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Kanchanaburi, Thailand
Bridge over the River Kwai at Kanchanaburi, Thailand (cc)
Kanchanaburi Travel Guide
Introduction
Kanchanaburi, a lively and picturesque town on the River Kwai, just to the west of Bangkok, is famous mostly as the locale of the "Bridge on the River Kwai." And while David Lean's 1957 blockbuster film of the same name, The Bridge on the River Kwai, is a fictionalized version of the historical events that unfolded here in World War II, based largely on Pierre Boulle’s novel about the construction of the Thailand-to-Burma railway, and further embellished for entertainment, the epic nevertheless has galvanized millions of travelers over the years to make the pilgrimage to this lovely and serene town to see the infamous bridge. The fact that there never really was a bridge on the River Kwai in the 1940s – only one over the River Mae Klong farther north, which has since been renamed the Kwae Yai River – matters little, for there is a bridge here, and there is history, together with the graves of the fallen. Besides which, Kanchanaburi offers the traveler surprisingly wonderful scenic vistas on its approaches on the highway from Bangkok, and scores of ancient temples, countless lakes, large swaths of jungles, and some of the most captivating waterfalls in Thailand in its vicinity.
Location
Kanchanaburi is situated in western Thailand, some 95 miles (150 km) west of Bangkok, where the Khwae Noi and Khwae Yai rivers converge to form the Mae Klong River.
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- Best Time to Visit:
- Cost Per Day: US$-US$ (-)
- Currency: (US$1 ~ )
- Electricity: 220-240V - 50Hz
- Phone Code: +66
- Population: 32,000
© Indian Chief Travel Guides
Last updated November 25, 2013
Posted in Thailand | Kanchanaburi
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