destionation of Thailand
Kanchanaburi
History Reviewed in A Natural Backdrop
Kanchanaburi mustn't be the primary choice of anybody's Thailand holiday, yet being a quick and easy getaway from Bangkok's hassle is its true major draw. This quiet town, with the same name of the province, sits on a fertile valley and has its character defined by those languid swathes of surrounding rivers, one of whice is known as the River Kwai.
The iron bridge, aka River Kwai Bridge, has been immortalized by the famous novel and movie Bridge on the River Kwai. Once your Thailand tours strecth out to this bridge, possibly on a train trip, you will find the WWII-related montages are being edited up piece by piece. The bridge is just a start, yes. If you've never read or watched the aforementioned novel and movie, a visit to the Thailand-Burma Railway Center is necessary. Considered to be the best introduction of WWII in Thailand as well as the infamous Death Railway (one part of which is the bridge over the River Kwai), this place provides profuse information about the wartime and POWs who constructed the bridge in hellish condition. Afterwards, you can sit on the second floor bench overlooking the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, where thousands of heroes known onto God for their noble sacrifice are resting in peace. The endlong cross in the cemetery rears a peacefully touching feeling for any Thailand tour maker. JEATH War Museum, with the name standing for Japan, England, America/Australia, Thailand and Holland, houses some timeworn yet mind-provoking exhibits: Death Railway model, paintings, maps and hand-drafts. In case you would like more flashback of war-time, IOT's private Thailand tour guide will direct you to Hellfire Pass. Being forced to work for 16-18 hours a day, the POWs cut and blasted through the rock by hand to clear this pass for the Death Railway. At night, the torch cast out eerie shadows of them onto the wall, which was reminiscent of the fires from hell, thus the pun-like name of this museum. 
Aside from Kanchanaburi's gray historical appreciation, nature gets some bonus for your Thailand holiday. Erawan National Park, best known for its stunning seven-tiered waterfall, and Sai Yok National Park, the most accessible wilderness for Thailand tour makers from Bangkok, oftentimes take up much room of Thailand tour guidebooks. Surrounding limestone mountains slope down and entice those spelunkers for an adventure into the caves, such as Daowadung Cave, Phra That Cave, Wang Badan Cave and Lawa Cave.
Visting the somewhat overrated Tiger Temple might be worthy a wow for your Thailand holiday, unless you value animal welfare rather than a jaw-dropping photo in which case you might find it kinda outrageous to watch those questionably semi-unconscious giant cats lying around. Anyhow, this is Kanchanaburi, a kaleidoscope for any kind of Thailand tours.
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