Cruising under the bridge on the River Kwai

By KEN BARRETT

Forget the arduous, sweaty business of slogging through the jungles of Thailand and Burma, brushing off leeches and watching for bandits. The old colonial administrators knew what they were doing, travelling smoothly up the rivers, sipping pink gins and watching the exotic scenery slide by.

I had my first sight of the RV River Kwai when it was moored at a tiny pier in Kanchanaburi close to the famous bridge. It was wallowing in the brown water under a burning sun, a remnant of another era but completely at ease in its surroundings.

The boat was built last year in Rangoon. It is constructed from teak and brass to blueprints once used by the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company, founded by the colonial British in 1865 as a means of travelling within Burma's otherwise almost impassable interior.

I hadn't known anything about the company except for the wistful musings of Kipling's 10-year soldier: "For the wind is in the palm-trees, and the temple-bells they say/Come you back, you British Soldier; come you back to Mandalay!/

"Come you back to Mandalay/Where the old Flotilla lay/Can't you 'ear their paddles chunkin' from Rangoon to Mandalay?"

So I did some digging around and discovered that at its peak in the 1920s the Irrawaddy Flotilla was reputedly the largest privately owned fleet of boats in the world. Lost after independence, the flotilla was revived in the mid 90s and is now a thriving river cruise company in Burma.

An initial venture was to restore an original colonial river steamer called the RV Pandaw, and when that proved successful other vessels were built, including the RV River Kwai, which is a smaller version of the Pandaw and designed specifically for use in Thailand.

These colonial boats were built for comfort, but also for hard work under the most demanding of conditions - military, civil and commercial.

With their shallow draft they were able to navigate the difficult rivers of Burma and moor in remote jungle locations. With its 36m length, the RV River Kwai has a draft of just 90cm, enough to clear the sandbanks and rocks that make the Kwai Noi River notorious, even for local boatmen.

Cruise manager Somlux Ditsriporn tells how it was sailed down the coast of Burma and into the Gulf of Thailand, where it entered the Mae Khlong River.

The vessel navigated its way upstream to the Kwai, but not before its Irish captain declared he couldn't get through without dynamiting rocks and dredging sandbanks. A local pilot was brought in, and he eased the boat through the obstacles. As there are few on the river with his skills, he was promptly appointed captain.

Furnished with 10 cosy cabins, each with its own miniature bathroom and shower, the RV River Kwai carries a maximum of 20 passengers and is staffed by a crew of 10.

The upper deck is open-plan and covered with an awning that can be dismantled to pass under low bridges when the river is running high.

Thirteen of us are on this trip, mainly English, German and French, well-heeled and middle-aged.

Cocktails and all meals are served on deck, with a group choice of Thai or European food. The Thai food is cooked with a minimum of chillies, although the chef skilfully manages to retain the "Thai-ness" of the meals without the heavy spices.

As the vessel lollops slowly upstream, from your prone position in a steamer chair the procession of scenery past the deck rail becomes slightly hypnotic.

The flat fields outside Kanchanaburi town gradually give way to limestone mountains, the jungle closes in on both sides, steep gorges and deep pools are visible, and waterfalls roar down the cliffs.

Although it is patterned after a steamer, the RV River Kwai is powered by two Hino diesel engines (steamer smuts would ruin one's pith helmet), and their gentle thrumming eases only when a tortuous bend in the river has to be negotiated.

Despite the impression you are forging through uncharted jungle, the vessel is shadowed by a tour bus, and from time to time the passengers disembark to explore on-shore attractions.

Kanchanaburi province has some beautiful, if well-hidden attractions. Among them is the Khao Noi Cave Temple, a riot of Chinese architecture that is perched on a hill on the west bank of the river. Those willing to puff up the endless steps will find a gorgeous view across the flat terrain of the province to a distant mountain range.

There is the sombre Khmer architecture at Prasat Muang Singh historical park, the ruins on the riverbank a potent reminder of how extensive the Khmer empire once was.

But, of course, the Death Railway, the bridge and Hellfire Pass are the main attractions. Onshore we repeatedly find the railway tracks and cuttings, for the line runs along the eastern bank of the river and eventually passes into Burma.

You can board a train at Tha Kilen station, rattling over one of the original trestle bridges clinging to the mountainside and travel by rail for a few miles through the jungle to Sai Yok elephant village.

There is also the chance to visit Hellfire Pass, a deep cutting through a limestone mountain that claimed many lives during construction, but which today is peaceful forest scenery.

The Kwai Noi flows out of a system of lakes along the mountainous border with Burma, and the small town of Daowadung is as far as the RV River Kwai can travel. Phantom-like, our tour bus appears to take us to Kanchanaburi town and the Bridge on the River Kwai, where we have lunch before boarding the bus for the journey back to Bangkok.

From there it is back to the harsh realities of the 21st century, where getting about is a chore rather than a pleasure.

* Ken Barrett was a guest of Diethelm Travel.

When to go

The RV River Kwai operates a four-day/three-night programme every Monday-Thursday and Thursday-Sunday, going upstream and downstream alternately. Pickup is from designated Bangkok hotels with bus transfer to the River Kwai pier in Kanchanaburi, a journey of about 140km.

Cost

Prices from US$435 ($657). For further information: Cruise Asia, 133/14 Ratchaprarop Rd, Makkasan, Rajthevi, Bangkok 10400, Thailand. Phone: (66) 2-6401400. Fax: (66) 2-2465679.