A Brit in The Orient.

As you can see from the above photograph, the Chinese cemetery at this point is rather special.

From the information I was able to obtain, (and that was restricted, people did not like to disclose too much) it appears that this particular cemetery is only for extremely wealthy Chinese.

I must say it was in superb condition, extremely well maintained and the ornate work must have cost tremendous sums to build, let alone maintain after-wards.

This new grave, will give an idea as to the work being carried out in the construction and completion of the same. The stonework was absolutely spotless clean on all of them.

The grass was perfect, it appeared to have been watered on a regular basis, we passed this spot on three or four different occasions. There was always a maintenance crew about and work appeared to be being carried out from all sections of the cemetery





Obviously this particular grave represented somebody who was showing more signs of affluence than most.



The grave alone was very big and no doubt these large units were used as family tombs. The landscaped area to the front which was extremely well presented.

The manner in which it was presented and maintained was obviously a sign of the wealth applicable to the family.

I thought I'd let you have an insight into one of the places we put our heads down in Kanchanaburi.

Duenshine Resort is on the other side of the River Kwai from the town. It's a decent resort, well maintained and reasonably priced.

It's always busy and that of course speaks volumes.

There is small hotel type room section, small bungalows in the grounds and some nice rafts on the river.

In general with a little bartering you can obtain accommodation in the resort for Bt1000 per night, either hotel, bungalow or raft.

Me and Flobo have used all three. They are nice and comfortable, clean,the staff are friendly and always willing to please .

There's a nice little pool, the same is cleaned on a daily basis, and the chemical levels are comfortable.




The photograph below is one of the rooms, as I mentioned the same are good value for money and clean.



The rafts are also great.

I think it fair to say that Flobo and myself prefer the rafts in general.


It's probably the enjoyment of sitting out late afternoon, evenings and even of a morning before breakfast.



I enjoy a swim, I normally stick the kettle on first thing of a morning, jump in the river for a quick swim and then shower off.

Make Flobo a brew and sit out on the veranda with her.

It's nice.



* NB The River Kwai is an extremely fast flowing and powerful river. If you do go there, be cautious regarding swimming in the same, or better still don't.





There appear to be a large number of Monitor Lizards on the Kwai, You can be sure to see one or two every day if you are on the veranda of a raft.

It's really pleasant by the river.

The resort hosts conventions most weekends as well. Normally the garden areas are set out nicely, there is a stage erected. Entertainment;- Karaoke or free and easy. All in all the value is good.




They also have a floating disco/ dinner raft, this is mainly used for convention purposes. But we have been given the opportunity to join the gang so to speak.



There are numerous floaters being towed up and down The Kwai, some are really ornate in their appearance.

Nice to behold.




The disco type rafts have been put on hold by The Town mayor and Council so to speak These were mainly used by the kids and gave cause to complaint by the residents who didn't want the non stop bang, bang, bang of disco music belting out all hours of the night especially.

The other rafts are not affected.


There's usually a big roast on offer as well.




The River itself is always a hive of activity, the kids have a lot of fun.



All in all you can't really go wrong at Kanchanaburi.



Resorts with expensive Villas are also available, all levels of requirement seem to be well covered.





A really beautiful River all in all though.




There is a new resort presently being built next door to The Duenshine.

It looks like it will be very nice.

The Felix on the other side of the Duenshine is also a nice place to stay.

We took a suite there this year.

This is 'Bully-Beef' as I used to call him.

He was tethered up just down the road from the resort. We take a walk every morning and I always used to give his head a pat. He was a friendly type of Bull.

Thankfully.





I have been chased by a few in my day, and it isn't funny when they go on one.

This is the bathroom of the hotel room accommodation.

I think they ran out of stone.




I don't appear to have taken a photograph inside the raft. Large room, small shower and WC facilities.

Only basic, nothing special but nice and clean. Walls are a bit thin to the adjoining raft, so I would suggest an end raft.

No complaints at all though. Good value for money.

This was a Temple a few miles out of town.

High on a cliff.

The Monks were friendly, we had a good walk around the same.


Nice dog too, he was in great condition and really chummy.

I felt sorry for him with all the fur in the heat, but he appeared to be comfortable enough in all honesty.

Well cared for in fact.

These were Monks quarters, high up on the mountain, the climb up here was quite steep and hard work too.




Once at the top, the landscape was almost all bamboo. It appeared that at one time this place may well have been a large retreat of some kind.



The Monks below were hard at work with concrete.



