you pregnant”. - april 2021 - v1.pdf · life – we might be lucky and hear a barge going past...
TRANSCRIPT
1 © Death Railway Tours 2020 V1 ‘To remember the men of the Death Railway’.
Day 1 – Sunday 18th April 2021. Bangkok – Arrival.
Bangkok – Arrival. Dinner – C&C (Set Menu)
1. Transfers from Suvarnabhumi or Don Muang Airport (air-conditioned vehicle) to the Park
Plaza Hotel – Soi 18 on Sukhumvit.
2. Park Plaza Hotel on Soi 18 Sukhumvit area of Bangkok – right in the heart of the city
with spacious, modern and classy rooms. An outside pool & bar, fitness centre, free WIFI,
24 hour Concierge and free Tuk Tuk Service from hotel to Sukhumvit Road. (Take the
Park Plaza Business Card (supplied) if you go out – if you get lost you can use the card to
show a taxi driver to get back; across the road is the new Terminal 21 Shopping Complex).
3. Dinner at the famous Cabbages & Condoms Restaurant (1800 hours). This
restaurant was established to promote an increased understanding of family planning and
was started by a Thai Official – Mr Mechai Viravaidya. “Our food is guaranteed not to get
you pregnant”. (Meet in the Park Plaza Lobby at 1745 hours).
Day 2- Monday 19TH April 2021
Breakfast at the Park Plaza Hotel
Lunch (Set Menu) on the river
Dinner (Set Menu) at the Park Plaza.
Bangkok City Tour:
4. Wat Pho – Temple of the Reclining Buddha. (0900hours). The 46m long Buddha
covered in gold leaf made himself a giant to
look down on the devil; this site is also
where Traditional Thai Massage originated.
Tip: Men need long trousers, Ladies long
dress and shoulders covered.
5. Royal Grand Palace. The great city
landmark on any itinerary that was once a
Royal Residence surrounded by huge white
walls and occupies a massive city block. We
will visit the Royal Chapel and various halls
used today for Coronation ceremonies.
Please note dress regulations apply:
Men=Long trousers/Ladies=Shoulders covered & long dress/pants.
6. Wat Prah Kaew – Temple of the Emerald Buddha. The most sacred Buddha
image in the Kingdom. The temple was built to house a green Buddha image carved
from one piece of Emerald Jade that King Rama 1 had brought from Vientiane when
he captured the city in 1778.
2 © Death Railway Tours 2020 V1 ‘To remember the men of the Death Railway’.
7. Riverside Lunch (restaurant floating on the river).
8. Long Tail Boat ride on the Chao Phraya River. See
city life on the river as we pass stilted houses,
mansions, high-rises, mobile kitchens and
businesses going about their everyday activities.
Departure from the restaurant itself. Try to spot a
Monitor Lizard.
9. Feed the Catfish – We’ll purchase some bread and
feed the Klong protected fish.
10. Gem Factory Visit. Covers 1.8 acres and opened
in 1987, our tour will visit the factory and see how
gems are made into fantastic jewellery. All types
from diamonds to sapphires, Citrine to ruby’s and
emeralds. Watch a short film on Thai mining.
11. Dinner (Set Menu) at the Park Plaza. 1800 hours
(Thai Time).
12. Option: Documentary ‘The Fall of Singapore’. A brilliant contemporary docco of
the POW story – a well-researched and produced film that showcases the backstory of
the events leading up to the Death Railway.
Steps: 7,500 (These steps are approximate & may vary per person).
Day 3 – Tuesday 20TH April 2021
Breakfast Box from the Park Plaza Hotel
Lunch (Set Menu) floating restaurant on the river.
Dinner (Set Menu) at the Felix Hotel Kanchanaburi.
Bangkok – Kanchanaburi & Death Railway Introduction 0630 hours – departure time.
Meet in the lobby early to beat Bangkok’s infamous traffic. (Check Out).
Today’s activities will include:
13. Rod Fa (Train Market). Check out an unusual market selling all sorts of items and
collectibles; situated on train tracks where six trains pass daily.
