Anzac Day 2010

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

Ko Chang

In the warm waters of the Gulf of Thailand lies the country's second largest island, Ko Chang.

One of the most artistic postboxes you are likely to ever see and what a stunning location!

The island is just one of many that make up Ko Chang National Park.

Bao Bang is a cute little village on the southern tip of the island and is built over the water. It is a great location for lunch!

Ko Chang is quite mountainous with some good jungle walks to waterholes and waterfalls, although the dry season means that they were not as wet as they can be.

The Thai new year celebration called Songkran coincided with our visit to Ko Chang. It is basically a great excuse for a water fight.

Island life is slow paced with the hot humid air. Parking yourself under a tree by the ocean is a great way to avoid using too much energy

The most difficult daily decision was whether to swim in the ocean or one of the pools at the beautiful Bhumiyama Resort

Another day comes to an end on Ko Chang.

Thonburi

On the western bank of the Chao Phraya River, opposite the busy city of Bangkok, is the district of Thonburi. Here you won't find the tall skyscrapers and the chaos of the city; you are taken back to an earlier time when Bangkok was known as the 'Venice of the East' and life was slower and revolved around the canals or khlongs. We took an afternoon longtail boat ride along these waterways.

I wouldn't go swimming in the khlongs but the kids seemed to be having a great time!

This old lady was waiting for our boat to arrive - it was obviously a planned stop - she was selling a variety of goods straight from her little boat.

We then stopped at a real floating market. There were shops on the water...

...and shops on the land

There were a variety of homes on the khlongs, from rundown shacks to the more classy but what they all shared in common was a waterfront view!

It was a great experience to take a trip through the khlongs of Thonburi.

Lumphini Part 2

Some more pics of Lumphini Park this week. The first one shows people enjoying the shade by one of the lakes.

I came across this group of people playing a very difficult version of volleyball that they seem to like in Thailand. It uses a smaller ball and you play with your feet!

There are lots of joggers and walkers.

Or you can rollerblade around the park.

Or just chill out and have a sleep (although if you look closely the man closest to the camera spotted me taking the picture!)

There are lots of playgrounds for the kids.

A collection of different people.

You get a shock the first time you meet these locals - the Monitor Lizards. They are all through the park and some of them are huge!

 

Lumphini Park - a quiet, green space in the heart of Bangkok

 

Sunday afternoon in Lumphini Park - Part 1

A green oasis in a crazy city - Lumphini Park is a great place to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon. As you will see over the next two blogs, the people of Bangkok agree.

  Fishing the well stocked lakes

Dad struggling with the kids

                                                                                                                

Some old folk in a game of chess

   

         

  Picnicking girls

                                                                                                                                                                                

Out on the lake

         

Completely relaxed       

                                                            

Keeping the park clean

            

 A policeman not on 'Red Shirt" duty 

  A girl on the swings

  

                                               

Trick biking

  

Playing in the sand