Kanchanaburi is in the Western Province of Thailand and is well known for its ancient civilization and the historical attraction of the famous World War 2 Bridge over the River Kwai located in the place. There are many tourists that visit the famous bridge. Its fame is actually about death and cruelty, and atrocities against humans by the Japanese soldiers during the war.
Although Thailand is proud that it is a country that has never been colonized but it had been occupied and it had its share of having been the site where a death march happened and where so many soldiers and civilians perished during the railway construction.It is an infamous bridge in actuality. But preserving it reminds visitors of the horrors of war and man’s inhumanity to man as a warning that it should never happen again. There is in fact a movie based on the war story of the Bridge Over the River Kwai. The Kanchanaburi attraction is located 129 kilometers from Bangkok. It is known also as the infamous death Railway, constructed by using forced labor by hundreds of thousands of civilians from all over Asia and prisoners of war from the Allied Forces
As a backpacker, I love visiting Kanchanaburi not so much for the famous bridge but for the natural environment that it has, like rivers, forests, and waterfalls. It is almost an ecotourism destination and an historical site.
I visited Kanchanaburi very recently with my beloved dog, Toopy (a Pug) as my companion and we took a train for transport to sightseeing along the way to a waterfall. We started from the bridge to reach the waterfall and it took us approximately 45 minutes. The famous railroad was constructed by the Japanese during the Second World War by using prisoners of war as slaves from the West. Kanchanaburi, aside from the famous bridge, has many ecotourism attractions and it is rich in flora and fauna, in particular, so many different kinds of animals can be found.
I stayed in a resort along the River Kwai with my beloved Toopy. It was a good place to stay because we can enjoy the river view and we visited a number of ecotourism destinations. Along the way, we could see so many beautiful animals. My dog had fun getting into the railway tracks. There were so many tourists in Kanchanaburi when we were there.
I believe there is a need to promote Kanchanaburi as ecotourism destination. I recall the floating restaurants, so idyllic and romantic, and floating in the river while a singing band performs. In the distance, I can see Myanmar (then Burma during the war). The province is so close to the borders between Thailand and Myanmar.
As ecotourism destination, Kanchanaburi needs improvements on the aspects of ecotourism management. There is a need to protect and conserve the natural resources found in the place and to modernize, perhaps, and improve the surroundings and the war museum or memorial. Ecotourism marketing strategies are needed to bring more tourists to the destination and to make them aware of environmental protection. This can be done through the involvement of the local community and for them to benefit economically from the ecotourism activities.
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