14. Thai Coffee & Tea Tasting at a local venue. Try something new and different with a
Thai Style beverage – definitely unique.
3 © Death Railway Tours 2020 V1 ‘To remember the men of the Death Railway’.
15. Sugar and Coconut Village. See where they make coconut products and an Atap
style (raised) Thai home.
16. Damnoen Floating Market visit – including
a Longtail boat ride on the Damnoen Canal –
see locals selling all types of goods on boats
with market stalls catered towards the
tourists. Scenes filmed here from ‘Man with
the Golden Gun’.
17. Ban Pong Railway Station. We visit the
station where the POWs alighted and most
had to walk north to camps further along the Railway. F Force had to walk some
300kms mostly at night to get to their destinations. Guards were reported to be
brutal on this trek that began here. Some Japanese handed over their swords on
surrender here in late 1945.
18. JEATH Museum. An acronym for Japan, England, America/Australia, Thailand and
Holland. There is a long Atap Hut to see with war time photos. At the rear a statue of
the Japanese Interpreter Nagase who was depicted in the recent movie ‘The Railway
Man’ based on the book by ExPOW Eric Lomax.
19. Boon Pong’s House. We visit Mr Pong’s house and the small tribute dedicated to
the man who helped smuggle much needed medicines to Weary Dunlop and others.
Did you know he was shot and nearly killed outside his shop? By who?
20. Japanese Headquarters Kanchanaburi – the two storey building where the
Japanese commanded the Death Railway
for the region. (External view only).
21. Kanchanaburi Old Town Food Market –
wander through the market and check out
local produce – some strange looking
critters for sale. (No photos in the
Butchery).
22. Lunch on a floating restaurant on the river.
23. Kanchanaburi War Cemetery. There are
two cemeteries for the Australians for the
Death Railway. This is the southern cemetery where approx 7,000 lads are buried
with 1,362 Australians. We will visit the memorial to the 300 Cholera victims (two
plots) and we will personally visit more than 20 soldiers, hear their stories and see
photos of many of those soldiers at their gravesite. We will visit the four mates who
escaped, were captured and subsequently executed by the Japanese and are buried
4 © Death Railway Tours 2020 V1 ‘To remember the men of the Death Railway’.
along-side each other (the ‘Kanburi Four’). We will visit men who died in Hellfire Pass
– one of which was murdered. We will visit men who died at Konyu River and Hintok
– we’ll visit not only Australians but Dutch and English soldiers too. One Englishman
we will read a poem over his grave and reflect on his deeds of bravery and mateship –
he was beaten to death by an angry guard and loosely portrayed in the film ‘To End
All Wars’. We’ll visit another who escaped with the ‘Chungkai Four’ and executed and
another who was executed after fighting with a guard.
24. Felix Hotel Kanchanaburi (Check In). A 20 hectare, 5 star hotel in the heart of
Kanchanaburi. You can walk the 250m to the Bridge over the River Kwai (from the
hotel) for private walks along the bridge. It has lush & beautiful gardens, privacy and
space with the backdrop of the MaeKlong River. Two large swimming pools for a
refreshing dip, two Tennis Courts, an 8 Ball Lounge, Fitness Centre, 2Km of Jogging
Track, bikes and canoe hire. Simply the best place to stay in all of Kanchanaburi –
right next to the Bridge. Can’t get any closer. (Take a business card from reception
if you go for a walk outside and want to catch a taxi back).
25. Dinner. (Set Menu) at the Felix Hotel. 1900 hours in the restaurant. Steps: 7,500
Day 4 – Wednesday 21st April 2021
Breakfast at the Felix Hotel.
Lunch (Set Menu) – Tham Krasae (overlooking the picturesque Viaduct at Wampho).
Dinner (Set Menu) – Floating Restaurant at the Bridge Over the River Kwai.
Kanchanaburi –Cemeteries, Wampho to riding the Death Railway
0830 hrs start. Today’s activities include:
26. Longtail boat ride along the MaeKhlong River from the Felix Hotel Pier - under
the Bridge over the River Kwai to Chungkai War Cemetery. View the bridge and river
life – we might be lucky and hear a barge going past playing ‘Colonel Bogey March’.
