Went by rail to see the famour river brige over the Kwai. This is my second attempt to describe the journey, as I did not selected the necessary Save button after my last masterpiece. So here goes....

People at the hotel were a bit bemused by request for information on catching the train. I got the information originally at the excellent www.seat61.com website and found time of train at 7.40 am to go back on same day. Problem was the station, on other side of river in Bangkok. It was called Thonburi but is now called Bangkok Noi, but people refer to the station by both names. It is a tiny station, not far from a ferry landing stage. Booked taxi for 6.45 and arrived in good time despite usual horrendous traffic jams in places (it was a Friday). No train until 7.45. There is a huge covered market which is the main attraction for local people. Saw everything edible there, huge collections of entrails of every kind, pigs bits and pieces including heads, piles of fish, mostly still alive, with catfish wiskers twitching. Vegetables of course, all in segregated sections. Could not find the banana section until on the way out, where I bought some tiny two bite delicious ones. Coffee smells wafted over. Yound man was brewing in a sock-like filter. He poured the cup quantity into a small plastic bag, folded the top over, secured one corner with an elastic band and inserted a straw. Instant drink. Oh, and I did not have condensed milk but it was available.
The station by then was packed out, young people in a group sitting on the floor. Large group in black tee shirts from the Singha Beer company (it is the beer sold mostly in Thai restaurants in UK, a young man said), was on its way for a three day team building and business training session at the town before the river.
Train arrived at 8.00 and was the windowless kind, with wooden seats. Nice large windows and cool breeze made it enjoyable, looking at the stilt houses, then the green countryside. It stopped at every station, sometimes for a long time so it is possible to study the local activity at each stop (at length!)
Finally arrived at town before River Kwai (name I have forgotten, but think it was Kanchanaburi) where some travellers got off, saying it is cheaper to continue the journey by shuttle for 10 Baht to the River Kwai stop.
Anyway, stayed on the train as we had already paid to go to the River Kwai stop.
Finally arrived at the very small collection of hotels, shops and restaurants on the banks of the river, where the railway line continued across the metal brige to the end of the line.