The Scared Valley was the heartland of the Inca civilization and today it’s the tourism epicentre of Peru. Machu Picchu takes most of the headlines, and rightly so, but there are so many other ancient sites worth visiting. We used Cusco as a base to explore the Sacred Valley and the day trip to the … 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
The 22 hour bus ride between San Pedro de Atacama and Santiago sounded like torture. With that potential nightmare in mind, I made it my mission to find a worthwhile place to break up the trip. Bahia Inglesa immediately drew me in. The white sand and turquoise water I’d seen in photos were surely too … Read more
After a fairly quiet April, most of which was spent relaxing / writing on a paradise island in Thailand as well as a quick return to Singapore, I headed to India for what could potentially be my last big solo adventure. I started in the heat and chaos of Delhi and then ventured further north, … 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
El Salvador isn’t a country you associate with luxury. While this tiny Central American country is relatively poor, it is home to plenty of rich people, and a lot of them seem to have houses next to Lago de Coatepeque. That’s not great news for tourists though. Huge sections of the shoreline are blocked off, … 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
Morocco is home to lots of ancient medinas. The winding lanes and historic souks (markets) of these old towns usually attract plenty of tourists, but for some reason Tetouan is rarely visited by foreign tourists. We spent a day walking through the white medina of Tetouan (and some other parts of town); here’s a quick … Read more