‘Eh…? P’ Niti?’ calls out Lek. It was a friend of hers who has come to her shop in Pai. But not just any fiend… ‘Tohsi, this is the screenwriter friend of mine I ever tell you about!’ Lek gets all animated when excited
P’ Niti (Mr. Niti) is a screenwriter/producer/director, he is a creator of Sud Pralad (Tropical Malady) from the Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul, the winner of Jury Prize in 2004’s Cannes Film Festival. ‘Do you guys want to come to Kanchanaburi with us?’ asks P’ Niti, after our yoga session with Tammy. I’m in my sweatpants and don’t even have a wallet. ‘Can I run back to my guest house and be back in five minutes!?’
Today P’ Niti and his crew are on their test shoot for a young new actor narrating for a historical TV documentary series. Visiting Kanchanaburi’s historical site, shoot scenes and be back in Bangkok by the evening is their schedule. Kanchanaburi is a province that lies between Bangkok and Myanmar, from Bangkok it takes 2 hours drive to the West. It’s bedded by the river Kwae, famous battle ground between Japanese and British armies
the town of Kanchanaburi is historical as well as touristy (like anywhere else in Thailand) another bar, another overpriced Tuk Tuk for farangs, and another live band like this practice carbon copy covers of western songs.Rule 8, trying writing the next song in Japanese. So many Thai rock musicians I met are extremely skilled, yet I can't help feeling the lack of originality. 'Play original songs in your original language.' I often suggest to them, but I too am no much different, for all of my songs are in English
let’s go to the famous ‘Bridge over the river Kwae’ hitching with a couple of roosters
arriving just in time to see the train coming
back then when Japanese army tried to build this bridge to reach Myanmar, with perpetual resistance by Thai-British liberation army, many lives perished. Today people of all the nationalities visit here crowding up the bridge. Symbolic place, since my Siam Sie (fortune stick) at Wat Tonkwuean in Chaing Mai told me about the rivers and bridges. Bridges are symbol of connecting cultures and places, making peace and progress. This bridge over river Kwae, however, had to be destroyed so many times to avoid Japanese occupation over the Pacific Asia spreading out
so we walk across the bridge, there on the other side, far smaller scale of touisty settlement, just a few long strips of souvenir shops, and there is one old elephant for the show
as soon as I walk up to this beautiful mammal, kids come running up to me and trying to sell some fruits or leaves to feed the elephant, and one man asks me if I want to ride on top for a photo
I see her leg is tied to the chain no longer than half a meter, horrified, all she can do is to step the same leg back and forth. Having no room to walk, this 56 year old elephant goes to bathroom right there on the grass she eats
seeing tears in her eyes, I can’t stop but wonder if any tourist would ever come here and enjoy this? And if not, are they ever gonna realize that this must stop?
DEATH Railway Museum offers Free coffee with admission. Perhaps they should change its name if they want customers
Graveyard of fallen soldiers
Shooting is taking longer, Lek and I say thank you and good bye, head back for Bangkok by bus. Wait, of course I wouldn’t forget to schmooze a bit with the hot Thai filmmaker. Let’s hope this meeting can make a fruit! Thank you Mr. Niti and everyone of the crew!
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