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This was one of the best parts of my trip to Kanchanaburi and (and I mean this genuinely) Thailand.
Hellfire Pass Interpretive Center is a modern, beautifully designed museum, both aesthetically and scientifically, with a lot to see.
We were greeted at the entrance by a guide who spoke impeccable English, letting us know the usual times for buses back to Kanchanaburi and the way to the Interpretive Center.
At the Interpretive Center, we were once again greeted by the staff. They were very courteous and really respected the Center as a memorial for the lives lost during the construction of the Thailand-Burma railway.
The exhibition is phenomenal. You will be able to get a detailed account of the events, including images, video and audio descriptions. They seem to explore every detail in a way that does not seem at all tiresome, and in a way that places the events into their relevant historical context.
After that, armed with all of this knowledge, you're able to start preparing for your hike, for which you should bring proper hiking shoes (I didn't!). The Center has free lockers for you, and drinks at regular price so you can keep hydrated, as well as free water refilling stations. The audio guide they provide is also free: complete with wired earphones that they also provide to you free of charge (and that you're not meant to return).
Your hike is accompanied through the audio guide by depictions of various elements that you'll see during the walk, narrated by Australian victims of this crime.
At the end of Hellfire Pass, those who came prepared (and warned the staff previously, in order to receive a walkie-talkie) may proceed through the longer path, which also has more audio guide content.
The scenic views show you, just as the soldiers describe in the audio guide, how they didn't lose their spirit despite the famine and violence, living and working in the beautiful forest.
At the end, no money is expected from you and you aren't pushed to make any donations. In fact, you're even invited to take a Hellfire Pass Interpretive Center sticker free of charge. For those who are interested, you're able to make a donation into any of the donation boxes they have, or buy books related to these events, or merchandise, in order to help fund this Center.
Finally, when we got back, the same guide at the entrance said that he hasn't seen a bus come in a while, so hopefully if one is going to arrive it shouldn't be in too long. It quickly arrived and drove us straight to Kanchanaburi for around ~80 THB.
I would recommend doing the following route to get from Kanchanaburi to Hellfire Pass:
Go from Kanchanaburi (or Bangkok) all the way to the terminal station (Nam Tok) by train. The price is 100 THB no matter what stop you leave at. You will be able to travel on the actual runway, over the Bridge Over the River Kwai, and along the Wapong Viaduct. This 2.5-hour journey felt like 30 minutes as we marvelled at the beauty the whole time.
Reaching Nam Tok, we were able to walk 20 minutes to Sai Yok Noi, one of the old stations on the same railway before the tracks were removed. There, you can enjoy a soak at the very slippery but very beautiful waterfall, which when we went barely had anyone else there. There are also places to eat and buy other things nearby.
On the other side of the road from the waterfall, you can take the bus, underneath a big tree to the left of the 7-eleven (when looking straight at it). There's a bus stop sign there, though it's easy to miss.
Buses aren't frequent but are frequent enough, so we waited for about 30-45 minutes (you can check the timings at the waterfall's tourist information barrack) and took the long bus to Hellfire Pass.
It was a marvelous trip that was not only beautiful but also made me more aware of the horrors and complexity of the second world war.
Other locations related to the Thailand-Burma railway are: The Bridge Over The River Kwai, Tiger Cave Temple, the original JEATH museum (there's a new one; the old one shows old letters from the soldiers to the...
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Kwai me a river.
After a big breakfast at our rustic/deluxe riverside camp, we piled into our spacious bus for a full day of activities revolving around the Kwai river. It began with a visit to a rubber tree plantation where a young man demonstrated how he taps and harvests the latex sap from two thousand trees every day and converts it into rubber used for everything from tires to condoms.
Next a physically challenging and emotional visit to the Hellfire Pass center in Kanchanaburi. A museum and trail serve as memorials to the Allied prisoners of war and Asian laborers who perished during the construction of the Burma-Thailand Railway in World War II. This notorious section of the railway, known as Konyu Cutting, was an extremely challenging section to build, carved through solid rock with rudimentary tools under brutal conditions. The name "Hellfire Pass" originated from the eerie sight of emaciated laborers working at night by torchlight, resembling a scene from hell.
Our group of 11 walked down steep stairs and trail, leading to the granite gorge carved out by allied prisoners of war. The artifacts and memorials there were poignant remembrances and tangible connections to the dark wartime past here.
Adjacent to the trail is the Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum, which documents the railway's construction and the immense suffering endured by those forced to work on it. Exhibits feature photographs, personal accounts, and a brief film that vividly depict the harsh realities of life and labor in the jungle camps. A very moving experience.
Next, we jumped into the back of pick-up trucks for a ride down a twisting road to the river where two long tail boats waited to take us on an hour ride on the Kwai river, the lifeblood of this region. Our journey offered glimpses into its multifaceted role. We passed a lone fisherman pulling up a net full of small flopping fish - an example of the river's vital economic role in the lives of local inhabitants. We also glided past floating resorts that cater to the growing number of tourists drawn to this beautiful, historic area...
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This wasn't the easiest place to get to for anindependent traveller using public transport.
There is a bus from Kanchantburi Town bus station that runs every hour and stops outside the Hellfire Pass Interpretive Centre. We arrived in good time for the 9.10am bus, sat on the bus and waited and waited and waited. The bus eventually left at 10.20am!
Tickets cost 60 baht and the journey takes about 90 minutes.
The bus stops outside the Hellfire Pass Interpretive Centre entrance. We walked a short way to the gate and received a warm welcome from an Australian guard, Tom, who told us where to go.
It was a few minutes walk to the centre, past some cafes and small shops.
At the centre we were greeted by a very polite young lady who explained where to start our visit and who gave us a Visitor Guide.
There is a lot of information but it is really well presented and interesting. There were many video clips of former PoWs talking about their experiences - really moving.
Entrance to the centre is free, although you can make a donation. You can also have the free use of an audio tour guide which provides information along the walk through the Hellfire Pass to the memorial. We had intended to walk the whole trail to Hintok Road, which takes about 3 hours for the return journey and is supposed to be quite challenging. As our bus was so delayed we didn't have time so did the 1km walk to the memorial and then went a little further on to the Khwae Noi Valley Lookout.
If you do the longer trek you need to get a 2 way radio from the centre for safety reasons.
We were very impressed by the centre and the staff- all of them were very professional and friendly.
We would definitely like to go back in the future to do the walk to Hintok Road.
Getting back to Kanchantburi on the bus is a bit of an adventure! The bus station said the last bus was at 4pm, our bus driver said 3pm and the guard said 5pm!
We were at the bus stop by 3.45pm and just after 4pm a very kind man in a van stopped and gave us a lift back...
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