailand and just a short distance from Bangkok, I plan on returning soon.

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Thank you! It's an emotional town. Kwai means penis in the south, in the North it means Buffalo, I do believe. 👍

[@kingelvis1977d]

It looked really really hot there . I cannot begin to imagine the hell those poor men had to endure at the hands of the Japanese 😢.

[@WalkAboutWayne]

A few locals told me Kanchanaburi is one of the hottest places in Thailand. It's roasting.

[@Deadfoot-Dan]

That old truck was a Dodge Powerwagon, either captured or used for liberation. If you want to learn more about what went on here and in every otner prisoner camp, read "Prisoners of the Japanese" by Gavan Daws, one of the finest, most comprehensively researched books on WWII I've ever read. He looks in great detail at all the camps, it's really brutal stuff,

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Nice one Dan, thanks!

[@AlistairFinlayson]

Check out a movie called the railway man and that will open your eyes about the bridge over the river Kwai

[@WalkAboutWayne]

I'll have to give it a watch soon.

[@COOKINGFROMTHELOFT]

incredible journey there... thanks for sharing that in such a respectful way. Sad people have to continue to die due to misguided governments. Please keep sharing!

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Thank you 🙏

[@paulsandford3345]

There are 2 museums, one near the war graves cemetery and the other is near Hell fire pass, definitely worth a look? It's heart breaking really! 😢

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Yes, heartbreaking places 😭

[@robinlowerson565]

It's my favourite place in Thailand. Hope to retire there.

[@WalkAboutWayne]

It's got me thinking also.

[@robinlowerson565]

Mirrors on the ceiling ?

[@WalkAboutWayne]

I wish 😔

[@rossb9984587]

I think as long as it's presented respectfully, and in a way that encourages visitors to be respectful things like this that show the darker parts of human history are worth doing, if nothing else to show the end results of some of the paths humanity has been down. Some of the parts in the camp here do seem a bit party orientated and I'm a bit uncomfortable with that. I've not been to Kanchanburi, although I would like to visit, but I found my visit to the Peace Museum in Horoshima very worthwhile, although it's not something I've been able to bring myself to do again on later trips to Hiroshima, it's very well done which is what makes it so difficult.

[@WalkAboutWayne]

This is one of the best kept cemeteries I've seen. People working around the clock. Yes, I think it's done really well for people to come and pay respects.

[@HowWhatWhyWhenWhere]

It's a well known love hotel. So it should be very clean 😊

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Few load stains, but other from that, clean as a whistle. Chuffed with it👍

[@davidparker2173]

I remember reading Bridge Over the River Kwai one evening as a 16 year old teenager on a baby sitting job, yet I do not remember anything about the book itself. The tragic event of our sins is always on display in our history, just like history is being made today. If morning echoes that I sinned, it was never ever what I wanted anyhow. I only know that I do not have a savior, only tormentors.

[@WalkAboutWayne]

I'm the same with the film, I forgot it, so I'll watch it again soon. Thanks

[@real_MacrocosM]

The metal bridge that is there is actually not the original bridge that was built during World War II. But you can see the footings of the original bridge just to the left if you are crossing the bridge from the north to the south. My great-grandfather is buried in the cemetery in kanchanaburi. Herbert Reginald Proctor And every time I go back to Thailand with friends I usually take them on a cultural trip out west, But I don't actually tell them that I have a relative buried here until we are physically standing there and I happen to just make a point of walking past his plaque and pointing him out. Not for any novelty shock value, but I do find all of a sudden things get a little bit more real for them and it hits home that all of these plaques that you see are real people and they have many descendants who think about them.

[@real_MacrocosM]

Also. The movie is really fun and important, but they didn't actually film any of it in Thailand. They rebuilt a replica bridge in the Philippines and it was almost entirely shot in the Philippines.

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Yep, this one was built not long after though and was bombed. You can still see the bomb damage. Parts of the original are in the museum next door.

[@nobbynomad2010]

Wait until you see the disco boats sailing past the military cemeteries with booming music blaring out, it made me cry...

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Some of the boats are nuts. Doing some mad speeds aswell.

[@SteveSmith-zz4ih]

Could that rope have been a swing with the tyres etc?

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Yes, Steve, it could have been mate. I haven't read any stories of hanging at this camp. I'm going to read more about it.

[@mmaranta785]

They blew up the bridge in the movie

[@WalkAboutWayne]

I'm looking forward to watching it again soon.

[@WilliamFluery]

I think what you thought was a hanging station, may have been a place where a child’s swing used to be based on the spacing between ropes. Let’s just hope.

