July 26, 2012 BANGKOK REVISITED

                   
                 Bangkok  Revisited


In 1975, the regional office of the United Nations, UN Economic Commission  for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), called for a conference on Shipping in Bangkok. As Director of Overseas Shipping in the Maritime Authority of the Philippines, I headed a delegation of government and private sector officials to said meeting. The Thai delegation invited all participants to visit the world-renowned "Bridge Over the River Kwai" in Kanchanaburi.


Many of you, I believe, still remember the movie based on the true story of the construction of the bridge to connect Burma with Thailand during World War II. If I remember right, David Niven was the principal actor. The grim facts shown of the suffering and death of 16,000 Allied prisoners of war and the more than 100,000 conscripted Asian laborers who toiled on the building of the railway including the bridge over the river Kwai touched so many who saw the film.


I was in college when I saw the movie, "The Bridge Over the River Kwai." Like many others, it made an impression on me. It moved me more deeply because my father was a WWII POW (prisoner of war), too. It opened my eyes to the enormous torture and deprivation of food, medicines and basic human needs, the prisoners suffered. I further realized why my father did not survive the ordeal.


So in 1975, during my visit to the famous or infamous bridge, I was beside myself with excitement. I kept looking out of the window to catch the first glimpse of the bridge as the train snaked its way to Kanchanaburi. When we finally reached the bridge- the memorial of the blood and tears of a fallen humanity, I stood motionless with mixed emotions of awe, sorrow and admiration. I gazed long at the bridge which was built by human hands under the most distressing conditions. I touched the wooden sleepers of ties that were placed so far apart between the steel rails almost with caressing reverence. Suddenly, I made the decision to cross the bridge on foot! Only a few delegates, all men,  ventured to make the crossing. I dared to take up the challenge, firm in my belief that God would help me! I considered it my "salute", my tribute to the men who shed blood and tears and and suffered incalculable pain to build the "Bridge Over the River Kwai."


Every step I made between the terribly wide-spaced sleepers of ties which supported the railroad track was slow and very cautious. One false step would have plunged me down the running waters below. I was concerned with the dizziness caused by looking down at the wooden ties and at the same time seeing the depth below and the raging water, too. As always in the midst of 911 situations, I prayed and asked God for help! And as always, He helped me in my adventure and "conquest" of the "Bridge Over the River Kwai."


In my visit to Kanchanaburi on November 9, 2007, I saw a lot of tourists and locals in the well- maintained plaza at the foot of the bridge. From a distance, I saw many people crossing the bridge and walking at a fast pace. My eyeballs almost popped out! How could they do that? I was bewildered! I took a panoramic view of the area. What a transformation! Whereas in 1975 the place was desolate except for the wild forest green enveloping the environs of the bridge. In 2007, a big plaza with flowering plants and benches around provided a relaxing atmosphere. Many restaurants and souvenir shops were enjoying good business. Store buntings and every conceivable  memento to commemorate a tourist's visit added a festive mood to the place. Moreover, a slow-moving, orange-painted trolley took visitors on board for an equivalent of 50 cents across the bridge. Tipsuda, my Thai friend, offered me a ticket which I politely refused. I felt that at age 76, my enthusiasm and adventurous spirit have not waned. I wanted to prove, at least to myself, that I could still cross the bridge on foot as in 1975. I stood, pushed my shoulders back, lifted up my head and ascertained that I was posture-perfect...ready for combat. To my pleasant surprise, the wooden sleepers supporting the steel rails have been reinforced with additional ones so that the spaces were much narrower.  In addition, a wide flat steel matting was laid on the middle section of the bridge from one end to the other so that crossing on foot was immeasurably facilitated. I smiled at the reason for the complete ease with which the people were traversing the bridge. As I did so in 1975, I crossed the bridge from end to end. My happiness knew no bounds for having visited Kanchanaburi and having felt the triumphant bliss of crossing the "Bridge Over The River Kwai" on foot again after 32 years!!!