Just a short stroll from the Bridge over the River Kwai is the most moving sight of Kanchanaburi War Cemetery. The Don Rak War Cemetery is the final resting place of around 5000 Commonwealth and 2,000 Dutch prisoners of war (the Americans repatriated their war dead), literally worked to death with their military colleagues under a brutal work regime. Their plaques sit on a beautifully manicured and lovingly tendered lawn, each small bronze plaque representing the loss of a father, son, husband and/or grandson. Tiny gardens and colourful blooms interlace the cemetery lovingly tendered by the Thai people.
A few people wander the cemetery in silence reading each plaque and soaking in the ultimate sacrifice made by so many brave men.
The ages of most are so young, men barely out of boyhood living their last months in such awful conditions – it is hardly imaginable. Many feature a short inscription from parents or family which adds an individual touch and character to the valiant soldier who gave his life so we can have a better and freer life today. Each phrase stirs the heart strings. Each epitaph tells a story.
A voice we love is still.
A place vacant that we can never fill.
For your tomorrow we gave our today.
He died that we might live. Ever remembered.
Some day “Tom” I will understand.
Greater Love hath no man than this. That he lay down his life.
It is estimated that one person died for each railway sleeper laid on the Death Railway.
The entrance contains a small altar with a variety of plaques and memorials. At the rear of the cemetery is a plot that carries the ashes of 300 cholera victims from an outbreak in 1943 in the Nieke camp. A large memorial cross stands like a beacon of hope in the centre of the cemetery.
Unlike the famed bridge, Don Rak captures the emotion and feeling of this area. My tears fell as I sat quietly under the tree trying to truly understand what this place means. I cried for the thousands of young men who gave up their lives so my life can be better and that our lives can be lived in freedom.
Every ANZAC Day (25 April) a small ceremony is conducted at Don Rak as it is in many cemeteries and memorials around the world and in towns, big and small, all over Australia and New Zealand. The Ode of Remembrance is read as we recall the brave people at places like Don Rak in their harrowing experiences in building this railway.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.
Lest we forget.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Tears at Don Rak War Cemetery (Kanchanaburi, Thailand)
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Escape the Crowds in Barcelona (Spain)
guest post by Thomas Lukjaniec
Countless numbers of tourists flock to Barcelona each year to catch a glimpse of world famous sights and landmarks such as the Sagrada Familia, Las Ramblas and the Camp Nou. This often leads to swarms of tourists clogging up the city centre (especially during the summer months) and ignoring the many wonderful things there are to see and do that are just a stone’s throw away from the Catalan capital. So, if you’re planning a trip to Barcelona, or if you’re already there, then here are five worthwhile ways to escape the crowds.
Montserrat
This breathtaking mountain is situated just an hour so away from Barcelona and is a must see for all those travelling to the city. It proudly boasts UNESCO World Heritage Site status and rises majestically to 1235m above sea level boasting panoramic views of the surrounding terrain. However, the main attraction is the mysterious formation of rocks found here and the beautiful Royal Basilica. Tours to the mountain are available all year round.
Sitges
Sitges (top photo) is where locals go to unwind on their days off - a strong recommendation indeed. It is the perfect place to escape the tourist infested beaches of Barcelona. This charming little town is situated just 40km outside of the city and is easily accessible by train. It’s well known as an historic centre with beautiful beaches, a peaceful ambiance and a thriving gay community. It is a true jewel of the coast and is ideal for families and friends to spend a fun and relaxing afternoon.
Illa Fantasia
This water park is located just a 45min drive from Barcelona city centre and makes for a great way to cool down from the sweltering heat during the warmer months of the year. With lots of wet and windy slides, picnic areas and eateries, a trip here is ideal for families, couples and groups of friends looking for a fun day out. Julia Travel will get you entrance, as well as travel to and from the park, at a very reasonable price!
Hot Air Balloon
Tear yourself away from the sights of Barcelona for one day and treat yourself to something unusual by taking a ride in a hot air balloon. Take in unrivalled views of the city from above and enjoy an experience that is truly unforgettable.