We were well on the way down when I took the above photograph so you can get an idea of how high up we had climbed.





Flobo thought it had an eerie feeling to it.

Quite amazing with the Monks as well.

Whenever I have noticed them working, there is never any plant or machinery involved, it's all purse muscle work.




A different photograph here, down town Kanchanaburi.



It's always busy.

This one is approaching one of the daily markets.



Sometimes I think they live on motorcycles.

There are some nice places to visit.

Getting back to the Duenshine resort. These giant mushroom features are by the pool. The showers are built into them. When they are working, they are a decent novelty, but they appeared to be having problems with the same when we last stayed there.




The area below is the lawn between the pool and the reception area.

At weekends there are usually some of the entertainment facilities and roast cooking on this lawn.




You can take a nice walk from The Duenshine.

Leave the resort and turn left when you come to the road.
Follow the road down go past the Felix Hotel and carry on
towards the large Police box and railway line.
Cross the line and turn left walking down the road which
leads you behind the police box.

This is a really nice road which leads you past some
nice houses and eventually brings you to either the river
crossing over The River Kwai on the famous bridge.
Or you can alternatively walk past this point and cross on a
road bridge about three kl. further down the road.

Alternatively to those two, you can walk along the
railroad track from the Police Box, and this will lead
you directly onto the River Kwai Bridge.
(Watch out for trains, oh and snakes, we have had
two occasions when snakes have been on or crossing the track area).




Me and Flobo would do the different routes as we felt like whenever we stay at Duenshine or Felix.


It's very interesting walking along the line, especially if you think about it's construction all those years ago by the various Prisoners of War and others, under the torturous regime of the Japanese.

You really do get a feeling of what those men must have endured when you walk these lines or visit places like Hell-Fire Pass.

I'll leave descriptions and some of the tales I have regarding these issue until later into the thread.


That is the River Kwai Bridge crossing up front, the opposite side of the river to where the town is of course.

Once you have crossed the river, follow the road to the right, it is a long road which takes you past numerous guest houses and shops etc (Locally known as 'Traveller's Walk).


If you spend some time in the area, as we normally do, you can visit all the different places to stay at your leisure, walk by the river and take trips along the river.

You can hire bicycles in town or at some of the resorts, if you want a change from walking as well.

In any event you can get a nice refreshing drink along the walk, we usually have a lemon juice or pineapple, freshly squashed and blended with a spoonful or two of honey.

The road eventually takes you past the large cemetery, and others, there are some really nice Temple's as well, all worth a visit.

Eventually you get to the market at the rear of the main road.




The produce is brilliant and so cheap compared to what we have to pay in the UK




The hustle and the bustle of every day life.


It's always mad busy here.

When you come to the main road, turn left and start walking down the dual carriageway.

You might cross over and have a coffee in The River Kwai Hotel across the road about a kl. down from the intersection.

The staff are nice in there. They have a small café section like a coffee bar with cakes etc in the main reception area. Reasonable prices and they make nice coffee.

Then carry on walking down the road which is a pleasant walk.

(Do this walk early morning, it takes about two and a half hours allowing for one stop at The River Kwai Hotel. Approximately twelve kilometers)

The road is pleasant and there is plenty going on, as I will show on the next post.

Nice, Maff.

I'm enjoying your travelogue 'n' pix.

Thanks Mac.

I had intended entering some additional photographs on the
Red Rose Thread as well.

I got called away though and it's a little on the late side now.

Tomorrow hopefully.

There's a place which makes the beautiful Spirit Houses and other such nice ornamental pagodas etc. Some make them out of plain timber as well, teak I rather imagine.

There are shops selling motorcycles, thousands of them, all trying to out do each other with fancy deals to get the business.

Car and the obligatory pick up vehicle sales. Every body loves to have a pick up. They seem to like ramming Granny in the back on a blanket with a bottle of water and a mango or two.




I think these look beautiful, I've thought of buying one to put in the garden at home, but never got round to it.

One day maybe,



One place which really did grab my attention was a garage workshop which was building or rebuilding wagons and such like on salvaged chassis units.

As you can see, it's not exactly Nissan Ltd. (Mind blowing isn't it. All that welding carrying twenty ton of stone or similar}



This one reminded me of one of those episodes of 'The Untouchables' when Elliot Ness was having that battering vehicle made to drive into the illicit breweries in Chicago, back in The Roaring Twenty's !

Any one remember that?





The actual workshop didn't really inspire a great deal of conviction as to their capabilities.

