Another early morning pickup (6:20 this time!!!) took us south to Bangkok’s “floating markets”. In Vietnam, the Mekong Delta floating market which we visited had boats selling fish & vegetables to others for distribution or selling in their own store or restaurant. Bangkok’s floating markets is focused strictly on tourism. The tourists are “floating” in a series of canals with locals selling the same cheap trinkets, clothes, etc. as every other vendor. Insert a few locals selling food on boats and you have a very crowded canal.
The Death Railroad and historical “Bridge over the River Kwai” was, as are all historical war sites, interesting and depressing. It is located in Kanchanaburi near the Myanmar border. It is about 77 miles west of Bangkok. The broad river has been commercialized by the restaurant trade who have built their facilities on large barges that are towed in the river while serving lunch/dinner. There were probably 50 barges on the docks. We can’t imagine how crowded it must be in the busy season.
We then visited the nearby Kanchanaburi War Cemetery were around 7,000 POW’s, who sacrificed their lived in the railway construction, are buried.
