สวัสดี from Bangkok, The journey to Bangkok contained some fun. We got a ride to the Cambodian border with a licensed bandit who mistook the road for a racetrack and the car’s horn for a plaything. The frequent sounding of the horn – to alert oncoming traffic that he was intent on occupying their lane …Read More
សួស្តី Siem Reap is a dormitory for droves of tourists here to see Angkor Wat. We are surprised to find that, although the local currency is the riel, all the prices are advertised in American dollars. It seems it has been that way since 1993 when the United Nations presence ended here (Who said UN …Read More
Saibaidee from Laos, Overheard at a middle-of-the-range guesthouse in Luang Prabang, Northern Laos: An Australian tourist is negotiating/bargaining four nights’ accommodation for him and his two friends: “So that’s four nights for four hundred thousand kip, OK?” Response from manager: “Yes”. The traveller has just negotiated a saving for him and his mates of 80 …Read More
Saibaidee from Laos, If you thought Laos was an undiscovered jewel, far from the madding tourist crowds, you’re too late. We are in Luang Prabang, quite a distance from the capital and there are planeloads of foreigners arriving every day. We decided to escape the throng and go deep into the jungle and see some …Read More
Saibaidee from Laos, If you surveyed a few hundred people as to the important qualities in a coach driver for an overnight journey over the mountains, you’d expect responses like 20:20 vision, conversant with the road rules, experience at the wheel, etc. Agree? I’m willing to wager 20 000 kip that nobody would mention the …Read More
Sawadee from Thailand, I hop into the minibus early in the day for a tour to the River Kwai and the Thai-Burma railway, scene of some of the worst wartime atrocities against fellow Australians. It’s likely to be a fairly sobering experience. “Is the air conditioning alright?” someone asks. Wait a moment! We’re …Read More
Merhaba from Turkiye, Yes, I’m borrowing from Indonesia’s national motto to write about Turkiye, but that’s excusable. Turkiye is a country which achieves the former whilst enjoying the latter. We met Ali at a function inside a local’s home in Cappadocia. Ali is a shrewd judge of character and an erudite student of …Read More
“Finland, Finland, Finland, the country where I want to be . . .” (Monty Python’s Flying Circus) A stopover in Helsinki for seven hours was just enough time to race into the city and get a feel for the place – and taste some Finnish cuisine. It was well worth the effort. reindeer meat I …Read More
Merhaba from Istanbul, Like all of his compatriots of the time, Kemal Atatürk was given a single name at birth. It was Mustafa. Turks living under the Ottoman Empire had no surnames. When Mustafa was in primary school, an influential teacher noticed how quickly the boy picked up new ideas and dubbed him “Kemal”, meaning …Read More
Merhaba from Istanbul. We have just spent a tremendous week ın Cappadocia in Central Anatolia. For me, it was a slightly nervous journey overland from the south coast to Cappadocia, where M. had booked a week-long horse ride. Nervous because I’m not a horse rider. It was against my better judgement that I had allowed …Read More