Ah well, it could have been an aeroplane I suppose,





I don't suppose they have any real form of legislation regarding what can or cannot go onto the roads. They need to get that little bit of legislation sorted.




Old Dingo under the jeep looks comfortable enough.

But he's no idea what's going on around him.

When you eventually come to the rail line crossing the road, you know to turn left, this road leads you back to the Kwai Bridge and onto your resort.





PS The Police are not always there, talking to law abiding motorists or other, so keep a good eye out for the railway track.

Your well ready for a swim too, believe me.

Great shots. I drop in at least once a week to see whats new .
BTW, there was never any illicit booze in Chicago in the Roaring TWenties.
It was all made under the watchful eyes of the police.

The photographs below are taken by myself from 'Hell Fire Pass'




As mentioned I will do further and additional writing on the Railway in due course.



It is well worth the effort of taking the full walk in the area, through;-


'Hell Fire Pass'


and the general area.

Thanks very much farmer.. Appreciated.

This photograph shows a modern day train using the viaduct and trestle type crossing along the banks of The River Kwai,



The photograph here is one taken along the walking route around the area known as 'Hell Fire Pass'



When the POW's were forced to dig out the cut through the solid rock, they were forced to work day and night to the Japanese yells of "Speedo ,Speedo, Speedo"


At night they burned oil lights to enable the POW's to carry on working. Apparently the red glow and the men working resulted in the pass being named:-


"Hell Fire Pass"




An additional photograph of a train along the cliff face cutting



One more from The Hell Fire Pass area.




It's quite a place to visit.

Many people who have had an interest in the various attrocities of World War 11 have compared the feeling they get there, being similar to the death camps in Poland and Germany.





We certainly find it rather eerie.

I'd shown you Duenshine Resort, which as you saw was quite nice, decent value for money, the owners and staff do a good job of making sure you are well looked after too.

This next place is The Felix River Kwai Resort.

For some reason or another, this hotel always appears to have a fantastic mix of clientelle from all across the globe.

It's located in a brilliant spot right on the banks of The River Kwai and actually has it's own private walkway to the River Kwai Bridge.

There are two swimming pools, both excellent size and well maintained.

The rooms themselves are extremely nice and boast to give the ultimate in luxury.

They have excellent restaurants, all the food is of an excellent standard and the menu is broad covering even the most basic of requirements to the most extreme.

This year, as we had been doing a great deal of travelling around, I treated Flobo to a suite at the Felix.

I had a good chat with The Manager and struck a good deal, breakfast inclusive for the suite which I will show you below and managed to get what we thought was the really good price of Baht 3000 per night inclusive.





Really nice suite.



It was a superb resort.



We had two balcony's as well, one leading out from the bedroom, the other from the lounge/living room.

Not that you can do a lot with two balconies, but there they happened to be.




Extremely nice.

It was nice to sit out on the balcony with a cool Singha and look out over the beautiful gardens and remarkable pond.





The frogs could be a little noisy of an evening on occasion, but like anything else, you get used to things like that.




And from the alternative balcony, a different angle.



There we were with this large dining room as well.

I thought I would phone a few members from A2K and ask them round for evening dinner, but I didn't have your phone numbers, so you missed out :wink:






Life can be a bugger at times can't it.

Mathos--

Do you think anybody was asleep in the train with the Bangcock Times over his head to keep the flies off during the transit through Hell Fire Pass?

Is there no "Stop and Shag em Junction" on that railway?

The Tiger Rally group passed through whilst we were at the Felix.

I have some photographs, not all I wanted but quite a few.

The Vintage Cars, landed up one evening. They were superb.

I thought, I'd wait until morning to take the photographs in the daylight.

I asked them what time they would be leaving. Oh about nine o'clock they replied.

I'm always up for 7am or so regardless and I went across to the car park about 7.45 am. Half of the pillocks had set off at 6am for whatever reason.

Not a major problem though, I got some photographs.

. The Tiger Rally 2008


February 28 - April 1 2008

The Tiger Rally is a unique and very special adventure through the most exotic lands of South East Asia. A tale of capitals, the Tiger Rally will take you on a journey from the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur to Hanoi, the historic capital of Vietnam. In between times you will also go to Bangkok and Vientiane, the mysterious capital of Laos.

