Kanchanaburi
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Kanchanaburi borders with Myanmar (Burma) and a rugged
mountain range and almost impregnable jungle separate
the two countries. British engineers surveying the terrain
in 1905 for a projected rail route, declared it impossible
to build only to have the Japanese army do it 17 months
later, in wartime conditions.
The 1950's world box-office hit movie "The Bridge
on the River Kwai" put Kanchanaburi, on the world
map. The bridge, part of the infamous Death Railway
joining Thailand with Burma, was where thousands of
soldiers lost their lives due to brutal treatment by
their captors in the area during its construction and
subsequent completion and the film depicts this time
of horror and sorrow in graphic detail.
After the film hit the screens around the world, tourists
flocked to Kanchanaburi to see the bridge. Now, Kanchanaburi
is a prosperous province, sugar cane plantations cover
her plains and mines, her hills. As for tourism, the
provinces spectacular scenery and rugged mountainous
terrain give rise to a growing number of jungle resorts
for nature-lovers and trekking trails for the more adventurous.
Kanchanaburi City lies 150 km west of Bangkok and is
itself a popular resort town. Situtated on the banks
of the Mae Klong River where its two tributaries - Kwai
Noi and Kwai Yai rivers meet the city serves as an overnight
base for tourists visiting the province's many attractions.
There are spectacular waterfalls, river cruises, fishing
trips and jungle tours for the nature lovers or one
can visit ethnic Mon and Karen settlements.
Thungyai National Park, within Kanchanaburi province
remains the most pristine jungle area in the whole country
and is listed as one of the worlds natural heritages
by the United Nations. Here one can stay in floating
bungalows on the River Kwai in remote jungle areas,
an experience not to be missed or wander along jungle
tracks where time seems to have stood still.
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