[@WalkAboutWayne]

I hope so mate, I'm always seeing things wrong. It looked like a hang zone to me though. I didn't think any hanging took place here though. Maybe I will have a look online.

[@nigel4776]

Looks like it may have been where they hung the dwarves

[@WilliamFluery]

@@nigel4776 too soon mate

[@paulwarner3134]

Hi .. This is a great place for the history, hopefully you have the Australian museum on your itinerary. If you don’t it’s a must before you leave. Yes it’s a way outside of Kanchanaburi but it’s where you can really see the facts, the museum is a fantastic record and credit to Australia. With regard to the camp that is purely a means to generate tourist money, it’s not the original bridge or location, go to the jungle and you’ll know what emotional is!!

[@paulwarner3134]

Hellfire Pass it’s called, sorry meant to add in original message.

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Yes mate, I'm going to hellfire pass 👍

[@paulwarner3134]

Excellent, give yourself plenty of time, decent shoes and make sure you do the extended walk. The emotion of the Bridge is nothing in my opinion compared to Hellfire Pass. I really look forward to that video.

[@sheridanarnold8589]

It's not the original bridge. The original was destroyed. It's also not the exact place that the original bridge was built if I remember correctly.

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Yes, the other bridge is to the left. Apart of it is still there.

[@cherriemay528]

I heard the people building the railway died of heatstroke hunger or beaten etc😳

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Yes, along with disease .

[@glenloader639]

Hotel looks like a short time hotel, with the way it's designed! Big wall at the entrance so no body sees who is there, garage so no body sees your car, big mirror behind the bed.

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Yep 👍👍

[@constantine_posted]

🙏🏻

[@WalkAboutWayne]

🙏🙏🙏

[@thehammer3340]

Those grounds should be a proper memorial and museum dedicated to those who gave their lives so others could have freedom, NOT a hangout place that looks like a unkept mess..very distasteful.

[@WalkAboutWayne]

I agree mate. It should be cleaned up and made as a museum . I'm a little bit shocked that they have bar nights and parties there.

[@iskandartaib]

Hmm.. huge mirror behind the bed.. 🤣 Maybe it's not a love hotel any more, but.. 🤣 Guan Yin Temple is actually Chinese I think. Mahayana Buddhist rather than Theravada, as is most Buddhists in Thailand. 14:58 - i think that's actually an old steam locomotive. Doesn't look like there is any more train traffic on that bridge.. there's probably another one nearby for trains these days.

[@WalkAboutWayne]

I wish it had mirrored ceiling 🤣. The train still uses the line mate. 2 a day come over the bridge to Bangkok 👍

[@iskandartaib]

@@WalkAboutWayne They'd have to shoo all the tourists off the bridge before the train comes.. I wonder how they do it. Or maybe that's what all those platforms along the bridge are for, so that pedestrians have a quick way to get out of the way when the train comes. Looks like meter gauge or similar..

[@WalkAboutWayne]

@@iskandartaib I watched the train come yesterday mate. Everyone moves out the way or stand on the sides, as you mentioned. The train is gives plenty of warning that it's coming also. You can here it for a few minutes before it reaches the brisge

[@iskandartaib]

@@WalkAboutWayne That would have been really neat to watch.. 😁

[@carlanthonyholmes2162]

Not the original bridge either Wayne. That one got bombed by the allies during the war. The Thai people don't call it the river ' Kwai' also.

[@WalkAboutWayne]

I think they was only a few months apart though mate. The new one got bombed aswell if I'm correct. I think most of us westerners say Kwai. Cheers mate.

[@denise5334]

Glad you went there . Now I don’t need to.

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Thanks! It's well worth a visit.

[@jamesmorrin2729]

Wayne . you need to watch the railwayman. Colin firth. Based on a true story.

[@WalkAboutWayne]

I'll have to give it a watch. Cheers.

[@johnroberts5883]

was there in 1987 before so commercialised and visited Chong Kai Allied War Cemetery has to be one of the sadist places even the birds don't sing

[@WalkAboutWayne]

I think I visited that one. Not sure if the name has changed or it's a different one. It was a sad place though .

[@tobypage2372]

You should go to Hellfire pass very informative, But very SAD,

[@WalkAboutWayne]

I will be 👍

[@petershrive416]

The forgotten war😢

[@WalkAboutWayne]

🥲🥲

[@carlanthonyholmes2162]

A lot of Thai people also died there. The leader at the time, let the japanese through Siam and on through to Malaysia and Singapore. Resulting in many allied prisoners. Siam at the beginning of the Japanese invasion were kinda pro Japanese, as the Japanese promised to give Siam parts of the then Burma back to Siam. They never followed through with that , and so the Siamese nation stopped backing the Japaenese and heavily resisted. Another interestimg fact is that the Siamese nation declared war on the US and the UK. The UK accepted that, but the US did not. The dpomat that went to the US, stayed there and became a US citizen.

