The Side Trip (or making a short story long)

Bridge of the River Kwai

While browsing through past pics, came across some that brought back extremely vivid recollection of Kanchanaburi, where we stopover for a night during a 15-day trip to Thailand’s North years ago.

We were heading South after spending more then a week riding in the North. Our previous stop was Nakhon Sawan and the next is Kanchanaburi, of which River Kwai is a part. We checked into the River Kwai Hotel at about 3pm for a one-night stopover.
After cleaning up, I went to the lobby and bumped into Albert. The rest of the gang have gone exploring, or shopping, or look for ‘western food’, to give the stomach a break from our daily Tom-Yam diet. While sniffing around, Albert saw a brochure for ‘dinner and show’ on a floating restaurant on River Kwai. Why not, we thought. Maybe we can learn a little culture other then the usual dirty dancing in naughty bars. Peter, in a corner with his beer, declined to join us, preferring to have a massage in air-con comfort. Yes. The weather was pretty warm outside. We hang around a little and then went to prepare for our ‘dinner on a cruise’. We were told to be on time as the bus sending us to board the cruise will leave punctually.

6pm saw us at the lobby. We boarded the bus with a group of Asian & local tourists. It was about a half-hour ride, through town and then an unpaved and bumpy road, which brought us to a small kampong of shoddy wooden houses with zinc and attap roofs. But despite that, there were signs of commercial activities. We alighted and walked a narrow path to a much-used rickety wooden jetty, where we board the floating restaurant. Sun has set and darkness came fast, and the restaurant has switched on its colourful neon. There were two decks and we chose the upper one, where we join a half-filled table for ten, the stars our roof. The vessel cast off, and we could see a couple of similarly-lit floating restaurants ahead of us. There were also some smaller boats, like sampan, but could hold about 20 sitting passengers, (no dining) heading the same way. I thought it strange to be sight-seeing on a river at night. There’s really not much to see in the dark.

Our dinner was served and it taste alright. Not the best but OK. A few courses later, we came to a bright spot along the Kwai’s bank. There was a building; a museum, so it says, on higher ground, a short distance from river’s bank, and there was a jetty. And right in front of us, the famous Bridge of the River Kwai. We could see the whole bridge, as it was lighted at both ends and by a solitary floodlight in the middle, high up on the truss. Parts of the bridge were dim as the lamps were not sufficient to illuminate the entire 300m plus of the bridge. Our craft was the last one to tie up with others, putting us on the outside, closest to the bridge. An announcement in Thai came over the PA system. Haven’t a clue what was spoken but after that, the lights went out. The same for all the vessels in the vicinity.

Silence

Then the sound of an approaching aircraft emitted from the river bank, increasing in volume, like it’s getting closer. Sounds like propellers. Suddenly, air-raid siren pierce the air, shattering the night. And just as suddenly, BOOM. Boom, boom. Explosions from the opposite bank of the river. So this is the show, I thought to myself. We are being treated to a firework display. I instinctively looked up and around but couldn’t see any shower of stars or sparks or bursting cascade of colours in the sky. And then more booms from the opposite bank and I then realise; it’s not firework; its incendiaries! Bombs! Or dynamites perhaps. You could see the orange & red flame flare out like a fan as they explode along the river edge. The hull under us trembled, the vibrations tingling our soles. A huge bonfire was set alight. It was pyramid-shape, about 15’ square at the base I guess, and a storey tall at least. The flame lit up its supporting wooden structure, at the same time, burning it. Several other smaller fires were lit up here and there along the bank. And as the flames lit up the night, soldiers armed with rifles appeared, shooting like crazy. They were dressed in kaki fatigues and helmets. Hah! We were watching a re-enactment of a battle at River Kwai. And then rockets, or missiles, shot from the bank towards the Bridge. From the velocity and distance travelled and the force of the impact, you know that they are not the normal rockets that you buy from shops. These rockets travelled fast and straight as arrows. As they shrieked passed leaving a fiery tail, I could vaguely see that the body was about the size of a coke can. Some flew underneath the bridge and some went over it. And some hit the Bridge at certain points and exploded into fireballs, which led me to believe that those were guided along wires from shore-to-Bridge, to hit and explode at certain armoured steel target mounted on the bridge. It was unbelievably realistic. Rifle shots and machine guns rattled away. I suppose they are firing blanks but the overall effects was pretty dramatic. The smoke from the fire and explosions wafted toward us, carrying the acrid smell of gunpowder. I could still smell it now, after so many years. Smell plays a strong part in our memory, science says. This went on for a good 15 minutes, I guess, and then at the height of this excitement, a horn blared. Out of the jungle on the other side of the river, a beam of light, move slowly towards the bridge. It was a bloody train! A locomotive, I think, spewing steam or smoke through its funnel. This bridge has been strengthened to allow modern commercial train to operate nowadays and this old locomotive here must have been pull out of retirement for this show. It chugged along, pulling 3 or 4 carriages behind, and onto the bridge at snail’s pace, sounding its horn now and then. It was surreal. Amid our ‘ooohs & aaaahs’, the soldiers fired their guns and rockets in waves. Finally, they unleashed a prolonged last fusillade. The huge bonfires were fading. The soldiers on shore dispersed. The train then paused in the middle of the bridge, sounded its horn again, and the air-raid siren followed and as it reached its crescendo, the fireworks start. Showers of tiny technicolour sparks and stars brighten up the sky, lighting up the locomotive, the bridge and the river banks, in a warm orange glow. It was surreal. Several bangs followed by fiery blooms flowering high above. I guess that signals that the battle was over, and our show ending. The train then gave a final blast of is horn and started moving off, towards our side of the river, chugging and tooting along and fading into the jungle, into the night. It was a fitting finale to a really good show, worth more then the few hundred bahts we paid. The excited hum of conversation resumed. The engine of our craft came to live and the lights came on. Another announcement was made and the deck hands got busy and threw the ropes. The floating restaurant slowly made its way back to the original jetty. End of show.

It was spectacular! We never knew and didn’t expect this at all. All we hope for was a good dinner and some light entertainment. But what a treat! And that is why I’ve such vivid recollection of this moment. It was only back in town and at the hotel that I notice many “VISIT KANCHANABURI YEAR” banners. And this week happens to be the peak, when the TAT and local Government pull out all stops to impress visitors. This show is only for a week and probably never ever going to happen again because of the high cost. But who knows. Unforgettable.

If only camera phone that can video was available then. That would say thousands of words.

I am not in the habit of planning too deeply. Places that may not be well publicise could be hiding surprises, whether in Malaysia or Thailand or beyond. Let CHANCE work a little, and you may reap good rewards. Of the eleven on this trip, only Albert & I were lucky enough to catch this extraordinary extravaganza.

Fondly recalled in December 2020, Year of the Covid.

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