Death Railway & Kanchanaburi Open Zoo

So, We took the boys on a cruise where they can dine and view the historical landmarks on a river cruise along the Chao Phraya river - I was pretty sure it was a No-go to the temples in the heat and humidity of the afternoon, despite knowing that the iconic landmarks such as Bangkok Grand Palace, Wat Phra Kaew Temple, Wat Arun, and the Temple of Dawn are deemed as one of the world's most beautiful structures. We skipped the floating market shopping because of its pressure to buy. The boys had a great day trip to explore out from Bangkok. The open safari concept was fun with the animal feeding and they had fabulous photo time and close contact with the Open Zoo in Kanchanaburi - it covered a huge area filled with lions, tigers , black panther, giraffes, zebras and other large mammals inhabiting Europe and Asia. The journey however was rather long, with occassional bumpy rides, but the driver had sturdy hands. Part of the day trip involved visiting the Bridge River Kwai. The track was developed into a walkway with side platforms, enabling us to cross the railway bridge on foot. The view was amazing. However, it was rather old and was told by the guide that the government did not upkeep due to the low charges they charged the locals (3THB). The train operates everyday curving along the Kanchanaburi river as a means of transport for the locals. It was the tourists who sustained this tourist attraction! The history was a good read too - the guide mentioned that the construction of the train line over the River Kwai toward Burma led to the death of many workers, who were mostly POWs or forced asian labourers. Its centre was destroyed by Allied bombs in 1945, shortly after its completion. We took a short train ride which completed the journey itself with its amazing views. It was definitely well worth the visit.