27. Chungkai War Cemetery. The smaller of the two cemeteries in town with 1,740
lads buried here (with one female) mostly British. We will alight from the Longtail
boat, pass a great example of a Spirit House and learn more of Thai culture. At the
cemetery we will visit several individuals, one from the sunken ship the ‘Prince of
Wales’ and one lad who was only 22 years of age, which we will have a special tribute
for. We visit four other lads (the ‘Chungkai Four’) who escaped, were captured and
executed as a result. We will see where Sirs Albert Coates and Weary Dunlop worked
as well as Captain ‘Saw-Happy’ Markowitz of Canada at the POW Hospital.
5 © Death Railway Tours 2020 V1 ‘To remember the men of the Death Railway’.
28. Chungkai Cutting. Visiting the site of the cutting on the railway near the temple.
Keep a look out for the drill holes made by the Hammer & Tap men.
29. Khaopoon Cave and Small Atap Hospital
Hut. The caves date back centuries and are
dotted with Buddha relics as you pass by.
Some narrow areas to navigate – if this is not
your thing you can wait topside – no problem.
Some small Fruit Bats inside and an elderly
lady who was a young girl here in WW2.
30. Takilen Railway Station. Here was a British
POW Camp and it is this camp where the men
we visited in Kanchanaburi War Cemetery
escaped from – the ‘Kanburi 4’.
31. Lunch (buffet) at Tham Krasae Restaurant – overlooking the Wampho Viaduct.
32. Wampho Viaduct. We walk part of the viaduct built by Australians & British. We will
visit inside Krasae Cave that was once a Japanese Air Raid Shelter and store facility.
We will marvel at the work these men engaged on the cliff face of the Kwai Noi River
and see evidence of their work by more drill holes.
33. Ride the Death Railway – Special Class Carriage. We travel for about 70 mins in the
train and enjoy a coffee or tea traveling over Wampho Viaduct and Thai countryside.
See the hills roll by thinking about the notion: ‘A Life for Every Sleeper’. Tip: Sit on the
right hand-side of the carriage at the window.
34. Bridge Over the River Kwai. We visit and
walk over the famous bridge and view where
B24 Liberators from the USAF blew it up –
we’ll see what was original and what was
replaced post war by the Japanese. We’ll see
where the wooden bridge was situated – and
raise the myth of a body contained in one of
the cement pylons.
35. Japanese & All Nations Memorial. We visit
the memorial dedicated to the men who perished on the Death Railway (created by
the Japanese).
36. USA Memorial. We visit the American memorial for those who perished on the
railway (as the Yanks repatriate their war dead).
6 © Death Railway Tours 2020 V1 ‘To remember the men of the Death Railway’.
37. Tamarkan POW Camp site where several of our lads we visited in Kanchanaburi War
Cemetery died from dysentery and malnutrition.
38. Locomotives and Kampong Diesel Truck outside display.
39. River Kwai Peace Temple by Nagase – sponsored by Nagase post war.
40. Onyx Jewellery Shop – a local lady makes & sells stunning Onyx jewellery; great for
presents and gifts for loved ones back home and very affordable. A popular visit itself.
41. Back to the Felix Hotel. (Meet in the lobby at 7pm).
42. Floating Restaurant at the Bridge over the River Kwai for dinner (Set Menu).
The night scene of the bridge worthy as it hangs hauntingly as a back-drop to our
dinner and conversations. It is a restaurant that floats on the river and one you will
always remember because of where it is. Ambience at its best – kick back with a
Chang or Singha beer.
43. Pass the Port. Your Guide will bring a fine tipple from Australia (serve it slightly
chilled) and we will pass the port as a fine tradition enjoyed by militaries for centuries
in respect of those before us. Of course those not partaking do not have to drink but
still join in the tradition. We’ll toast the men of the railway who didn’t come home
and have a special toast for two of the boys who died 200m away.
Option:
44. Authentic Rail Spike Purchase. Presentation over dinner of authentic spikes used
on the railway – great for gifts or to add to your WW2 collection. Steps: 7,000
7 © Death Railway Tours 2020 V1 ‘To remember the men of the Death Railway’.
