Arthur's Diary, The Halfway Point: 2 Nights in Bangkok

Arthur is 65, retired, and spending three months travelling solo (with company when he wants it!) through Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. These are his diary entries - an honest view from the first ever DECADES trip, written for anyone wondering whether to make the leap themselves.

Back in Bangkok

It's just a short 2 days / 3 nights here in Bangkok before heading off to Cambodia. Having spent some time here twenty years ago or so, I didn't visit the usual tourist spots, I've done most of them already, and am close to full on temples and Buddha images. We do have a funky apartment in a nice part of the city!

The Bridge over the River Kwai

Having first seen the (original) film when I was about 11 or 12, I thought I'd visit the area where the story of the Bridge over the River Kwai is set. Long story short, Japan wanted a railway building through Thailand into Burma so it could get supplies to its troops there, fearing a British resurgence in the region and inability to move supplies by sea due to allied submarines sinking their vessels. It was a barbaric undertaking with quite brutal treatment of allied PoWs and local tribes people, mainly Tamils. The wooden bridge has now been rebuilt from steel about 100 m from the original site, but many other features are still in place as they were then - Death Railway Valley and Hellfire Pass in particular. Not quite as hard hitting as Auschwitz, but the toll paid by those forced to work on it was absolutely inhuman by any standards. It never ceases to shock me how abominably human beings can treat each other because of race or religious differences. I walked a section of the track, saw the original bridge site, walked through Hellfire Pass and rode on the Death Railway.

Back streets, Buddhas and long-tail boats

As a bit of a palate cleanser, the next day was spent on a guided cycle tour through the back streets, alleys, pavements, markets and canals of old town Bangkok. Yes, it meant more temples and Buddhas (what's the right plural for "Buddha"?) but what a half day it was. Regular stops for shade and refreshment and photos, but a really fun time followed by a boat trip on the local long-tail boats ahead of a tasty lunch.

The halfway point

I've found a couple of Thai craft beer bars here as well, and hope to make it three before we leave. That's pretty much the halfway point for my adventure, next stop Cambodia.