Anzac Day took on a whole new meaning this year as we remembered the fallen Australian and New Zealand soldiers at a place where so many of their lives were lost building the Burma-Thailand Railway as Prisoners of War of the Japanese.
We started the day with a very moving Dawn Service at Hellfire Pass. As the first light of the day appeared while the Last Post was played it was hard not to feel the emotion and heaviness of the occassion. There are no pictures of the service but you can back to an older blog to see the Pass. The shot below is the 'Peace Vessel' overlooking the River Kwai Valley towards the hills of the Burmese border and just above the Pass. Hard to imagine what it must of been like 67 years ago when it looks so serene now.
We then went to a second service held at the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery.
The town of Kanchanaburi is where the most famous section of the 'Death Railway' is found - the Bridge on the River Kwai. The bridge was destroyed a number of times by the allies, recognising how crucial it was to the Japanese supply line.
We had the added bonus of a group of novice monks crossing over the bridge and adding a bit of colour!
There were a few other things to do over the weekend including a visit to a waterfall which was being enjoyed by the locals.
We also saw some of the locals of the four legged variety, although I don't know how happy they were.
Looks like I'm finishing with another sunset - this time the view from our hotel on the River Kwai