Wampho Viaduct & the Kwai Noi River – the view from our Restaurant (below right).
Day 5 – Thursday 22nd April 2021
Breakfast at the Felix Hotel
Lunch - Thai Food Cooking Class.
Dinner - Good Times Restaurant – River Views
Today’s activities include:
45. 0930 hours: Tiger Cave Temple and View –
View the valley of Kanchanaburi surrounded by
mountains – great spot for panoramic photos.
(Steep walk up hill or take the Cable Car).
46. Thai Food Cooking Class. We will learn to
cook Thai food from the Isaan province. Choose
dishes from the menu and you will learn to cook
those dishes like a pro. Take your new skills
home and delight family and friends with
sumptuous Thai dinners and stories of your
cooking day in Kanchanaburi. some recipes
include: Green Chicken Curry, Pad Thai,
Mussaman Curry, Penang Curry, Peanut Sauce,
etc.
47. Thai Burma Railway Centre. View the artefacts, stories, dioramas and history as
told in the two-story museum. View info boards pertaining to the timelines of events,
medical aspects, summary of deaths, planning construction and logistics etc. A good
stop to purchase Railway books, maps and souveniers from the Museum.
48. Dinner at Good Times Restaurant by the river (Set menu). 1900 hours.
8 © Death Railway Tours 2020 V1 ‘To remember the men of the Death Railway’.
Pack your day bag for overnight stay up country – leave large bags at the Felix.
49. Thai Whisky Tasting – Try a Thai
Whisky (Hong Thong) neat or with your
favourite mixer. Or just buy yourself a
cocktail or beer.
Steps: 4,500
Accommodation: Felix Hotel
Day 6 – Friday 23rd April 2021
Breakfast at Felix Hotel
Lunch – Three Pagodas Pass
Dinner – River Kwai Floatel (Set Menu)
Today’s activities include:
50. (0715 hours) Tarsao Hospital and
POW Camp site. A visit to this former
POW site which is currently located in
the grounds of the Pung Waan Resort. We’ll talk about another POW Doctor who
worked here and sent a secret message home to his wife about sending him some
Emetine medicine – truly ingenious.
51. Namtok Station. This area is the current day end of the line for the Death Railway.
Visit the J Station Plaque that shows in bronze the railway map (designed in
Melbourne by Ross Bastion).
52. Sai Yok Noi Waterfall. A picturesque
waterfall area popular with Thai families on
weekends. We will visit the fall and in
particular see the war time locomotive
perched high on the hill. We will see up
close bamboo trees and their spikes that
were substitute hypodermic needles used
by the POW Doctors.
53. Wat Takinoon. Australians of F Force arrived here in May 1943 – this was a Cholera
Camp and during the monsoon of 1943 the river rose 3 metres. Find the railway bund.
9 © Death Railway Tours 2020 V1 ‘To remember the men of the Death Railway’.
54. Nikki and Konkoita. Viewed from the Ranti Bridge towards Nikki HQ and Konkoita
where the railway was joined in October 1943. The Vajirilongkorn Dam now covers
these camps and was made with the assistance of the Snowy scheme. Check out the
plaque dedicated by the Australian Snowy Scheme Group.
55. Shimo (Lower) Songkurai POW Camp was the largest camp for Australians of F Force
with 2000 men at this remote camp between 15 and 20 May 1943; after their 5 day
gruelling train journey from Singapore and 300km march from Ban Pong Railway.
Conditions were dire from the start with 75% of the camp sick. Find the cemetery &
hospital and where George Aspinall (Changi Photographer) took his famous ‘Cholera Hill’
picture. We will review his ‘fit men’ picture here as well.
56. Songkurai POW Camp - Australian prisoners were transferred here from Shimo
Songkurai in July–August 1943, when the Japanese consolidated prisoners across
the F Force camps which were then seriously depleted by illness and death. Relics to
see under the bridge.
