We arrived at the entrance to the ancient city of Sukhothai and glanced skyward. It was a grey, hazy morning — our luck for having clear skies above almost every archaeological site we’d visited around the world had deserted us. Things would improve though — the sun eventually shone (for a while) and the ruins … Read more
For me, one of the highlights of travelling in Asia is seeing history embodied in elaborate ancient temples and ruins. Here are some of my favourite temples and ruins in Asia, including Angkor Wat, the erotic temples of Khajuraho and the ancient city of Ayutthaya. Bagan, Myanmar (Burma) Do you watch romantic comedies and think … Read more
“My Son Tour” signs are scattered all over Hoi An, but what are they actually advertising? Thankfully, it isn’t a sightseeing trip around Hoi An with the travel agent’s son. Instead it’s an incredibly cheap tour to My Son (pronounced Me Sun), a collection of ancient Cham ruins 40 km from downtown Hoi An. Should … Read more
You won’t need to sleep on couches or at train stations to travel in Europe for under $50 a day. You won’t even need to skip attractions or eat plain rice 3 times a day — just follow these tips. Don’t be scared of cheap airlines Travelling on cost cutting airlines like Ryanair and Easyjet might not … Read more
You might think, after watching Planet of the Apes, that a town run by monkeys would be a relatively civilized and peaceful place. The reality couldn’t be further from the myth. The monkeys in Lopburi constantly scrap amongst themselves, make love (probably not the right expression) on rooftops and harass humans with any semblance of … Read more
Between 1802 and 1945 a succession of emperors ruled over central Vietnam from Hue, a small city on the banks of the Perfume River. Some were dynamic leaders and others were puppets to the French, whose influence grew as the years rolled by. Despite their growing irrelevancy, the Nguyễn emperors continued to pour money and man … Read more
The Singapore River has played many roles over the last couple of hundred years. It was the centre of trade and commerce during colonial times, but these days the focus is on tourism and nightlife. Downtown Singapore is home to some of the city’s top tourist attractions and is easily explored on foot, whether it’s a … Read more
Singapore is often thought of as a slightly soulless city full of towering sky scrapers and air conditioned shopping malls. Dig a little deeper though and you’ll find historic streets lined with colourful shophouses, although these shop / house combos are often towered over by massive skyscrapers (this is still Singapore after all). Singapore’s shophouses are a … Read more