Cycling in Mandalay – Finding Kipling’s Rural Myanmar

Mandalay countryside

“An' the sunshine an' the palm-trees an' the tinkly temple-bells; On the road to Mandalay . . .” - Kipling Arriving in Mandalay, I chose to hold on to Kipling’s poetic visions – the river valley landscape surrounded my mountainous plains, rice paddy fields and friendly locals – rather … [Read more...]

Riding the Yangon Circle Line Train in Myanmar

Yangon Circle Line Train

For just one US dollar you can experience the true essence of local life in Yangon as you travel for three hours through the city’s rural landscape. While Yangon is a fast-paced, chaotic city to get lost in, riding the Circle Line train provides a window into the daily routine of the Myanmar … [Read more...]

Reflections on Inle Lake: Myanmar’s Biggest Tourist Attraction

Inle Lake Myanmar Burma

Inle Lake is one of the top four traveller must-sees in Myanmar alongside the never-ending temple landscape of Bagan and the two main cities of Yangon and Mandalay. Whilst similar, yet grander in scale, to Cambodia’s famous Tonle Sap Lake, Inle has overshadowed my other experiences on Southeast … [Read more...]

Biking in Bangkok – Seeing a Different Side to the Hectic City

Biking in Bangkok

My recent visit to Bangkok marked my third stay in the city, which I had always found crazy, hectic and, in parts, extremely frustrating. This time around, I grew to really appreciate what Bangkok had to offer. I lived in the business and residential area of Silom for a week, hung out in Sukhumvit … [Read more...]

Seeing Orangutans in Borneo – When Tourists Behave Badly at Semenggoh Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre

orangutans in borneo sarawak

Wild: adverb, noun, adjective. Living in a state of nature, not tamed or domesticated: a wild animal It’s almost a given that a trip to Borneo incites an insatiable need to see orangutans – an endangered species native only to the island and parts of Indonesia. Aside from national park trekking … [Read more...]

Street Art in Penang – Georgetown’s Hidden Sights

Georgetown  Panang Street Art

Georgetown, the capital of north-western Malaysia’s island of Penang, has everything you would expect from an old colonial city – a fort, grand buildings, stately homes and assembly buildings and old waterways marking a once vibrant port trading ground  - but there’s one thing that makes it … [Read more...]

Staying at a Longhouse in Borneo – Experiencing Indigenous Sarawak

Longhouse Borneo

“In time, will the rise in the number of tourists coming to visit here ruin your way of life? Do numbers need to be controlled?” I asked the Deputy Chief of the longhouse via a translator, always eager to know if such visits are a necessity, with promises of government support and regular … [Read more...]

Kuching, Sarawak – The Start of my Borneo Adventure

Kuching, Sarawak, Borneo

“I remember when this all looked so very different” said my guide, Rose, as we drove through the city of Kuching – the capital of the eastern Borneo state of Sarawak where she was born and raised. Her moment of reminiscence came after my declaration that my first impressions were completely … [Read more...]

One Day in Melaka: The Quaint Malaysian City

Melaka historical old town Malaysia

Various periods of history and heritage have blended with a unity of various religions to create a city of contrasting colour, architecture and atmosphere where no two areas look the same. In Chinatown business booms as people hustle through its long shopping streets, restaurants and temples while … [Read more...]

Kampot – Ghost Town Architecture of the Town and Bokor Hill Station

Kampot

I was always excited about visiting the Kampot province on my second trip to Cambodia. I never got around to it during my first whistle-stop tour of the country and as a result had high expectations of the town for when I returned. Which is partially why I wasn’t that impressed with it – I … [Read more...]