Bangkok (Lonely Planet) - Andrew Burke [193]
Phen Phrik Phet ( 0 3241 2990; 173/1 Th Phongsuriya; dishes 30B; 9am-3pm Wed-Mon) Located directly across from the entrance to Wat Yai Suwannaram, this local noodle legend makes delicious gǒoay đěeo mǒo nám daang (pork noodles in a fragrant dark broth). There’s no English sign; look for the umbrellas, pots and potplants.
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SLEEPING
There is not much to choose from in the accommodation department, so don’t get too excited.
Sun Hotel ( 0 3240 0000; www.sunhotelthailand.com; 43/33 Soi Phetkasem 1; r 790-890B, ste 1390B; ) Huge, brightly coloured if somewhat sparsely furnished rooms make this the pick of the midrange options.
Kao Wang Hotel ( 0 3242 5167; 123 Th Ratwithi; s 250-350B, tw 350-600B; ) Budgeteers seeking relatively quiet nights should stop in this very local place, where there’s no English and the rooms are institutional-looking but big and clean enough.
Rabieng Rimnum Guest House ( 0 3242 5707; 1 Th Phongsuriya; s/d 120/240B) The cheapest place in town, this wooden house is straight out of the shoestring guides of the ’80s, with tiny fan rooms with walls that cut out little of the traffic noise passing across the bridge – it is cheap, though. There is a good vibe here and the restaurant is something of a gathering point for the few travellers in town.
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KANCHANABURI
Just two hours from Bangkok, Kanchanaburi (pronounced ‘gahn-ja-ná-bùree’) is a convenient and refreshing retreat from city life. Framed by limestone mountains and fields of sugarcane, the city offers ample riverside accommodation options that specialise in the art of relaxing after a day of sightseeing in the scenic countryside.
But don’t be fooled by Kanchanaburi’s sleepy daytime demeanour. After the sun sets the river boom-booms its way through the night with disco and karaoke barges packed with Bangkokians looking to let their hair down, especially at weekends. Out-of-tune crooners and shoddy stereo systems disrupt the calm that many travellers are hoping to find in their riverside rooms. If this is you, it won’t take long before you’re thinking that sometimes Asia needs a mute button. An hour or so later you might be fantasising about bazookas.
The city was originally established by Rama I (King Buddha Yodfa; r 1782–1809) as a first line of defence against the Burmese who, it was commonly believed, might use the old invasion route through the Three Pagodas Pass on the Thai–Burmese border to the west. Crumbling buildings that reflect the town’s age can be found on the side streets that run off and parallel to Th Song Khwae.
Despite its unspectacular appearance (it’s an iron bridge), the Death Railway Bridge across Mae Nam Khwae is one of Kanchanaburi’s most popular attractions (see Click here). Indeed, Kanchanaburi can thank director David Lean and his Hollywood epic The Bridge on the River Kwai for a good proportion of the city’s foreign visitors. The bridge, 2km north of town, was taken from Java by the Japanese and reassembled here with work beginning in 1942. It was bombed repeatedly during WWII, and of what you see today the curved spans are original and the two square sections were rebuilt with Japanese reparation money in 1946. You can walk across the bridge, but keep an ear out for the six trains a day that still use it and the Death Railway en route to the village of Nam Tok; see Kanchanaburi Transport, Click here, for details.
Pretty much all of Kanchanaburi town’s sights – two cemeteries and three museums – are dedicated to this dark period. It’s worth visiting at least one of the museums before going to a war cemetery. The first two museums are informative, but the third is the real must-see.
The WWII Museum (Th Mae Nam Khwae; admission 40B; 9am-6pm) beside the bridge has a picture-postcard view and a vast and eclectic assortment of war and peace memorabilia