Just back!

Hi all,

Firstly let me thank you all for your input. You made our trip so easy to plan and taught us so much!!

We spent a wonderful 6 nights at the Felix River Kwai Resort. The only way I can explain this place is that it%26#39;s like a 5 star resort on the Gold Coast that we%26#39;d never be able to afford to stay in! This is of course our opinion only as I have read many reviews saying it%26#39;s too far from the night life, cold, noisy boats travelling past on the river etc. But to us (and we are a couple in our 50%26#39;s) it was paradise and luxury at its best for approximately $57 Australian per night including breakfast. The breakfast buffet was always great, meals at night great too (although we thought the Chinese Restaurant was rather pricey - but made you feel special!). The staff were all very friendly and the booking through sawadee.com was flawless. The rooms (we had a superior garden view and will definitely go back one day and spend the extra couple of dollars for a river view) were large, clean and well equipped - only thing we could possibly complain about was that there is no in-room coffee or tea making facilities. So what - it gave us another excuse to visit the small coffee shop and have coffee and cake on the balcony overlooking the gardens and pool!

We only used the Resort%26#39;s taxi twice as I thought it was a bit pricey. We enjoyed our walk into town and back each day. I%26#39;ve never walked so much in my life! I decided I%26#39;d get the taxi drivers back for not agreeing to the amount I was willing to pay by walking. I think one day we walked 15-20km just so I could punish the taxi drivers :-) - I think I know who really won that battle (and it wasn%26#39;t me or my feet).

We travelled to Kanchanaburi and back to Bangkok by public train 3rd class and it%26#39;s truly a great way to travel. I think it cost us about $6 Australian return trip each. It was a little daunting at the Thonburi (call it Bangkok Noi) Station to start with. We got there 2 hours early and the station was packed with people going on the same train as us as well as one 15 minutes before us going somewhere else. We just sat and watched and got the idea. We had one large suitcase and a small %26#39;carry on%26#39; bag as well as 2 small backpacks. There%26#39;s plenty of room to store the luggage on racks above your seat. It%26#39;s a cool trip if you get a window seat and if the ceiling fans work - they didn%26#39;t where we were sitting on the way back but we both had window seats for that trip and it was great. We got ripped off by a taxi driver at Kanchanaburi Station but I didn%26#39;t really care too much %26#39;cos I just wanted to get to the resort (I%26#39;d stayed there before for 2 nights and couldn%26#39;t wait for my husband to see it too) - besides I knew I%26#39;d get the taxi drivers back in the end :-)

Most of what we did was war history related because my husband is ex army. It was all very interesting and everything is beautifully looked after and done with respect. It%26#39;s a pity the young are not taught this history in Australia and that they don%26#39;t have the respect for our POW%26#39;s that the Thai have.

We hired a taxi thru Mek %26amp; Mee (near the Jolly Frog) to pick us up, take us to Hellfire Pass, wait for us to see the museum and do some of the Hellfire Pass walk and then return us to the Felix. This cost 1500bht which we thought was ok and convenient. We didn%26#39;t want to join a big tour and be trapped into other people%26#39;s times. He had a beat up old BMW (outside and inside), 5th gear was held in place by occy strap connected to the steering column :-) It was so funny but he got us there safely and at a speed we were comfortable with and had no problem waiting as long as we wanted to take. Please be aware that Hellfire pass is down some very steep steps from the museum - the down is fine but it%26#39;s a long way back up. I kept my mouth shut and didn%26#39;t complain because all I could think of was what the POW%26#39;s would have gone through compared to me climbing lots of stairs.

We did a long tail boat trip to the Chungkai cemetery (opposite side of the river to the town and Kanchanaburi cemetery). We also got talked into visiting a cave not far from the cemetery in the same trip. Again, beware, nobody warns about the very steep and long uneven walk to the cave - half way up the hill the vendors start selling cold water with a big smile on their faces. The cave itself was interesting but we did not go through it all. My husband went ahead as it started to go downhill and become much more narrow. He didn%26#39;t think I%26#39;d like it and I decided I was already over caves :-)

We walked the streets of Kanchanaburi quite a bit and visited all sorts of markets. We ended up walking one end of Kanchanaburi (the bridge end) to the other and back which was quite a task in the warm weather but I wouldn%26#39;t trade it for anything. By the way, it%26#39;s a good idea to get a map of Kanchanaburi on your first day there. It helps to know where things really are and get a good idea of distances. There%26#39;s a great little convenience store at the back of the Bridge Railway station that sells the maps and they are lovely kids working there too. Very pleasant with big smiles. It%26#39;s a great place to pick up cold drinks on the way back to the Resort too.