Barcelona Cruises
Taking a cruise from Barcelona is the ultimate way to see the city before setting sail on to other stunning Mediterranean destinations. Another excellent option is catching a ferry to one of the nearby Balearic Islands (Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza), which offer one of either the perfect party or peaceful getaway from the city.
So there you have it - five fantastic ideas to escape the tourist crowds in Barcelona! All that’s left is organising accommodation for your stay in the city. It’s a good idea to base yourself centrally, where the fantastic transport system will allow you to reach all of these destinations with ease. Renting apartments in Barcelona is often a popular choice amongst visitors and will allow you to live close to these transport links, thus leaving you free to explore all of these wonderful places at your convenience.
Photo Credits: sitges, basilica, water park, balloon
Monday, September 5, 2011
Bridge Over the River Kwai (Kanchanaburi, Thailand)
Around 100 humid kilometers north of Bangkok is the bridge made famous by the film The Bridge Over the River Kwai. Kanchanaburi is the site of the Burma-Siam Railway Bridge built by prisoners of the Japanese in World War 2 under forced labour conditions. Today’s idyllic tropical setting (and even the movie) belies the appalling privations, random punishments, disease, meagre food and atrocities along with the withering humidity and searing heat suffered by the bridge builders. The toll was so large – over 12,000 prisoners of war and around 90,000 Burmese, Thai, Malay and Indonesian forced labourers lost their lives in construction of the railroad – that it became known as the Death Railway.
An excellent and busy tourist train (on weekends only) takes a scenic three hours aimed more at Thais than foreign visitors stopping near the famous bridge. The train nervously slows a couple of times on its journey to a snail’s pace to traverse old and rickety wooden bridges held up more by divine intervention than any expertise in engineering.
The train stops near the famed bridge where the passengers stroll the steel and wooden structure kept immaculate for all the visitors (only the outer spans are original as most was destroyed by bombing raids). Trains chuff across the bridge at regular intervals while the tourist train continues over the bridge to its terminus at Nam Tok with its scenic waterfall.
The gently running placid river and quiet setting give little feeling of the toil and hardship that went into building this key railway link and the plain dark steel arches lack character. Unsurprisingly, it is not the bridge used in the movie, which was fully shot on location in Sri Lanka!!
Nearby is the slightly disappointing JEATH Museum, its unusual name being an acronym of the various nations involved with the bridge (Japan, England, Australia / America, Thailand and Holland). Run by the local monks, there are some moving pictures, sketches and newspaper clippings shown in a cramped humid dingy bamboo hut to resemble the accommodation of the prisoners. Many of the exhibits are masked in plastic to prevent damage from the moisture and so are difficult to read or view properly in the poor light.
The bridge only became famous with the success of the movie. Ironically, for its grand title, the bridge doesn’t actually cross the Kwai but rather the Mae Klong (klong is canal in Thai). The Mae Klong runs into the confluence of the Khwae Yai and Khwae Noi Rivers (literally the big and little Khwae).
Under the mesmerising spell of popular cinema and sensing a tourism opportunity , the local authorities quietly renamed the relevant short section of Mae Klong to the Khwae Yai River, ensuring that there is a Bridge Over the River Kwai for all to visit and enjoy.
Despite its checkered history, the rail journey from Bangkok, the bridge and surrounding area are worthy of a visit, though the undoubted highlight is a short walk up the road to the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery.
Note
The outstanding railway site Seat 61, has a detailed description on the River Kwai rail journey.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Sicily: Culture and History (Italy)
guest post by Katherine Conlan
Those looking for a cultural trip in a sunny climate should consider the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily. Looking like the sharp piece of rock being kicked by Italy’s heeled boot, Sicily is a modern island with a rich history, and a fantastic place to explore by car. Comparing car rental rates and organising your own transport from one of the four airports before you get there will leave you free to start your tour as soon as you arrive.
Palermo, the island’s capital, is a real cosmopolitan city and its long history (including occupation under the Phoenicians, Roman and Byzantine Empires, Arabs, Normans and Spaniards) can be seen scattered across its streets. The twelfth century Cathedral of Monreale is an Italian national monument and one of the most spectacular examples of Norman architecture in existence. The interior is covered in mosaics (made up of around 2200 kilos of pure gold), and among the depictions of saints and kings is one of the first portraits of Thomas Becket following his murder in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170.
