The Voyage Never Ends

Pre Rup - a 10th century Khmer crematorium?

2012-02-08T00:10:00.022Z

The temple of Pre Rup at Angkor, Cambodia was built by King Rajendravarman II and was consecrated in the year 961. It consists of a pyramid shaped "temple mountain" topped by five lotus flower shaped towers.

Because Pre Rup means "turning the body" it has been suggested that the temple was an early crematorium but there is no evidence from the design to confirm this and many experts disagree with this theory.

Pre Rup is an interesting temple with good views and is a popular spot with tourists to Angkor to watch the sunset.

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Work by NGOs in Cambodia

2011-10-21T21:44:00.002+01:00

A boat trip from Kampong Cham to visit a community living on an island in the Mekong river. Matthew, a young volunteer from the French NGO Amica had been tasked with finding out more about the islanders and how Amica might be able to help them.

Matthew explained to me that a few years earlier Amica had been able to provide a water tower to store fresh water for villagers in a nearby area.

When I learned from Dari, the Khmer girlfriend of a French expat bar owner in Kampong Cham, that she was going along as interpreter for Matthew I jumped at the chance to tag along too. With fellow tourists John from New Zealand and Robert from San Diego we made a multi-national delegation!

Preah Krol Ko (Temple of the Cow Corral)

2011-07-11T12:22:00.032+01:00

Siem Reap in Cambodia is famous for the magnificent 1000 year old temple city of Angkor Wat.

But I was keen to also see some of the hundreds of unrestored, untouristed temples that I had been told existed within the region.

With help from Sothea, my "moto remork" driver (a tuk tuk in Thailand), I found Preah Krol Ko, temple of the cow corral. Built in the 12th century by Jayavarman VII, and only 50 years and a few kilometres from Angkor Wat, it lives in what seems like a different world.

Far from the guided parties of foreign tourists at Angkor, at Preah Krol Ko I was the only visitor. The only sounds were the birds and the geckos. Of course temples like this are well known to locals, but you still get some sort of Indiana Jones or Tomb Raider moment "discovering" these ruins in a tranquil setting rather than a tourist trap. I hope that some of the Angkorian sites are left this way - preserved but not restored. But I would visit soon if I were you to be on the safe side.

Cambodia - Legacy of the Khmer Rouge

2011-06-24T19:07:00.010+01:00

Between 1975 and 1979 the ruling Khmer Rouge incarcerated, tortured, carefully documented their confessions and then murdered 17,000 men, women and children at Tuol Sleng prison - a hastily converted school, known as S21, in the centre of Phnom Penh. Here, at Cheung Ek (the "Killing Fields") a few kilometres outside the capital, and in the rest of Democratic Kampuchea (as the Khmer Rouge renamed Cambodia) 1.7 million people were slaughtered in four years of madness.

The facts of this period will be debated for many years to come. Did the West sit on its hands while Khmer Rouge leader and "Brother Number One" Pol Pot systematically murdered his own own people? Was the US with its anti-communist policies responsible for the Khmer Rouge coming to power even? Steering a logical course through the "what ifs" and events that brought about the deaths of nearly 2 million people in Cambodia alone is a minefield, just like like many parts of Cambodia still are, quite literally, today.

For anyone wanting to know more Wikipedia has an interesting piece on the period of Khmer Rouge rule

Cambodia visa run - day trip to Vietnam

2011-06-21T09:19:00.001+01:00

A Cambodian tourist visa lasts 30 days and can be renewed for another month. After this the only way to stay in Cambodia is to leave and then come back. Long-term tourists and expats in Thailand, Cambodia and other countries will be familiar with the "visa run". Basically you travel to the border, leave the country maybe for just an hour, and then return to apply for a new visa.

I had been in Cambodia, travelling slowly, for the maximum 60 days and the only option for me to stay in Cambodia was to travel from Kampot where I was staying, 50 km to the border with Vietnam. For the last third of the journey the road is unsealed and full of ruts and potholes, which when full of water are impossible to see. In a tuk tuk it made for a wet and bone jarring ride. I'm only glad I chose, so that I could more easily take pictures, not to make the journey on my rented motorbike.

Even in the rain the scenery was sublime and despite being soaked through for most of the day it was an experience not to be missed. Note to self - get one of those cheap plastic cagoules!

Dive trip to Koh Kuon, Cambodia

2011-05-12T05:31:00.000+01:00

Just off the coast of Sihanoukville are a number of islands frequented by divers, snorkellers and people who just want to experience the simple, chilled-out The Beach type life that these islands do so well. Tiny Koh Kuon (it means "baby island") is one of the smallest. It has some nice reefs for diving, with barrel sponges, fan and lettuce coral, but was a bit light on marine life - that day anyway. The visibilty was variable (6-10m), but it is coming into the wet season here in Cambodia, so it was to be expected.

Although not the cheapest, at $85 for a 2-dive day-trip, when others are $65, Scuba Nation, based near Serendipity Beach, are a friendly and professional bunch, with two decent boats and a good standard of dive kit. They will go out for just for just one diver, although there were four of us that day - quite a lot probably for low-season. I did an Enriched Air - Nitrox course with them, and the teaching and practical was thorough. My only criticism is that the Nitrox cylinders were not correctly marked green/yellow, etc with EAN decal and tag. A bit of masking tape does not come up to the PADI standards emphasised so strongly in the course!

