Bruges
One of my favourite European cities, Bruges is a wonderfully preserved snapshot of the Golden Period from the 12th to 15th centuries, when it was one of the most important…
Category: Travel
Ghent
A day trip from Antwerp back in 2006, Ghent is a lesser known but very pleasant Belgium town, filled with huge churches and historic buildings, plus lots of bikes and…
Berlin
One of my weekend European adventures back in 2006, I found Berlin to be a fascinating if busy place, even in mid-September then it was heaving with tourists. It has…
Unexpectedly good exhibitions in places I didn’t expect
I’ve visited hundreds of museum exhibitions over the years, with most conforming to what you’d expect from the location, I.e. naval museums in ports, classical museums in Rome and Istanbul,…
Things I leant about Myanmar (Burma)
A far more ‘normal’ country than I was expecting, Myanmar was a fascinating place to spend a couple of weeks. I did the standard tourist circuit though the centre (Yangon,…
Ballooning over Bagan v Lake Inle
Bagan is famous for hot air ballooning, Lake Inle less so, but both are quite magical experiences. Most people take balloon rides if they can in Bagan (you often need…
Lake Inle
One of the most visited places in Myanmar, Lake Inle is a tourist trap, but an enjoyable one. It’s the second largest lake in Myanmar, but a very shallow one,…
Ballooning over Lake Inle
The lesser known alternative to hot air ballooning over Bagan is to ballon over Lake Inle, a different but as good experience (here’s a comparison). The 5am cold start was…
Kalaw and Pindaya Caves
Established by the British as a hill station with a more agreeable climate, Kalaw is a popular spot between Mandalay and Lake Inle for hiking. The town retains a frontier…
Mandalay
After several days in rural Myanmar Mandalay was a real shock to the senses, a chaotically busy city of two million people, most of whom seem to own a scooter.…
Community Lodge near Myaing, and Sagaing
One of the best community experiences I’ve had, this lodge was a few kilometres from Myaing in central Myanmar, about a third of the way between Bagan and Mandalay. It…
Ballooning over Bagan, and visiting Mt Popa
Hot air balloons are an iconic part of the image of Bagan, with dozens flying every morning at sunrise across the archaeological zone, scenic from the ground, and even better…
Bagan
If you like Buddhist temples then Bagan is for you, with over 2,000 in a relatively small area, easily explored by bike or on foot. They date back to the…
Yangon
Formerly Rangoon, capital of Burma, now Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city is a fascinating blend of the old and increasingly new. It was basically a village until the British made it…
Volcán Pacaya
I bookended my month in Central America with two trips up Volcán Pacaya, near Guatemala City and Antigua. Understandably it’s a popular half day trip, exploring an accessible and relatively…
Lake Atitlán and Totonicapan
A spectacular natural wonder, Lake Atitlán is surrounded by several >3,000m volcanoes and a number of villages and towns, the attractions of which decline rapidly with increasing size. The largest…
Around San Cristobal de las Casas
Of more interest than the town itself are the day trip options from San Cristobal de las Casas, visiting fascinating local communities, and enjoying the natural beauty of canyons, waterfalls…
San Cristobal de las Casas
A very pleasant Spanish colonial era city in Southern Mexico, San Cristobal de las Casas is an understandably popular place, for it’s local history and architecture, and nearby natural beauty.…
Uxmal and Kabáh
Probably my favourite Mayan sites in Mexico, Uxmal and Kabáh were certainly the least busy, which helped considerably, but were also home to some of the most elaborate facades and…
Merida
The capital and largest city in the Yucatan, Mérida dates back to the Spanish Colonial era, with many buildings from then remaining. Laid out on a grid system, like Antigua…