[@carlanthonyholmes2162]

A very, very brief overview there, but absolutely fascinating if you want to go down that rabbit hole further.

[@carlanthonyholmes2162]

The Thai/ Siamese guys really went thruogh it in those camps.

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Nice! Thanks for the info .

[@Palm3s-to-palm3s]

one word paradise, find you a bobbydazi while your there mate

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Kanchanaburi is a special place. Bobby Dazzler 😉

[@col614]

The war cemetery is heartbreaking. When you see the ages of all the young guys who died there

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Yes, that was heartbreaking. Coming in Part 2.

[@billmoeller8897]

Yes, reading the grave markers brought me to tears. Very emotional, will never forget that.

[@jonasjohnsson4429]

Maybe you know it now, but that is not the original bridge. The first one was destroyed in the end of the war or after itl

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Yes mate. This one was built only a few months later though, I do believe. This one got bombed also.

[@jonasjohnsson4429]

@@WalkAboutWayne Kanchanaburi seams like a cool place, like you haha. Thanks for the video!

[@fehilyfitness]

That's a nice short time room! 😂

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Longtime for me 👌👌

[@MelvinTaylor-rj6zg]

The railway does not go all the way to Burma it was ripped up by the British after the war

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Yes, but it did once. I think it goes to Nam Tok now.

[@WilliamFluery]

I didn’t hear any roosters where you were staying….my kind of place.

[@PaulinAsia_]

Buy me a Vietnamese Hat LOL. I'm not sure how I feel about the camp. I think those who endured it would want it erased from view. To them it might only serve as a reminder (though I think all have passed now). I think they would know that most of the people who suffered were Asians, and probably locals, so they might be happy to see them just living life. Something that many of them couldn't do. Like you said they have the bridge memorial. I don't know. One of my cousins survived his time there and then he was taken back to Singapore and shipped to Japan, and was there when the war ended. My other cousin died of Cholera, not long after arriving in Thailand. My uncle was being shipped to Japan when his ship was sunk by an American submarine. They were rescued on the 3rd morning...he drowned or was taken by sharks on the 2nd night. Sorry about the long ramble.

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Turns out the camp was just created for tourism, it wasn't even real. Not sure what I think of that really. Cheers Paul. I'm the best of wafflers, so don't worry about rambling 🤣

[@NuTSaX007]

More respect is needed today for the commonwealth countries & other enslaved during the war that sees an evil side in wartime. 13000 POWs died doing this sh!t, plus 80,000+ civilians. Sad as fck.😪

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Yes, it's horrific when you think about it.

[@pariadventure800]

Never been 😅

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Come 😉

[@pariadventure800]

@@WalkAboutWayne see you soon. 🫶🏻

[@dougm3037]

Totally agree with you Wayne about remembering history. Trouble is in these woke times there's a tendency to rewrite history to fit the current political agenda. Bridge on the River Kwai is a real classic. I watched it again recently. One of my all time favorite films. I can't imagine how hard it was for the POWs working in humid heat with an inadequate diet and guards who treated them klike sub humans. Sad to see that prison camp so run down.

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Thanks Doug, I'll have to watch the film again. I found out that the camp was only created for tourism, which is a bit odd I think.

[@TribalFusion]

I stayed there back in June 2014, a few weeks after the coup d'etat. I went on the tourist train over the bridge, visited both cemeteries and a museum, got burnt on the river going on long tail boat and the bars were closing early due to the military restrictions, about 10pm I think. Nice place for a few days away, shame it was with the ex Thai wife lol.

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Nice, sounds like you had a good time. Shame about the ex though 🤣. Cheers mate.

[@MikeZ709]

500 THB for one night at that hotel is..... cheap, mate! My first visit to Bangkok in 2015 a motel room for one night was 1300 THB.

[@paulsandford3345]

There a distinct different section, because the previous sections were bombed by the allies!

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Yep, was rebuilt. You can still see bomb damage on the pillars.

[@Tomas-uk9qj]

To really understand what the POWs went through put on a good pair of walking boots and walk Hell Fire Pass, then remember that the prisoners did it in bare feet.

[@WalkAboutWayne]

It's a sad place 👍

[@daco4724]

And what were the English, Australians and everyone else looking for so far from their home? They came to spread love like they do now, what are they doing!?