Driving from Kuala Lumpur the rally heads for the cool Cameron Highlands where, for centuries, locals and tourists alike have retreated to escape the heat of the lowlands. It was a special favourite of the British in colonial times. Next stop is exotic island of Pangkor Laut, the haunt of the famous and no doubt infamous too. Moving up the coast we stop at the ancient island of Penang where we stay in the Sarki's beautiful Eastern & Oriental Hotel.

The smooth sandy beaches of Trang nad Phuket in Thailand, mixed with the perfect accommodation and hospitality are next on the itinerary, creating a serene and tranquil haven from the hustle and bustle of daily life on the road. Moving north the rally heads for the colourful and vibrant city of Bangkok but not before visiting Tusita and then Kanchanaburi of the Bridge on the River Kwai fame, the setting for David Lean's film of the same name. While we are there we will visit the famed Tiger Temple where, apparently, you can walk with the Tigers - if you dare.


Driving into Cambodia the rally stops at one of the world's most remarkable heritage sites at Angkor Wat. Take your time to look at the incredible ruins of this beautiful and mysterious temple complex. Phnom Pehn, once infamous but now one of the most peaceful and beautiful cities on the route, follows Angkor Wat.
Driving into Vietnam, the rally first goes to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) before heading to the quite hills and the tranquillity of Da Lat. Of course, Vietnam still bears the scars of the war and some of the locations on the rally will have significant connections to the conflict. Participants will have an opportunity to visit these sites during the course of the rally.


Laos is one of the great unknown countries still to be explored and the Tiger Rally will thread its way through this great and mysterious land. The rally visits the capital city of Vientiane before moving to Luang Prabang, the site of an ancient civilisation of the Mekong. The beauty of the hills will be a great contrast to the sand and sea of the drive up the Vietnam coastal roads. Moving out of Laos via the Plain of Jars, the rally heads for Hanoi where the participants can luxuriate in a well-earned rest before heading for home.


Throughout the event the accommodation will be five-star wherever possible and the participants will find themselves staying in some of the best and most beautiful hotels in the world. Driving is generally a pleasure and the rally aims to avoid unmade or rough roads. The twisting highland roads contrast sharply with the smooth flat lands near the coasts, but both are a pleasure to drive.


Entry Cost

The cost of this extraordinary and amazing adventure is £22,750 for two people in one vehicle and includes shipping of the vehicle, accommodation, maps and route books, a series of events plus a back-up team including doctor and mechanics. The experienced management team, veterans of a number of long distance events, will be on hand throughout to sort out any wrinkles. Early payment of the full amount will also attract a 10% discount.


What you get:

• An amazing event
• Rally recce and admin
• A UK doctor on the event
• We organise shipping and Carnets
• Mechanical back-up all the way
• The best nightly accommodation available and breakfast
• The route on GPS satellite navigation system
• Map book
• Tulip book of route
• Rally plates
• Historic locations
• Luxurious accommodation
• Adventure
• History
• Breathtaking scenery

I had no idea the people in the cars had paid such a fee to be there.

They never said!

Wow.


Tiger Rally Map and Hotels
The route for the 2008 Tiger Rally has now been finalised - see map. Starting in Kuala Lumpur the rally heads north to the Cameron Highlands, which is refreshingly cool after the sticky heat of the lowlands. Once a hill station for the British it is now a popular resort with the Malaysians.
On day two we will take the road to Pangkor Laut, one of the most exclusive resorts in South East Asia. Parking the cars in a guarded compound we will take the ferry to the island and the fantastic hotel complex. From here the rally travels north to the island of Penang, where we will stay at the very beautiful Eastern & Oriental Hotel, owned by the Sarki Brothers.
The first stop in Thailand is at elegant Trang at the Amari Trang Hotel, nestled on an unspoiled section of beach. Phuket can be hectic and overwhelming but we are staying at one of the newer and more exclusive hotels, the Twin Palms on Surin Beach. The rally will temoprarily split into two groups on the way into Bangkok as good hotel accommodation at Chumphon is limited. Half way to Bangkok is the tranquil and soothing Tusita Resort. Then we head for Kanchanaburi, home of the Bridge on the River Kwai and the Tiger Temple. Last stop in Thailand is Bangkok where we have booked the Peninsula Hotel.
In Cambodia our first stop is at Siem Reap where we will be staying at the Grand Hotel D'Ankor, which is conveniently placed for the temple complex. In Phnom Penh we stay at the Raffles Hotel Le Royal, a sister hotel of the Grand.
Heading down to Vietnam the rally halts in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a couple of nights at the Sheraton in the heart of the old town. Da Lat a French hill station is the next stop where we stay at the Da Lat Palace, with views over Da Lat Lake. Next stop is at Nha Trang and the VinPearl Resort. This is followed by two nights at the amazing Nam Hai near Hoi An. A short drive takes us to La Residence at Hue before we head north to Vinh and the Phuong Dong. The following day is a long but satisfying drive through the border into Laos. We stop in the capital, Vientiane, in the Don Chan Palace, which sits by the Mekong River. A tremendous drive then takes us to Luang Prabang, famous for its excellent markets and historic sites.
The road to Hanoi takes the rally to Phon Sa Van, home of the amazing Plain of Jars which did suffer during the Vietnam war, but most are still in original condition. The following day we leave Laos and head for the seaside town of Thanh Hoa and the Van Chai Resort. The finishing line is the Sofitel Metropole in the heart of Hanoi. Filled with classic colonial charm it is the ideal point to finish the event.

