Last post on the Kanchanaburi trip. This time I will introduce some unusual tourist spots which are usually overlooked by the tourists. Most of the visitors flock to Kanchanaburi only for the Death Railway but somehow the visitors tend to forget some other gems nested in the Kanchanaburi province as well.
First of all, the Death Railway lying across the River Kwai, marked some historical events for this Western province of Thailand. Being a mountainous province, transportation was always very difficult but the Japanese forced the construction of the Burma-Thailand railway to support their forces for Burma campaign during the World War II.
Japanese brought in the first steam train to this province during the construction of the Burma-Thailand railway, thus enhanced the transportation system between Burma and Thailand by the introduction of the train. To mark the historical event as part of Thailand's history, visitors are able to see the train used in the past. This is the actual unit of the train being used to carry ammunition during the World War II.
There are also some other train models at the outdoor area, nearby the train station.
I also visited the Kanchanaburi train station, which houses the steam train used for the show in the carnival I mentioned in the earlier post.
Not to forget, the significant view of the passenger train crossing the Bridge over River Kwai. The train timetable can be referred here. I took this picture at 7 a.m. in order to capture the train coming from Namtok.
Another historical site of the Kanchanaburi is the Prasat Meuang Sing. This park is situated within Sai Yok district, which is about 40 km West of the Kanchanaburi town. This archaeological site has been declared as a historical park in 1987, to mark the evidence of the once flourished Khmer Kingdom. This was the Western border of the Khmer Kingdom, and it served as the stronghold to protect the kingdom from intrusion.
The main temple stands in the center of the complex, was built in 12th century in Bayon style, resembling the Bayon temple in Angkor which was built around the same period of time.
Statue of Lokeshvara in the main complex.
Lastly, moving 20 km to the East of the Kanchanaburi city, I came to the Royal Monument of the King Naresuan the Great. This is situated next to the Don Chedi Archaeological site, and it is believed that the famous elephant battle between King Naresuan the Great and the Crown Price of Burma was held here. The victory from King Naresuan the Great freed the Thai from Burma.
Next to the memorial is the Don Chedi Archaeological site, which the visitors can see an Ayutthaya-style chedi. There were many antiques discovered in this area, including the ancient weapons and war equipment. There was also a skeleton found in the old stupa-looking chedi, which is believed that the stupa was made for the Crown Price of Burma during the war.
This is the end of my stories on Kanchanaburi. It was a pleasant trip, with so many sites to visit that open my mind. A 3D2N trip was never enough for a traveler like me, as I prefer to enjoy every single bit of the attractions during my visit. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who has a thought to pay a visit to Death Railway!
