On from Bangkok - Day 7

We left Bangkok this morning amidst the morning rush hour - not something we will miss.  We head for Damnuerk Saduak where we are visiting its Floating Market which is quite fascinating.  Locals load their sampans with fruits, vegetables. Curries, sweets, clothing, you name it, and ply their wares by floating up and down an approximately ½ mile section of the local river.  Onshore, along the river, are an equal number of fixed vendors peddling their wares.  Next we visit the legendary Bridge Over the River Kwai,  part of the Thailand-Burma Railway built by POW’S during WWII.  Over 100,000 men died in the course of the building, about 75000 of whom were Allied prisoners of war, most of them British, Australian, and though not POW’S many local Thai and Burmese recruited for the work.  We visited the War Museum and Cemetery attached to the site before moving on to our hotel.  Japanese engineers who designed the rail line estimated it would take 5 to 7 years to complete, but, using the harsh treatment of PoW’s, it was completed in 20 months.

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Day 8
Today we continue our exploration of the Burma-Thailand RR by visiting the Hellfire Pass Museum, so named because as the prisoners were carving a 45 foot deep channel 25 feet through the mountains, the Japanese Army put the project on “speedo” in an attempt   to complete the project as quickly as possible.  To do so they forced the POW’S to work 20 hours a day, including by light of campfires.  From here we board our long tail speedboats for a trip along the River Kwai to the place where we will have lunch. Then we take a short train ride on the infamous train before heading to the hotel for the evening,

Our group is small and, fortunately, very compatible.  We’ve been gathering, on a rotating basis, for cocktails each evening in one of our rooms.  Fun way to get to know each other better.

Day 9
We leave Kanchanaburi and drive through acre after acre of rice paddies, visit a local farmer market in Uthaithani before boarding a traditional rice barge to cruise along the Sakae Krang river while we have lunch on the barge. 
After a long drive we arrived at our hotel, a very nice resort setting.

Day 10 - !3th Century Sukhothai

Today we begin by touring the original capital of Thailand, the 13th Century capital city of Sukhothai.  A UNESCO World Heritage Site, this historical park has so many temple ruins that many have not been restored, due to cost.  They have selected three or four to restore, at least partially, so that visitors can have an idea of the immensity of the temple area.

On our way to our hotel we stop at a Lao family business dedicated to the production of indigo dyed cloth.  It was fascinating to see how they use the native plant, soaked overnight, to begin the process, add lime, then begin to soak the cotton fabric, four or more times to get it to the desired shade of blue.  They also use the batik process to produce designs on the fabric.  We purchased a beautiful tablecloth made from the cloth they produce.


By the way, because of bandwidth issues, I am not including any pictures.  Sorry, as I know that would be much more interesting.  If I reach a location with adequate bandwith I will try to send some pics.