Nam Tok to Hellfire Pass

So the team is seven days in and still severely jet lagged. Other than the hysterical laughter that starts at 4 in the morning when we're all awake beyond the possibility of falling back asleep, the biggest plus is getting to Nam Tok (the end of the still operatinal railway) on the 5:57am train! Unfortunately an entire school had the same idea. The sunrise views were definitely worth it though and we were able to see some of the POWs work going over bridges and through cut outs in the hills, an absolutely amazing experience. It turns out the school was literally on the train to experience the ride, as they got back onto buses at Nam Tok and headed back south!

After a quick breakfast, so began our walk, following the railway through the forest, jumping from railway sleeper to railway sleeper over incredible bridges and only having to leave the track when it was guarded by a massive dog or two! We quickly realised by the 4th or 5th encounter that they were all bark, and thankfully no one was there to witness 3 grown men give some kind of terrier mutt a 10m wide berth while mumbling amongst themselves about rabies.

When the track reached a waterfall we lost it unfortunately and spent the rest of the day on the highway, being cooked from above and below! The worse part was the Thai people passing in their air conditioned cars. At least 3 times a smiling random would pull up offering a lift to 3 sweating, smelly farangs. It was very difficult to say no, especially after the look of horror when we said where we were headed. "Far away!" Killing with kindness! When we stopped for a drink at a small fruit and veg store a kind lady brought us over some local fruits to pick us up as well. These were definitely the people that helped the POWs.

Reaching our intended Wat (temple) quite early, we pressed on for the 2nd. Wandering through a sweet potato field, we found it walled and full of dogs. Eventually finding a monk, we asked to stay and were told to set ourselves up in the main temple. Infront of a set of big golden Buddhas we clumsily put up our tent for the first time and explained our trip. The monks simply pointed out the window, revealing a clear path through the bamboo forest. The railway!

Sam a former monk visiting from Bangkok and his friend the head monk (who's name can neither be pronounced not spelled) took us for a tour, showing us a cave filled with Buddhas and an incredible cliff overlooking the Kwai! They explained the wall around the temple was to protect from the forest fires that sometimes burn through the bamboo forest. The monk suddenly pulls a puppy from his robe, adding that they care for 30 or so dogs that stay at the temple. About an hour later the monks all rushed towards the wall, calling us to help put a fire out! We clumsily gave chase in flip flops (in our defence, they live in theirs so they're pretty agile) but thankfully the fire was small and far from the wall. I'm not sure how we'd have helped but we were ready to!

They insisted we stay for dinner and whilst it was prepared Sam took us for a tour of the area. It was quite sombering to reach the town 2 days walk away in 20 minutes in the car. He even bought us coconuts, despite our attempts to pay ourselves. We returned to a variety of dishes which the monks collect in the morning from the local village as offerings, though only Sam ate with us because the monks only eat once a day at breakfast. Having been in awe all afternoon, at that little tidbit we all privately agreed monk life was not for us.

After treating us so well all day they revealed themselves to be the best kind of hosts, one that knows when their guest is falling asleep at the table and politely lets them retreat to their tent. The fact we were on the floor wasn't even acknowledged, we were asleep in minutes!