Kanchanaburi, Thailand

Our morning bus ride lecture tacked the Thai economy. The big building boom in Thailand occured between 1980 and 1997, ending with the South East Asian financial crisis. Thailand has a large middle class compared to other nearby countries and it was very evident that it has better road and rail infrastructure. Agriculture still employs about 65% of the people versus 80% in nearby countries. They have remained self-sufficient in agriculture while building other industries like autos and seafood.

The Floating Market

We stopped to see the Damnoonsaduak floating market, the last in the country. This seemed like a real tourist trap since they were selling as many tourist goods as they were fruits and vegetables.

In the afternoon, we visited the bridge on the River Kwae (Kwai in the movie) and its museum. Japan invaded Thailand on December 8th, 1941, simultaneous to Pearl Harbor (remember the International Date line makes it a day later). They also controlled Burma, which was a supply route to occupied China. To supply their troops in Burma, their ships had to go through the straits near Singapore - subject to attack by the allied forces. The Burmese - Thailand railroad was built to provide a more secure supply route from Japan to Burma. The route chosen had been explored earlier, but the estimates were that it would take 5 years to complete. The rail line was built in 17 months (1942-3) by 65000 POWs and 200,000 local impressed laborers through this mountainous, muggy country. Over 100,000 died (13000 of the POWs) because of hard labor, poor nutrition and scant medical attention.

The Bridge over the River Kwai

We arrived at our resort hotel, the Xen Hideaway at 3:30. It has a huge outdoor pool and both indoor and outdoor showers. What luxury!