We actually caught the train back to Bangkok from the River Kwai Bridge station rather than the town station which was a good move. There were plenty of seats available near the window but if we%26#39;d got on at Kanchanaburi station we may not have been so lucky.

OK before I bore everyone to tears I%26#39;ll stop now. Once again thanks to everyone for your input. It was/is truly valuable.

regards

Pam

Just back!

Thanks Pam,

You bring back such fond memories of Kanchanaburi - we too did much the same as you......and.... a lot of walking! I walk in my job, but my husband I think was punishing the taxi drivers ;) We also loved the Felix, but had the river view.

Just back!

Thanks Pam

We will do a day trip from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi,something I%26#39;m really looking forward to,and your JBR has made me realise just how much.

Hi Pam, we are staying at the Felix River Kwai resort in October. We are doing 2 days 1 night there in Kanchanaburi so I really enjoyed reading your report. Totally agree about the young being taught this history, thats a part of the reason we are going, hopefully our 3 children will get some understanding of what the POW%26#39;s went through.

Thanks again, Rene

Hope you all enjoy yourselves thoroughly.

Rene, There are 4 museums and 2 cemeteries. If you are planning to do any other museum than the one at Hellfire Pass (which is free by the way and you MUST leave your shoes outside whilst in the actual museum) I think the children would get the most out of the one closest to the Bridge. We did all four, both cemeteries (row by row) and Hellfire Pass. They are all very interesting for adults I think but the Museum closest to the bridge has more exhibits like cars, motorbikes, rifles etc. The others are stronger on film clips, pictures and written material.

The museum in the side street beside the Kanchanaburi Cemetery is pretty good too and has a coffee shop upstairs - great for a cool drink or coffee and to view the cemetery from %26#39;above%26#39;. One hint for this place is that if you tour the museum you get a free drink with your pass. We did the coffee shop first and found out about the freebie when we did the museum downstairs after :-)

The Chungkai cemetery may be the better option for the children just for the simple fact that you can get there by long tail boat and it is smaller?

Hope this helps. I%26#39;m sure you%26#39;ll have a wonderful time and the children will too!

Thanks Pam, all the information helps.

Rene

Hi Pam,

thanks for great report!! I%26#39;ve got so many question after reading it so I hope you don%26#39;t mind me asking a lot

1) Long tail boat trip - what%26#39;s the cost and how many people travel in one boat? Is it organized tour or you can do it on your own and where you can buy the tickets? What are the best long tail boat trips - to which nice places you can get by boat?

2) Travelling by train from Bangkok - what time does the train leave from Bangkok and how much time in advance I have to come to the train station to get the window seats ? Is it best to get off in Kachanaburi station or the next station?

3)Which museums are best to visit, I want to see one or two..

Thanks for your help!!!

Kata

Hi Kata,

I sure don%26#39;t mind answering questions as long as you realise you may see things quite differently to a couple of 50 year olds :-)

1) You can have from 1 - 6 people on the long tail boat trip and the price is the same for 1 or 6. I%26#39;m pretty sure it cost us something like 800bht for approx 1 hour and if we wanted that would have included the JEATH Museum, the Tham Khao Pun Caves and the Chungkai Cemetery - we only chose the latter 2 because we had already been to the JEATH Museum. They are quite happy to take 1 or 2 people. You can%26#39;t miss the people selling tours, they are everywhere. The ones we used were just by the bridge and that was for convenience only. They have many, many boat trips or you can probably design your own. Please keep in mind if you have any major health problems and walking up steep hills is a problem you will not be pre-warned. Make sure you ask what any walk is like. We had no idea at all what we were in for visiting the caves. Like I said in my first email - get a map of Kanchanaburi (a comprehensive street map) and look over it on your first night there. That will show you where things are around town. By the way, obviously the boat driver waits for you at the pier until you have finished visiting the sites. He does not go with you or show you where to go - follow the signs. Oh yes, and if you want to take photos on the way don%26#39;t be afraid to ask/tell the driver to SLOW DOWN - they go quite fast otherwise!