Apart from getting horrible blisters on my toes from badly fitting fins, it was a great day out. The other divers, Romy, Katie and Rob were a good bunch, and the Divemaster, Fab, was really helpful and friendly. He took the video of the jellyfish snorkelling. Well, er he was snorkelling, not the jellyfish, if you see what I mean.

Back at the port, the Khmer children were a delight! They weren't begging or selling, just loved interacting with the foreigners. They held me hostage until they I had shown them all the video I took of them, which prompted howls of laughter. I nearly missed the dive mini-bus back to town!

Cambodia - keep fit dance for all

2011-05-02T13:30:00.000+01:00

A walk through Kampung Baru and Chow Kit, Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia

2011-03-14T13:35:00.002Z

Kampung Baru is a Malay village (kampung) in the heart of KL city. It was designated by the British in 1900 to allow the Malay people to keep their village lifestyle within the rapidly growing city, and has since become a symbol of the Malay way of life and a hold-out against urban development. Only a square kilometre, it is estimated to be worth nearly £2bn if it were ever to be developed.

A few streets away is Chow Kit, a Chinese area famous for its market. I took a walk one afternoon through both areas in my continuing quest to see the real KL and meet the people who live and work there.

Pulau Tioman - South Pacific in the South China Sea

2011-02-26T11:37:00.150Z

Pulau Tioman (Tioman Island) lies 40km or so off the East coast of Malaysia and can be reached by high-speed ferry that runs several times a day from the port of Mersing. The West coast is inhabited for most of its length, and there are numerous small villages with very basic "chalet" type accommodation and also a couple of plush but not cheap resorts for those with deeper pockets. I stayed for a week and a bit in Salang Sayang in the North West of the island, in what I would call a shed-with-a-bed (with shower and aircon) for around £20 a night. Fan-only chalets can be had for around £15.

Click HERE if your browser will not play video from image above

The interior of the island is still relatively inpenetrable mountain and rain forest, except for a couple of recognised trek routes up and over from the West coast to Juara on the East. Even if treking through jungle is not your thing, the wildlife around the coast is interesting and accessible. Long-tailed macaque monkeys are everywhere. They can be entertaining and amusing but also mischievous and larcenous so care is needed. Monitor lizards are easy to spot in the many creeks that feed into the sea. Bird life abounds - around the coast I filmed white-bellied sea eagles and purple herons among others. The interior of the island is a haven for creepy-crawly lovers with fascinating insect life and 25 species of snake - including pythons and the king cobra.

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Roads less travelled in Cambodia

2011-02-02T07:11:00.002Z

Cambodia's famed and much visited temple at Angkor Wat is becoming so clogged by tourists that many people report that they could not enjoy the visit there. But I have heard from fellow travellers that there are literally thousands of temples and other historical sites in Cambodia which are off the beaten tourist track and can be enjoyed in a much more relaxed way.

The BBC has a short video report on just this subject, which if you are planning a trip to Cambodia, is well worth a look. It could save you queuing up with thousands of other tourists and better still give you a glimpse of the yet unspoiled treasures of this country.

I feel sure that by choosing these "roads less travelled" you get to see a lot more of the "real" country and its people. This type of travel appeals to me far more than well-trodden tourist hot-spots. So I am now planning to get off the beaten track in Cambodia during March before making my way through the North of the country and into southern Thailand in time for the water celebrations of Songkran in April - but well away from the tourist traps of Phuket and the like!

Kuala Lumpur - a video vignette

2011-01-29T14:56:00.035Z

Surrounded by this impressive array of glass and steel buildings, you could be in the commercial hub of many of the worlds developed countries, except the iconic stainless twin towers of the Petronas building, that can be seen from just about any place in the city, make this unmistakeably Kuala Lumpur.

I took my camera on a whistle-stop tour of KL city centre (known to locals as KLCC), followed by Chinatown and Little India. The city has the same eclectic mix as Singapore, but somehow has more heart. The people are smiley and welcoming. The food was great; the choice is huge. I loved it. Its a city I will definitely want to get to know better.

Click HERE if video will not play from image)

(Apologies to Mr H Allen, Mr J Goldsmith and Mr R Polanski)

Skye's The Limit

2010-11-21T22:01:00.006Z

More and more I am finding that the impulse to travel somewhere can come from a quite unexpected source. Stunt bike rider Danny MacAskill has just produced a stunning short film "Way Back Home" showcasing his incredible talent against a backdrop of amazing scenery in Scotland and his home the island of Skye.

Watch the video in HD (and full-screen) if you have a decent speed broadband. The music is quite haunting too. The Scottish Tourist Board could not have done a better job quite frankly, and judging by some of the outspoken comments from some of the youngsters on YouTube (here are just a couple) most people agree.

