Thread: Where am I? Competition.

Originally Posted by DiscoMick

I've actually been to that cutting, which is halfway between Kanchanaburi and Sanklaburi, near a waterfall, but was too slow to respond. It was in the movie The Railway Man, which I recommend.
No idea where the other cutting is though.

Yep. I took that photo about six weeks ago. It's a walk that the tour does each year. The scary part is, we get a nice breakfast, drive there in an airconditioned bus, have adequate footwear and clothing, can carry as much water as we need, have people on hand to help if we need it, have no one with a bayonet screaming Speedo Speedo at us, and all we have to do is walk a bit more than 4 km. Sure, in April it's HOT and HUMID. It shames me that I struggle to make the walk. On my first trip, there was an 80+ year old who not only made it, but had the time and energy to tell folk about what he had been through building the bloody thing. Sadly, Bill has now passed.

If numbers weren't limited, I would suggest people go to the Anzac thing at Hellfire Pass, but they are. However, the Pass is always there, as is the wonderful Hellfire Pass Museum, and walks along the old Death Railway are always there.

Rod Beatty's museum opposite the Kanchanaburi War Museum is well worth the time taken to visit it.

This year, there were two former POWs at the ceremony. Remember, nearly 13,000 died there, not counting the huge number of Indian and native prisoners. Those two were Harold Martin, who turned 100 on New Years Day, and Neil, my father in law, who turned 95 two weeks ago. I was honoured to be in the same party.

There's a "true" version of The Railway Man. I saw it on the bus this year.

The POWs hate the Kidman movie, as it is so historically and dramatically incorrect, although I'm sure it tugged the heartstrings. My knowledge of the true events means I will never watch it.



Lest We Forget.

I know many of the places you have named. The graveyards and museums are eye-opening. I have also been further up to Three Pagodas Pass.
It's sobering to look at the bridge over the Kwae River and realise the middle section looks different because it's where a high flying American bomber blasted the bridge, not knowing the Japs had forced prisoners out onto the bridge hoping to deter the bomber crews from releasing, but they were too high to see them. Locals say the river ran red for two days.
I know The Railway Man is modified history, but it's still worth seeing to get some idea of what it was like.
Remember that at least 100,000 Asian slaves also died there. Remember also that the ordinary Jap soldiers were also victims of their imperial system, were given an impossible task and were told if they failed they should die and not come home.
Terrible times for all.

Originally Posted by austastar

Hi,
No, you can drive all the way to Montezuma from the west, or walk all the way from the east.
Cheers

Kelly Basin Rd & Walking Track following the abandoned East Pillinger railway?

Originally Posted by DiscoMick

I know many of the places you have named. The graveyards and museums are eye-opening. I have also been further up to Three Pagodas Pass.
It's sobering to look at the bridge over the Kwae River and realise the middle section looks different because it's where a high flying American bomber blasted the bridge, not knowing the Japs had forced prisoners out onto the bridge hoping to deter the bomber crews from releasing, but they were too high to see them. Locals say the river ran red for two days.
I know The Railway Man is modified history, but it's still worth seeing to get some idea of what it was like.
Remember that at least 100,000 Asian slaves also died there. Remember also that the ordinary Jap soldiers were also victims of their imperial system, were given an impossible task and were told if they failed they should die and not come home.
Terrible times for all.

100% agree, Mick, and i wasn't putting down the movie. It simply depicts some things differently to the way they actually happened.

I've also been up to Three Pagoda, but was told in no uncertain terms, by a bloke with a rifle, not to cross the line. This is not always the case, but Myanmar is a little unstable, sadly. It means I can't see where Neil spent most of his time, as he was on the Burmese side.

The "Bridge" is interesting. Of course, the David Lean movie was about as fake as you could get, but there is an excuse, given when it was made. The real bridge, which you have seen, is not on the Kwae, and it was not the one depicted in the film. The real bridge was always a steel bridge, portions of which were brought in from other parts of Japan's "empire", places they had captured. There was, in fact, a wooden and bamboo bridge a few hundred metres downstream of the steel bridge you are familiar with, which was built to allow rail traffic to begin, albeit with far less weight than the steel span could carry.

Also, the film depicts the bridge being destroyed by commandos, which is of course nonsense. The bridge was indeed bombed. (I haven't heard the "river running red" stuff, but I don't say it's wrong. Next time you go, talk to Rod Beatty at his museum. His story is worth telling in itself.) But it made no difference, in reality, as the so called temporary bridge downstream still existed. Allied efforts had little effect on the operation of the Railway. Of course, the railway never achieved what the Japanese desired of it. It's purpose was to supply the Japanese push into India. History shows that they never got there, and mostly the railway was used to provide for their retreat.

As an example of the waste of war, the Burma Thailand Death Railway takes some beating. There is a saying, "a life for every sleeper". This may be a trifle hyperbolic, but it is worth pondering. The number of people who died building this fantasy will never be properly known. The Japanese who commissioned it and forced it's construction never received the benefit of it's completion. And the Thai and Burma governments never gained afterwards, as the railway, in it's entirety, no longer exists. Sure, you can ride bits of it, but there is a big dam covering a fair bit.

Originally Posted by Xtreme

Kelly Basin Rd & Walking Track following the abandoned East Pillinger railway?

Hi,
Bingo!
Where to now?
Cheers

Another OS one but anyone who has followed my last few posts in this thread shouldn't have any trouble.
Every old city has it's gate, but not all are as well known as this one.
Name the gate, not the city for a quick, easy one.

IMG_2143.JPG

FYI the coach/vehicle in the foreground is a modern reproduction built with carbon fiber frame, solid timber body & is powered by modern electric principles.

The Brandenburg Gate

Originally Posted by cuppabillytea

The Brandenburg Gate

Darn. If I hadn't spent so much time on the phone to V8Ian I would have got that one. muttermuttermutter