Bangkok’s reputation as a traffic clogged megalopolis overshadows the fact that Bangkok has more temples than any capital in Southeast Asia. Bangkok is the seat of Thai Buddhism, and the grandest wats in Thailand are in the capital. A popular way to visit the wats is to visit 9 temples in one day. In Thai […]
Notes on Vang Vieng: The one with all the Friends Bars
It’s official. I’m old. 38 years old. Ancient really. I was born at a young age, but I’ve got to say that in all of my life I have never been this old before. I was reflecting on my age while staying in Vang Vieng, Laos. Vang Vieng is set in an incredibly beautiful location. […]
Tour Review: Classic Mini Tours of London
I have lived in London for two years of my life and I visit once a year for work. In all that time I have never been on a tour. The idea of getting on one of those big buses has never appealed to me. So when I was contacted by smallcarBIGCITY and offered a […]
Notes on Belgrade: A curious mix of Classical and Commie Europe
Visiting Belgrade When I was growing up Belgrade was one of those cities that I had only heard of on the news. Just like the other Bel -Belfast – whenever you would hear about Belgrade it was always for all the wrong reasons. Belgrade has emerged from the troubled breakup of Yugoslavia and is now […]
The five foot way of Georgetown, Penang
Georgetown in Malaysia is one of best preserved colonial cities in Southeast Asia. The streets of Georgetown are lined with shophouses from the 19th and early 20th century in varying states of conservation. [Georgetown Covered Walkway] Every shophouse has a five foot way (kaki-lima), which is a sheltered walkway in front of each shop front. […]
South Australia – Where iced coffee outsells Coca-Cola
I got the chance to drive from Melbourne to Adelaide for a tourism promotion. I had never been to South Australia, and it seems that it’s not on the radar of most domestic and international visitors either. The coastal drive from the Victorian border to Adelaide along the Limestone coast is worth the road trip […]
Prambanan – the largest Hindu temple site in Indonesia
Prambanan is a complex of Hindu temples near Yogyakarta in central Java. It is the largest Hindu remnant in Java and it is billed as “the Tallest and Most Beautiful, Largest Hindus Temple in the World”. While I haven’t been to enough Hindu temples to vouch for it’s most beautiful claim, it certainly is grand […]
Borobudur: The biggest Buddhist temple in the world
Borobudur Temple is the largest Buddhist temple in the world, which is impressive considering that it’s not in a Buddhist country but in Central Java, Indonesia. [Borobudur Temple] It’s a temple that ranks with Cambodia’s Angkor Wat and Myanmar’s Bagan as one of the great religious monuments of Southeast Asia. What is more remarkable is […]
The Tomb of Sir Richard Burton
In the leafy suburbs of Southwest London is a small parish church cemetery that has one of London’s most remarkable tombs. The tomb is of Sir Richard Burton and his wife Isabel. [Burton Mausoleum – St Mary Magdalens Mortlake] Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton (1821 – 1890) was a remarkable man in an age of […]
Bandung was once “Paris of Java” – What is it now?
Bandung in Indonesia was once known as “Paris of Java”. I saw a few T-shirts with the proclamation “Paris Van Java”, but other than that there is not much evidence to suggest that this was once a grand city in the resemblance of the French capital. [Jalan Asia Afrika] Bandung was once a grand city, […]