[@WalkAboutWayne]

They were prisoners of war buddy, not out there having a jolly good knees up !!

[@daco4724]

@@WalkAboutWayne They stuck their noses where they didn't belong. The same will happen now in the Middle East, Ukraine, Africa... buddy.

[@mikeysmallz7700]

That's not the real bridge. The real one is not standing anymore.

[@WalkAboutWayne]

I think a part of it is still standing or there's a replica just to the side.

[@SebDangerfield-yu7cm]

That "Prisoner of War" thing didn't even exist a few years ago (I've been visiting there for well over two decades). Don't judge Asian sensibilities by your own, though. Their logic, principles, culture, society and beliefs are alien to ours as are ours to them. For example, at Thailand's PREMIER university, in Bangkok, it's customary for the graduating students to paint a huge mural every year, as an inspiration to the new students who will follow them, with different subject matters. Around ten years ago, the subject was "Heroes of the 20th Century". Along with the likes of Churchill and their own king, plus Einstein and the rest, they painted Captain America, Elvis Presley, Spiderman and Adolph Hitler (FFS) LOL. These were the "educated" GRADUATES supervised by their even more "educated" university principles, don't forget. "Inscrutable" doesn't even come close and they are exceptionally insular (just like the Yanks are) in that they believe they are the anointed race as can be seen by all their flags and images of Royalty everywhere (just like the Yanks, apart from the royalty bit). They don't know any history other than their own (made up) fables and whatever BS their professors tell them. Neither do they care to. Not a criticism, just a long-time series of observations. PS. Where WE get it wrong sometimes is being too morbid about death (Buddhists don't fear it). One thing's for sure (in my opinion) that every soldier that died would WANT people to smile and laugh and sing and dance and party. Because our freedom to do so is EXACTLY what they risked and sometimes laid down their lives for (what was the point, otherwise? What was it all for?). Chill. Go with the flow. Be a willow and bend with the wind, don't stay rigid and snap, like the oak. Sabai, sabai. Chok-dee, kop kuhn kap.

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Great write up, thank you. I agree with cultures being different (I live here too) But I disagree with some of the other stuff you mentioned. You should feel how you naturally feel, not try and make yourself be happy and have a song and a dance. If you naturally feel that way, then great. That would be false for me, my natural feeling wouldn't be to Have a "Dance and Party" That's all good for someone who wants too, but not for me. I don't agree with the prison camp either. Thanks.

[@SebDangerfield-yu7cm]

​@@WalkAboutWayne Sorry if you misunderstood my point regarding freedom to enjoy life and all it offers. It was clumsily worded by me and easily misinterpreted, upon review. Like you, I feel setting up a fake prisoner of war camp anywhere else (Germany, Poland, Changi or elsewhere, for instance) would never be tolerated in the first instance. I don't agree with that faux "Prison Camp" either. Like you, I find it quite a disgusting enterprise intended to somehow wrest money from unsuspecting visitors. There's better ways to make money and Karma shall be visited upon the perpetrators, rest assured. I'm even minded to maybe have a chat with some of the expats and maybe petition the local Thai councillors to hopefully have it removed. I once met and shared a couple of drinks with the English expat whose job was to administer and organise upkeep maintenance and promotion of the war cemeteries, so they do not become slowly forgotten and may try to seek him out, again. If nothing else, that supposed "Camp" deception cannot help but detract from potential visitors to the genuine museums and other places which afford the proper respect those who suffered and died should be afforded. We'll never re-educate the Thais though. It was too many generations ago and of little interest to them, on the whole, anyway. I often take a walk around the cemeteries and pay my quiet respects. It's a personal thing, as you say. Thanks for your Vlogs but please don't make Kanchanaburi TOO appealing (cuz I like it as it is). LOL

[@WalkAboutWayne]

@@SebDangerfield-yu7cm It's all good buddy, I enjoyed reading your comments. You sound like a good man. I'll try not to make Kanchanaburi too appealing 🤣 but it's so hard, because it's such a great place. Thank you

[@MortenKristensen-p1h]

usually they are sex rooms, have stayed a few times. looks brand new

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Been renovated I think 👍

[@Mark-England]

When you say your people, do you mean the other aliens from the planet Walkabout?

[@WalkAboutWayne]

No, I mean my people.

[@chriscollins6610]

Find one of the cemetery’s & read the headstones 🪦, that’s emotional, so young.

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Yes, it's not great reading 😞

[@fetlocks3]

My dad worked on that railway.

[@WalkAboutWayne]

Wow, that's incredible