57. Kami Songkurai POW Camp - Only short distance from 3 Pagodas Pass and the
border with Burma, Kami (Upper) Songkurai (no. 3) was one of the most remote
camps that Australians occupied on the Thai–Burma Railway. About 400 Australians
of F Force arrived here on 25 May 1943.
58. Three Pagodas Pass – is the border between Myanmar (formerly Burma) and Thailand.
The three Chedis signify the numerous battles between the two countries during the
Ayutthaya period. The Chedis are depicted on Kanchanaburi’s Provincial Seal.
59. Burma - Step into Burma and get a photo across the border.
60. Mon Market – where you can buy cheap Mon handmade products.
61. Lunch at the border.
62. Mon Bridge. Is Thailand’s longest wooden
bridge and the second longest in the world
measuring over 400m long. Constructed in
the 1980’s over the Song Kalia River to the
Mon Village.
63. Longtail Boat – with in-line 4 Isuzu Diesel
outboard motor from Sai Yok to the Floatel.
We’ll cruise with the outboard humming
and echoing among the Kwai Noi River as
we head through the jungle.
64. Dinner Pontoon Restaurant (Floathouse) – a succulent Thai feast with a set menu
floating on the River Kwai.
10 © Death Railway Tours 2020 V1 ‘To remember the men of the Death Railway’.
Hotel: the relaxing: River Kwai Floatel on the Kwai Noi River. Great rooms
floating on the Kwai Noi; try the Mai Thai or Singapore Sling – (Mai Tai meaning ‘Thai
Silk’). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Loq0Ae-uO98&rel=false
Option:
65. River Jump – put on a life jacket and jump into the current of the Kwai Noi River –
Exit out of the water at the ladder down-stream and do it all again. (Tip: watch for
the slippery floorboards).
Day 7 – Saturday 24th April 2021
Buffet Breakfast at the River Kwai Floatel and Checkout.
Lunch at Hintok River Camp Restaurant. (Set Menu)
Dinner at Home Phu Toey Resort (Buffet – BBQ’d Pig with Crackling – Yum!)
Hellfire Pass (Museum & Cutting) and walk to Hintok Station
(Note: steep steps down to Hellfire Pass).
66. Hellfire Pass Museum. A dedicated museum to the cutting and area that will
highlight the struggle, history and suffering via a balanced theme of history telling
across all nations. It opened in 1998 after Paul Keating attended an ANZAC Day
service there in 1994 allocating $1.6 million to the project. It sits on Royal Thai Army
land a short distance from the cutting. (Museum refurbished in 2018).
67. Hellfire Pass Cutting. Ironically began on 25 April 1943 and was one of the
toughest sections of the railway – it is 500m long. Estimates put the death toll
around 700 men who cut and tore through this monster in several months during the
‘Speedo’ period. We will walk through and marvel at the ‘Hammer and Tap’ men,
labour intensive struggles with limestone rock removal and witness evidence of drill
bits and lines. Where man-handling of soil took place and the use of minimal
equipment to cut through this 20m deep rock. The men utilised three jackhammers,
8 pound hammers (Hammer and Tap Men), steel tap drills, shovels, wide hoes, small
cane baskets and dynamite. We will see where one Australian Private escaped the
clutches of ‘The Silent Basher’, where LT Itchinoi and others prowled & where other
events of bastardisation took place.
11 © Death Railway Tours 2020 V1 ‘To remember the men of the Death Railway’.
As a fitting salute we will discuss and remember an Australian Digger in Hellfire Pass
who died there – the same soldier we visited in the cemetery. It was estimated many
men were murdered in Hellfire Pass where many more died in this area from cholera,
starvation, overwork, brutality & other preventable diseases.
68. Hellfire Pass – Hintok Station (2.5km walk). We walk the 2.5km one way journey
past the former sites of the trestle bridges and the 7m Embankment that still sit
immaculately today and we can see the hardship required with sheer muscle, sweat, tears
and man hours required for this unrelenting task. We visit the site of the ‘Three Tier
Bridge’ where one exPOW story is retold about his run-ins with ‘Billy the Bastard’. We
finish our walk with ‘Hammer and Tap’ and Hintok Cuttings as our van collects us at the
end. Tip: Can be steep on the walk; with many & varied trip hazards; wear good shoes.