The Capuchin Catacombs of Palermo is an extraordinary place to visit. Now a popular tourist attraction, the catacombs were originally intended for burying Capuchin friars when the monastery’s cemetery became too full in the sixteenth century. As time went on burial here became a symbol of status, and wealthy residents asked to be preserved in the catacombs in their finest clothes. Around 8000 mummies line the walls, and one of the last people to be buried here is now the most famous: two year old Rosalia Lombardo who died of pneumonia in 1920 and has been so remarkably preserved she looks as though she is only sleeping.
On the east coast of the island is that familiar 10,922 foot tall active volcano, Mount Etna. There are a number of mountain treks with fantastic valley views to choose from depending on the time available and the level of difficulty, and although walking around the summit is obviously not advisable, cable cars get visitors close. Most trips around the south side of Mount Etna depart from the port city of Catania, around 130 miles drive from Palermo. Catania has had its fair share of trouble, being destroyed by earthquakes in 1169 and 1693 and Mount Etna’s violent eruption in 1669. After these catastrophes the city was rebuilt in Baroque style and is now home to World Heritage-listed architecture. You may wonder why the city was continuously built up at the foot of an active volcano; the reason being volcanic ash makes exceptionally fertile soil for farming.
Two hours’ drive south from Palermo near the city of Agrigento is the UNESCO World Heritage Site the Valley of Temples. This huge site includes the remains of seven Greek temples in varying degrees of preservation, two almost complete and others with only their columns still standing. Their different uses as places to celebrate weddings and pray for health give a nice insight into the social history of the period surrounded by the grandeur.
Sicily is full of cultural and historic highlight which can be enjoyed in sun-drenched comfort of this Mediterranean highlight reel.
Katherine Conlon likes to a get a feel for the history of the places she visits, and seeks out the bits which reveal something about the culture in different areas of the globe. She has travelled in four different continents and is looking forward to exploring the rest.
Photo Credits: etna, cathedral, catacombs, etna, agrigento
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Drinks Around the World: Brennivin and Hakarl (Iceland)
Iceland is packed with natural wonders, a wild landscape undergoing constant changes by smoldering volcanoes, thunderous waterfalls, steaming lava fields and meandering glaciers.
Iceland's remote existence introduces unusual traditional drinks and food. The traditional national drink, not consumed regularly today, is brennivín. Literally meaning burnt wine, it is made by fermenting the pulp of potatoes and mixing it with caraway seeds. Enjoyed (and I use the word loosely) from a shot glass and served freezing cold, brennivín tastes like a fiery molten rye bread singeing the throat as it is swallowed. This potent caraway-flavoured schnapps is ominously and appropriately nicknamed 'Black Death' (svarti dauði) and could warm the body with one mouthful during the harsh winter months.
For the full traditional Icelandic experience, this firewater is taken with hákarl,a kind of fermented shark meat.
In times past, the long harsh winters and rough seas necessitated a survival instinct with food. Seafood, lamb and seabirds were preserved in many ways, smoked, salted, dried and pickled to provide nutrition and sustenance during the cold. One of the most bizarre foods, from Viking times, is hákarl.
And not just any shark, but Greenland shark. Born without kidneys, the shark is poisonous if eaten fresh. Caught, packed into the shoreline's gravelly beach and weighed down with stones, the toxic liquid is leeched out over a few months before the flesh is wind-dried on racks.
The resulting product is deceivingly served with toothpicks in small cubes like the finest cheese. The pungent ammonia-ridden flavour strikes before the cube first touches the tongue and with a further eye-watering aftertaste similar to cleaning fluid. Once the shock subsides, the next morsel or two are better (blocking the nose helps a little) but hákarl is an acquired taste that most modern Icelanders must struggle with.
I encourage everyone to explore the various local food and drink delicacies of the various countries. Only eaten on a special occasion or served to unsuspecting visitors, brennivín and hákarl provides one of the most challenging and unique eating experiences, with Viking heritage, that shouldn't be passed up and which encapsulates the spirit of this stunningly scenic and rugged volcanic nation.
Photo Credit: black table
