Kanchanaburi Province

Learn about Kanchanaburi Province

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Lesson Transcript

Hello, and welcome to the Culture File: Thailand series at ThaiPod101.com. In this series, we’re exploring essential information about Thailand, Thai Culture and Thai People. I’m Michael, and you're listening to Season 1, Lesson 7 - Kanchanaburi Province

Kanchanaburi, or กาญจนบุรี, is one of the central Thailand provinces that attracts significant numbers of tourists, both of Thai and foreign descent. Its popularity as a destination can be attributed to its long history, ancient civilizations, and its role as the setting for the film “The Bridge over the River Kwai”. The River Kwai in Thai is แม่น้ำแคว

“The Bridge over the River Kwai” is the most important bridge along the railway referred to as the Death Railway, or ทางรถไฟสายมรณะ, which crosses the Khwae Yai river. The railway was built during World War II by the Japanese army, which had drafted roughly 61,700 Allied Prisoners of War from England, America, Australia, Holland, and New Zealand. There were also several laborers of Chinese, Khmer, Indonesian, Malaysian, Burmese, and Indian descent drafted to build this strategic railway route to Myanmar. Tens of thousands of prisoners and laborers working on the project died from disease, maltreatment, or accidents, giving this railway its dark nickname, “The Death Railway”.

Since most of the area’s landscape is covered by mountainous terrain with sparse forests and rainforests and extensive wildlife sanctuaries, there are several notable attractions that are worth taking the time to visit. One of these such attractions is Sai Yok National Park, or in Thai อุทยานแห่งชาติไทรโยค. The Park is mostly a dry evergreen forest, and is home to what is probably the smallest mammal in the world, the two-gram Kitti’s Hog-nosed Bat, or in Thai ค้างคาวกิตติ. Another feature of this National Park is the Sai Yok Yai waterfall, or น้ำตกไทรโยคใหญ่, a ten-meter picturesque cascade that drops directly into the Kwae Noi river. There is also a rope bridge that enables people to cross the river to view the waterfall.

Erawan National Park, or อุทยานแห่งชาติเอราวัณ, is another interesting place to visit. It’s the site of the picturesque seven-tiered Erawan waterfall, which spans almost fifteen hundred meters. Each tier of the waterfall forms a basin, which tourists can swim in. Also, you can enjoy a scenic 1.6 km trek around the park, along which you can soak up the park’s various sights, including evergreen forests, hills, lookouts, and beautiful deciduous forests.