You’ve seen the terrific movie, you’ve read Philippe Boulle’s compelling book. Great stories, but they’re both fiction. For a worthy overview of the situation as it actually occurred, we at WoWasis recommend reading military historian Clifford Kinvig’s River Kwai Railway: the Story of the Burma-Siam Railroad (1992, ISBN 1-84486-021-3). An estimated 100,000 workers died during […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis cruises Thailand’s River Kwai: a confluence of indolence and history
WoWasis is on a 4 day river tour on one of Asia’s most storied rivers, accompanied by a cold beer as the sun begins to set. The boat we’re on is the RV River Kwai, a beautifully appointed river craft. The first inland cruise ship in Thailand, this newly-built colonial style river cruiser is based […]
Read the rest of this entry »Thailand’s Railway of Death: 250 tough miles to Burma on the River Kwai
The Thailand-Burma railway, built from June 1942 through October, 1943, spanned a distance of 250 miles, running from Nong Pladuk, Thailand to Thanbuyuzayat, Burma. A number of books, both fact and fiction, have been written on this legendary and ill-fated railway, built on the backs and contributing to the deaths of thousands of slave laborers […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: Pierre Boulle’s ‘The Bridge on the River Kwai’
Here at WoWasis, we’re not averse to reviewing an older book, especially one that was written a couple of generations ago. It’s well past its original buzz, which, in the case of this book, includes a major motion picture as well. Fact is, many in today’s generation haven’t read it. And it’s timeless. We just […]
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