There are no bicycle racks here, no posts, pipes or loops whatsoever to secure our bikes. So we got creative.

Upon arriving at the museum, I wasn’t be entirely convinced with the signs on the building (given the proliferation of piracy in Thailand).

However, it’s not too shabby inside. Too bad cameras weren’t allowed, there’s plenty of models to help you wrap your head around how massive the Death Railway is/was.

There’s even an actual reconstruction of the Bridge over River Kwai (the original wooden version) and even 1:1 models of the prisoners’ living conditions. Historical photographs were worth seeing too.

It’s rather abrupt to see such orderliness and cleanliness in a country like Thailand, but it shouldn’t be surprising given that it’s managed by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

There are 6,982 POWs buried here mostly Australian, British and Dutch.

Having visited many World War II memorials sites—notably the ANZAC memorials in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra, as well as the Ranau War Memorial in Borneo—I can’t help but feel a sense of connection between them all.

I guess war amplifies differences but ultimately makes the world smaller.