There’s a tiny Tibetan village in Northern Yunnan that might just be the most stunning place in Asia. Snow covered peaks surround lush green valleys filled with birds, butterflies, flowers and prayer flags. This village isn’t Shangri-La, instead that name (in 2001) went to a dusty, traffic filled Chinese city surrounded by barren hills. Whoever oversaw … Read more
It’s hard to appreciate an amazing view when you’re gasping for air. The 28 bends is the most notorious section of the Tiger Leaping Gorge trek, one of China’s top multi-day hikes. I thought I’d struggled around at least 15 bends when I saw a depressing red 1 painted on a rock – it had just began … Read more
From outside my window I could hear a covers band murdering an Arctic Monkeys song, I could see 4 western style restaurants, and every conversation I had with the staff at my guesthouse was fully understood in perfect English. Is Dali Old Town still in China, or had I travelled through a wormhole back to … Read more
Nothing is easy in China. A quick internet search told me the Stone Forest, or Shilin, was 100km away from Kunming, where I’d arrived the day before to start my month in China. So, off I went to see this mystical karst landscape. 3 buses and 4 hours later I finally arrived, slightly bitter that it … Read more
Brunei is a really unique place to visit and makes for a great detour on any Southeast Asian trip. There are plenty of things to do in Brunei (Bandar Seri Begawan mostly), but the most interesting aspect of the country for me is the atmosphere. It’s incredibly quiet and peaceful, the people are extremely friendly and … Read more
Brunei had always been a mystery to me. For longer than I’d like to admit I thought it was in the Middle East (and I used to be good at geography – not sure how that one slipped by me), but it’s actually a small country wedged between 2 states of Malaysia, on the exotic … Read more
A dead man walking. I’m not talking about the depressing Sean Penn movie Dead Man Walking. I’m not even talking about Jim Thompson, the Thai silk industry guru who went missing while hiking in the area in 1967 (and is possibly still roaming the hills as a zombie). I’m talking about how I felt after the many … Read more
Malaysia is often underrated when it comes to islands. It has some of the best islands in Southeast Asia, but also one of the worst. Warning: a rant is coming…..
From a distance Perhentian Kecil looks pretty good, but once you walk down Long Beach you start to see its “no makeup” face, and it isn’t pretty.