Morning of 10th April 2017, my phone was vibrating mercilessly asking me to wake up, It was 7AM in VN Guesthouse, Kanchanaburi. I got up and got ready for another adventure that day.
We checked out of VN and Nam was already waiting for us with a smile in his face. I asked him to take us to breakfast first at Dawudcha. The people here eat heavy food for breakfast like large portion of rice and side dishes instead of just toast or small nasi lemak. I guess it is because of their heavy daily activities. So we had a heavy breakfast as well, hihi.
With the owner of Dawudcha
We bid farewell to Dawudcha and took a picture with the super friendly owner. Our journey continued to our first destination, Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum. I actually told Nam to take us to Erawan first and Hellfire Pass second, but he brought us here first, he know the road better for sure, and it was more easier that way, i think.
reached Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum
The heat in the TukTuk all the way to Hellfire Pass was crazy, i have no words to explain it. It was 42'c that day, with a warm wind and dry weather. My oh my, even the trees along the way turned brown. The distance between Kanchanaburi town and Hellfire Pass is about 80KM and it took us around an hour to reach there via TukTuk. TIPS: Nam and the rest of TukTuk drivers drives very fast especially to go to places like this, to cut the travel time. Since TukTuk doesn't have seat belt or door, do hold to the rail behind the seat and avoid seating very near to the 'exit'.
The memorial museum
dedicated to those who suffered & died in the construction
We reached Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum around 10.30AM. So what is Hellfire Pass? Well it is the continuation of Death Railway. I talked about this a lil in my first entry on Kanchanaburi. TIPS: The entrance to Hellfire Pass is free, donations is welcome tho. I would suggest you to see the Hellfire Pass museum first and then visit River Kwai Bridge and Tham Krasae Bridge to understand the history of the Death Railway better. Of course for the history buff!
Working on a Thailand Railway Cutting, July 1943 by the official war artist Murray Griffin. This has become one of the most famous images of the hellish conditions experienced when constructing the Thai–Burma railway
The original railbed before it was removed
Hellfire Pass or also known as Konyu Cutting was the deepest and longest cutting along the entire length of the Thai–Burma railway which over the years came to symbolise the suffering and maltreatment of POWs (prisoners of war) of the Japanese army. The horrible working conditions in making the cutting lead to the name, Hellfire Pass, a cutting of about 75 metres long and 25 metres deep. The memorial museum is dedicated to the POWs that lost their life in building the railway. It is a collaboration between the Australian and Thai government.
Brief explanation on the war
the war timeline
We started with the inside of the museum where it displays the history, artifacts such as rusty tools and pictures taken from that era of torture and war. Each of the items displayed has a brief explanation written on it so it can help you understand better. The personal belongings of the POW are also displayed. One that have the most impact if u ask me, is a letter wrote by one of the POW to his family. TIPS: They also provide audio guide for 200THB (refundable) so its basically free. You can register and request at the counter.
tools used for the excavation work
sculptures showing the hard working condition by the labours
the belonging of POWs, the journal is heartbreaking
The harsh working condition was at peak in June 1943 when the Japanese doubled the work to meet the deadline. They brought in a further 600 prisoners including British and Australians of H force. On top of that, around a thousand Asian labourers or rÅmusha, also were forced to worked in Konyu Cutting. When it reached around August that year, the work day extended to fifteen to eighteen hours a day! Can u imagine? failure to adhere resulted in physical punishment. Mostly done by the Korean guards hired by the Japanese.
the map showing the hellfire pass rail line wih River Kwai bridge & Tham Krasae
The video show was the most heartbreaking i must say. It was taken during the construction of the railway. It shows the differences from the moment they started working on it (still healthy) until their last days, malnutrition and sick. It was awful :( . You can check out video below:
From the museum deck, you can see a clear view of Tennasarim mountain, the border of Thai and Myanmar. A 'peace vessel' designed by Peter Rushworth, a former prisoner of war can also be found here.
Tennasarim mountain, Thai - Myanmar border
We then stepped outside to the location of Hellfire pass itself. It is located behind the museum, connected by wooden stairways. The path into the hellfire pass is quite rocky, with small rocks scattered. TIPS: Wear suitable shoes!
wooden stairways to Hellfire Pass
rocky way, into the Hellfire Pass
Few of the original rail put by the POW & romusha is still here until this day. It is incomplete due to the fall of Japanese empire after the end of World War II. The remaining rail bed was also removed after that. As I walk through the cutting, i cannot imagine how they dug and excavated it largely by hand. The tree in the middle is quite a 'wow' view to be honest.
the original rail bed still can be seen
into the memory
original rail bed kept, the rest has been removed after the war
There were also people placing small Australian flags,flowers and words along the pass to commemorate and honor the POWs who passed away in excavating these cuttings. It acts like a little shrine. The ashes of Sir Edward Dunlop, a surgeon that survive the war, was also scattered here. Some of em who placed flowers are the families of the deceased as i saw names being written down in cards as well.
The tree in the middle of the pass showed how deep they dug, 8-10 metres
Flags and cards
the view of Hellfire Pass as i walked passed the tree
In memory of Sir Edward 'Weary' Dunlop
Reaching the end of Hellfire Pass stands a black granite cenotaph in memory of all those who lost their lives on the Death Railway. There are benches surrounding it as this area is often used for Anzac Day memorial. TIPS: Beyond this spot is the 7KM hiking trail along the old railbed. If you are interested and love hiking on foreign land, come early and do carry plenty of drinking water and suitable shoes. You can also hire a local Thai guide to go with you. Below is the map of the hiking trail.
Cenotaph: In Memory
the hiking trail map
Anzac Day, 25 April, is one of Australia’s most important national occasions. It marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War.
So, with that we climbed back up into the museum. Cool ourselves a bit with the aircond. There is a cafe nearby as well, near the parking area. We went in to buy some drink and gained a bit of energy first. We took the road again shortly after that to our next stop: Erawan National Park. Coming soon yall coming soon (my snailself is writing it la! :P )
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