69. Konyu River POW Camp. The first POW
camp of the Australians who worked on
Hellfire Pass and the region; it is where
Dunlop Force initially set up and where
trade on the river occurred. From this
camp sick men were sent back
downstream. One of our men we visited in
Kanchanaburi died in this place.
70. Lunch at Hintok River Camp
Restaurant. The site of the former POW Camp on the river. From this area men
worked on Compressor Cutting by having to scale the adjacent jungle mountains to
get there, often treacherous during the monsoon of 1943. It was near this spot where
Ray Parkin (ex POW & Artist) drew his famous picture of two men carrying a cholera
patient – which was later made into the Changi Museum logo. We will toast all the
men who died in the Hintok POW Camps of Cholera and particularly the men we
visited in Kanchanaburi War Cemetery who died of that treacherous illness.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=nnET1xGKtz0
71. British Wartime Cemetery. The actual real cemetery during the railway period.
12 © Death Railway Tours 2020 V1 ‘To remember the men of the Death Railway’.
72. Mountain Rock Pool at Hintok River
Camp. After a big walk through Hellfire
Pass to Hintok, via the Three Tier Bridge
etc; we’ll take a well-deserved relaxing dip
in the rock pool after lunch. Over-looking
jungle and the Kwai Noi River below, we’ll
kick back and sooth the muscles with a
truly unique view of the river. We will be
supplied with a clean towel and a change
room; BYO bathers. (Non-bathers can
relax pool side or at the restaurant over a
long lunch – steep steps to access pool).
73. Hintok Mountain POW Camp. Also known as Hintok Road Camp, this camp was
the northernmost camp of the Hellfire Pass area – it was where Dunlop Force moved
to from Konyu River Camp. A massive Cholera outbreak occurred here where ‘Cholera
Gulch’ quarantine area was set up to segregate the sick. 57 Aussies died here at
Hintok Mountain. Several of the lads we visited in Kanchanaburi War Cemetery died
here of Cholera. (Visit from the side of Highway 323).
74. Check In – Pechmaneekan Thai Resort Hotel.
75. Home Phu Toey Resort. Set in the jungle of the River Kwai with boutique Log Cabin
style accommodation with hot spring set among the Weary Dunlop Peace Park.
76. Dinner – Home Phu Toey Resort.
77. Weary Dunlop Peace Park within Home
Phu Toey Resort. We will visit the park and
see the massive statue of Sir Edward
‘Weary’ Dunlop at the park. See stories,
artefacts and a memorial to the medical
staff.
78. Jack Chalker Gallery. Visit the gallery
and see the many paintings Jack made
during his days as a POW. Hear of some stories of Jack and how those paintings got him
into strife on occasion.
79. Sound and Light Show with Buffet Dinner at Home Phu Toey Resort. (Will include the
Australian and New Zealand Ambassadors & other diplomatic officials).
Steps: 7,500
13 © Death Railway Tours 2020 V1 ‘To remember the men of the Death Railway’.
Day 8 – Sunday 25th April 2021 ANZAC Day
Breakfast at Pechmaneekan Resort
Lunch at BBB Bar (Bar Menu)
Dinner (Set Menu) – Felix Hotel
Up early 0400 at Reception to Check out - Departing at 0415 hours – SHARP.
80. Dawn Service at Hellfire Pass – We get there early to secure a good spot close to
the black pyramid for the Wreath laying services. (Steep steps down to the Pass).
a. We will witness the Catafalque Party, the Ode of Remembrance, the haunting
Last Post played as the mist rises with the morning sun over Hellfire Pass with
two minutes silence followed by Reveille and Rouse.
b. Various prayers and blessings will be offered by the military Chaplain.
c. Wreaths will be laid on the pyramid including our own and any personal ones
from our group.
d. The closing music is performed by a bagpiper on top of Hellfire Pass that you
will remember forever including ‘Flowers of the Forest’ & ‘Amazing Grace’.
