We had a three day weekend, and I had to get out of Bangkok, but I didn’t know where to go. There just aren’t too many good day trips from the city. In a panic, me and my friend Jeremy decided to go to Kanchanaburi. Remember that movie about that bridge on a certain river, where Japanese forced British POW’s to build to build it? Well, that’s where it is.

Unfortunately, the bridge is amazingly underwhelming. It is tiny, and in a bit of historical irony, is now swarming with Japanese tourists armed with expensive cameras. Walking across it was slightly scary, though, because there is nothing stopping you from falling into the river if you trip. On the other side were some stalls selling Burmese jade and money. Nothing to be excited about.

Then we went to the strange “JEATH War Museum,” with badly maintained displays of Japanese soldiers bossing around loincloth-clad POWs. One of the strangest parts was the large diorama of Allied planes bombing the bridge. The Japanese forced POWs to stand on the bridge while it was bombed, and mannequins covered with red pain are strewn in the river, depicting the carnage. Another bit of weirdness was the statues of WWII leaders, where Hitler and Stalin proudly stood next to Roosevelt and Einstein.

Then there was the “World War II” museum, which looks like a Chinese temple. The owners are indeed Chinese, and each floor contains portraits of the family. On the top floor, above pictures of Thai kings, is a huge portrait of the original patriarch in China. There were nice views from the roof, though.

The most beautiful national park in Thailand is supposed to be close to Kanchanaburi. We didn’t see it, though. I guess I’ll have to come back.