2) The train was great. I think we left Bangkok Station (again, this is called Thonburi on the map but the locals know it as Bangkok Noi - if you ask a taxi to take you to Thonburi Railway Station you may be taken to one of the others). The train we got was due to leave at 7.45am and the ticket office is open from 6.00am. We got there approx 6.30am. The train left approx 20 minutes late. If we did it again I%26#39;d get off at Kanchanaburi Bridge Station but I guess it depends on where you are staying and how much luggage you have. For example if you only have a backpack and are staying at the Felix it would be easy enough to walk across the bridge straight to the Felix. I think I%26#39;d rather take my luck with a taxi from this area too rather than the ones that are waiting to pounce on you at the main Kanchanaburi Station. Let me know where you are planning on staying and I%26#39;ll let you know where it is in comparison to the two stations if I can. I%26#39;ve got a pretty good map now and a pretty good idea on walking times :-)

3) This depends on if you just mean in Kanchanaburi or if you are including the one at Hellfire Pass. I%26#39;ll work on you meaning Kanchanaburi. The Kanchanaburi War Museum right near the bridge is best for exhibits like guns, vehicles etc. The museum (and I cannot for the life of me remember its name) in the side street alongside the Kanchanaburi Cemetery is also very good. Like I said it%26#39;s great for a coffee or cold drink after you%26#39;ve visited the museum. The museum has a short film, some models and old tools etc as well as original documents from WWII and pictures. This museum is airconditioned. The JEATH Museum is basically built from something like thatched bamboo - a copy of what the POW%26#39;s quarters were made of. I think this museum was actually put together by the Buddhist Monks from the Temple next door out of respect and appreciation of the Allies war efforts. This has mostly drawings, photos, old letters and newspaper clippings and is quite warm to walk through. I think if I was to do JEATH again I%26#39;d incorporate it into a long tail boat trip including the Chungkai Cemetery.

Again I hope this helps and I can%26#39;t stress enough that you read heaps on this and the asiaweb forums, lots of accommodation reviews and keep asking questions. And get that map if you are spending more than a day or so in Kanchanaburi.

Pam

Pam,

THANKS AGAIN!! Very helpful!! We will stay in VN Guest house which should be in the centre (by the river). We want to visit Hellfire pass, Jeath museum, cemetery and do the boat trip (I haven%26#39;t chosen where to yet, I just love rivers and boats so that%26#39;s a must for me :-), Maybe I will do the one you mentioned - Jeath, caves and cemetary, it sounds great. How much time does the trip take? And the price 800THB - is it per person per hour or for the whole trip? Is it up to you how much time you spend on seeing the sights or is the time limited?

Luckily I don%26#39;t have health problems but thanks for the warning anyway, now I will make sure to take my walking shoes not sandals when I go to Hellfire

Btw. which restaurants would you recommend for a birthday celebration dinner for two? I%26#39;d love something near by the river, cozy romantic place with nice view and reasonable prices where I can have Thai food and a glass of wine. I don%26#39;t need luxury, don%26#39;t want too touristy place, looking for something like Riverside restaurant in Chiang Mai.

Kata

Hi Kata

OK VN Guest House is approximately 5 - 10 minute walk (more like 5) to the Kanchanaburi Cemetery and the Museum in the side street next to it. I%26#39;m also happiest on the water so totally understand. Make the most of the boat then. Jeath, caves and Chungkai Cemetery would be ideal from VN if there is a pier near there that they%26#39;ll pick you up from. The 800THB we paid was for the whole trip for 1 hour. I assume they don%26#39;t go by the clock exactly and will just wait until you%26#39;ve done your thing?? We walked every row of the Chungkai Cemetery and walked fairly slowly to the caves. I have no idea how long we were gone for. You may even be able to get quite a bit cheaper if you feel like bartering and use one of the many tourist agents in the street near your guest house.

Oh yes and if you%26#39;re staying at the VN you%26#39;d probably be best off getting off the train at the Kanchanaburi Railway Station which is almost directly opposite the Kanchanaburi Cemetery so again 5-10 minutes walk to your guest house. I%26#39;d still leave from the Bridge Railway Station though because there are more seats available there - nearly no passengers get on there and if I remember correctly the train leaves there at approx 2.35pm to get back to Bangkok at 5.00pm ish. I believe we paid 100THB each for the train trip each way.

There are some lovely floating restaurants near the bridge - we didn%26#39;t eat anywhere other than the Felix because we were very happy there. I%26#39;m sure there are also some great floating restaurants closer to JEATH museum too. Sorry, can%26#39;t help you out much on that subject.

cheers

Pam

Oh yes, before I forget. I read a post from someone saying it%26#39;s a pity you cannot buy a floral tribute of some kind from the front of the Kanchanaburi Cemetery. You certainly can from the Museum in the side street and I think I also saw some at several stalls in that street.

regards

Pam