The above information was taken from the pages on the site below.

Tiger Rally - Home
The Tiger Rally is a unique and very special adventure through the most exotic lands of South East Asia. A tale of capitals, the Tiger Rally will take you ...
www.tigerrally.co.uk/ - 8k - Cached - Similar pages

This one of the Rolls Royce was taken outside of The Felix River Kwai Hotel.




I did ask the owner of this superb Rolls Royce, who is sat behind the wheel if it was ok to take the photogrpah and he confirmed it was, as did the others.


The Roller above, I'm pretty sure is a Corniche.




I thought I had more photographs than I have of the 'Vintage Motors' so I'll fill in with a little ad lib to compensate.

Hope you don't mind.





I've put these other photograph on to give you an idea of the cavalcade of additional bodies there were especially on motorcycles,
plus a few ordinary vehicles carrying spare parts, mechanics and others.
Oh, a photographer I noted as well.

These were a fantastic car in their day. The bees knees they used to say:-




These Mercedes 280SL convertibles. There was also a Jaguar XK120 or 150 there, I cannot recall which model, it had gone by the following morning.
That was a specimen. It was worth a fortune.



I remember one being sold in Chorley Motor Auctions back in the late 1960's or very early 71/72 at the latest for £150..00.

How times change.

How about these for a couple of vintage trucks.



I think these old 'War Horses' are brilliant.




There are still a hell of a lot of them on the roads in Thailand, you see them in Burma, Laos and Cambodia as well.


Found one more, Bentley Sports, not certain which particular model.




It's a beauty, Ian fleming, in his early books regarding James bond, always had 007 driving one of these specimen motor cars.

I couldn't read the insignia details.

I'm going to stop buying specks on Sukhumvit Road at 150 Baht a pair and visit an optician in the UK, it's daft sitting here and not being able to read.

:wink:




Anybody know for sure?

Wat Tham Seu is an outstanding Temple.

It appears to be being totally rebuilt as well.

At the top of the steps there is an amazing Buddha statue of immense proportions.



There is the option of using a cable car to gain access to the top, but to be honest with you, Flobo and myself treat these steps as a form of exercise.

It's somewhat akin to a mini work out in the gym going up steps like this.

I reckon it does us quite a bit of good.

Flobo, does tell me I'm off my rocker at times, but she climbs them with me.





They appear to be spending millions on the
Temple complexes in general in this particular area of Kanchanaburi.



They certainly do not appear to be cutting any corners in the construction,
the vast concrete used the construction of the steps not to mention steelwork on this alone must have cost an arm and a leg.




There are probably three Temples within this immediate area.
One of them I made an assumption of as being Chinese, and the Chinese graveyard in the area, which I have shown earlier on this thread kind of reinforced my assumption.

However, I got talking to a Monk in the same, he spoke outstandingly good English too. He told me it was a Vietnamese Temple.



I would have put money on it being Chinese. Shows you how you can be wrong so easily.


The panoramic views were outstanding.



You can see the amazing irrigation canals they have installed in the area.
The appear to be all over Kanchanaburi, the fields are certainly well and truly producing outstanding levels of crops.




In fact the lushness of the Province is quite well illustrated with this photograph

Spendi, if you are going to read the thread, it's important that you give the same sound attention. Obviously with your retarded brain faculties being unable to comprehend for most of the day, you miss so much in life, it is somewhat a crime.

Bangkok, has a Post. No Times.

Trains do not go through 'Hell Fire Pass'

Not since 1945 or so, as I have previously explained.

Get it?

Got it?

Good.

Shut Up.