81. Gunfire Breakfast in front of the Hellfire Pass Museum. This consists of coffee/tea,
ANZAC Biscuits and/or a nip of Bundaberg Rum & Sausage Sizzle.
Tip: ensure sausages are cooked before eating them.
82. Return to Pechmaneekan Resort for breakfast (and check out).
83. (0900 hours departure) Stories - On the way we will hear stories of POWs and some
of their lighter moments along with some music.
84. Kanchanaburi War Cemetery Services.
We return to the cemetery services including
speeches by Government & Military
Representatives, The Last Post and wreath
laying (including our own). We might be
lucky and hear an exPOW make a speech.
85. Adopted Soldiers. We can re-visit our lads,
lay flags & spend some time with them.
86. Final War Cemetery Tribute. We have a
final special tribute to several of the ‘Known Unto God’ boys (see pre-tour reading)
before we depart for the final time.
14 © Death Railway Tours 2020 V1 ‘To remember the men of the Death Railway’.
87. Afternoon Options:
a. Return to the Felix Hotel for R&R.
b. Join your Tour Leader at ‘BBB Bar’ for
the live telecast of the Collingwood Vs
Essendon Footy Match.
c. Bagpipers return to the BBB Bar in the
afternoon for some great atmosphere.
Hotel: Felix Steps: 5,000
Day 9 – Monday 26th April 2021
Breakfast at the Felix Restaurant
Lunch at a local Restauarant
Farewell Dinner at the Park Plaza Hotel
Today’s activities will include:
88. Nong Pladuk Railway Station. Was the
terminus of the pre Death Railway with
large material workshops – was also a
target late in the war for Allied Air Power.
We will visit the station, see inside the Station Masters Office and Stone of
Remembrance.
89. Non Pladuk Sentry Concrete Block. Check out where the Sentry Box was located.
90. Nakhon Pathom Chedi & Temple. Nakhon Pathom is one of the oldest cities and
important Buddhism centres in Thailand. Phra Pathom Chedi which means ‘Holy Chedi
of the Beginning’ is regarded as the oldest Buddhism structure in the Kingdom and
dates back to the 3rd Century BC. The Chedi or ‘Stupa’ with its large orange dome is
visible from far and the passing POWs would have seen this on their way north to the
work parties. It was re-built by King Rama IV around the 1850’s. (Photo & Go).
15 © Death Railway Tours 2020 V1 ‘To remember the men of the Death Railway’.
91. Lunch at a local Restaurant.
92. Back to the Park Plaza Hotel – with the rest of the afternoon off for massages & R&R.
93. 1900 hours - Farewell Dinner at the Park Plaza Hotel.
Steps: 6,500
Day 10 – Tuesday 27th April 2021
Breakfast at the Park Plaza Hotel.
Transfer to Suvarnabhumi or Don Muang Airport.
Inclusions:
• Accommodation as indicated in this itinerary,
• All meals as indicated in this itinerary,
• Transfers with private air-conditioned vehicles as indicated,
• Entrance fees to all attractions listed in the itinerary; including museums,
• Sightseeing with a local experienced (English speaking) Thai Guide.
• Sightseeing with an experienced Australian Historian.
• Terms & conditions please see the ‘Itinerary’ tab of this website.
Exclusions:
• International and/or Domestic Flights. Use www.webjet.com.au to secure your own
flights. Take an overnight flight the day before so you get to Thailand that morning or
stay the night before.
• Drinks (Soft and alcoholic).
• Laundry.
• Mini bar & bar accounts.
• Phone Calls.
• Travel Insurance.
• Massages.
• Cable Cars.
• Gratuities for local guides and drivers.
• Meals not highlighted in the itinerary.
• Personal expenditure and optional visits.
• Medical Expenses.
• Extra nights in Thailand.
• Visas & Passports.
(Also please see the Terms and Conditions for further information).
16 © Death Railway Tours 2020 V1 ‘To remember the men of the Death Railway’.
Our lunch Venue and Mountain Rock Pool: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Loq0Ae-uO98
2015 Nov Remembrance Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvV2GU9hBUc
This itinerary and tour aims to achieve our company’s mission statement:
‘To remember the men of the Death Railway’.