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Mombasa and the Old Town

2010-09-10T22:50:00.004+01:00

Crossed tusks, or is it an M for Mombasa?, mark the entrance to the modern part of Mombasa city. Made of steel (not ivory!) they were built in 1952 for newly crowned Queen Elizabeth's visit to the city. Although the modern city is for the most part unremarkable, and could be mistaken for many cities in poorer parts of the world, Old Town Mombasa is a very different proposition. It is full of atmosphere and reminders of Mombasa's past under the Portuguese, the British and as a transit port for the African slave trade.

From Kenya, Mombasa

We travelled by taxi (very reasonable for travel in Kenya - but negotiate hard over fares) to Fort Jesus on the edge of the Old Town. Local freelance guides will bombard you here with offers to show you the Old Town - apparently for free. Our guide said "pay me what I am worth" when asked! (we settled on 500 Kenyan Shillings - about £4 - with a bit of friendly haggling at the end of the walking tour)
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Ipoh Railway Station - then a walk through town

2010-07-12T07:17:00.006+01:00

Ipoh's railway station is a fascinating mix of old and new. From the front the building is whitewashed Moorish and British Raj colonial architecture fronted by manicured gardens, in the centre of which is a fine example of an Ipoh tree from which the town gains its name. The leaves from the Ipoh tree, incidentally, are poisonous and are used by the Orang Asli (the "original people") to make the poison for the darts they fire with deadly accuracy from blowpipes (although not in the middle of Ipoh of course).

From Malaysia, Ipoh

Walking through the entrance doors and through the main ticket hall, much of which is original, you find yourself in a gleaming 21st-century glass and stainless steel rail station. The effect is quite startling. Ipoh is on the main East Coast railway line which runs all the way from Singapore up through Kuala Lumpur and eventually into Thailand.
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Kellie's Castle, Ipoh

2010-07-02T18:52:00.006+01:00

The strange and rather sad history of the unfinished Kellie's Castle comes from Malaya's colonial past. Scotsman William Kellie Smith, a successful rubber Plantation owner, decided that he would have a suitably imposing home to entertain his wealthy friends. By 1904, at the age of 34, he was already a successful self-made man and had built a large "bungalow", which we would probably call a country house, behind where the castle now stands. In 1909 he commissioned the design and construction of a four storey castle using high-quality materials and a workforce of 70 brought from India.

From Malaysia, Ipoh

But the project was plagued by bad luck and in 1918 a serious and mysterious illness affected the Indian workforce and as a result of superstition among the workers Smith built a Hindu temple close by to appease the gods. In gratitude to Smith, a figure of him was placed among the Indian deities by the workers on the roof of the temple.
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Fook Yew 2

2010-05-31T16:48:00.001+01:00

I am not sure what it was but something told me that the customer service ethic in this hotel in Kuantan, Malaysia might be a little less than perfect! I crossed the road and gave it a wide berth just in case.

From Malaysia, Kuantan

The night market at Kuantan

2010-05-25T17:59:00.008+01:00

Night markets are a feature and a delight of small towns in Southeast Asia and the night market in Kuantan does not disappoint. Families with children, couples and groups of teenagers converge on the market to shop or snack or maybe just socialise. The hawkers and stalls have a tremendous range of fresh produce, but it is the street food, cooked fresh and ready to eat which makes these markets such a magnet.

From Malaysia, Kuantan

You can pick your ingredients from seafood, meats, tofu and vegetables and watch it made into a laksa.
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Laksa - a Malay speciality

2010-05-11T17:59:00.004+01:00

Laksa is basically a Malay fish or seafood coconut curry soup with noodles. I had always wanted to make laksa before coming to Malaysia. The pictures in Rick Stein and other eminent cookbooks looked mouth-watering but the basic ingredient, the laksa paste, had so many hard to find ingredients that the idea never got off the wish-list.

From Malaysia Food

But I have to say it has been well worth the wait. Since I came to Malaysia I have eaten laksa (I now realise there are dozens of different styles) in restaurants, and from street stalls or hawkers,
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Singapore - from Manhattan to Mumbai

2010-04-21T15:48:00.163+01:00

I can't make my mind up about Singapore. Perhaps only having been there for a measly 5 days that is not really surprising. Sure, its high-tech and clean and tidy compared with some of its neighbours in SE Asia, but I could not help feeling something was missing. The business district is impressive. The skyscrapers are huge. The waterfront by night is stunning, but like many modern cities the new glitzy parts of Singapore seem somehow impersonal and soulless.

From Singapore

The roads are very good, there is a virtual absense of the motorbikes that infest the roads of Vietnam or Thailand, and the MRT (Mass Rapid Transport) which covers most of the island, makes our London tube system look archaic.
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War Remnants Museum - Saigon

2010-04-15T19:12:00.000+01:00

When I was bored by the Saigon traffic (we'll you can have too much of a good thing) I took a trip to what used to be known as the War Crimes Museum but, since relations have thawed in recent years between Saigon and Washington, has now been subtly renamed.

The museum is well worth a visit. It gives a graphic and often shocking picture of life, hardship, fear and sometimes death, for ordinary people during what the Vietnamese refer to as the American war.

Rather than try to describe these powerful images I would suggest you take a look at the pictures that I took of exhibits and photographs, some taken by well-known war photographers such as Bob Ellison (who was killed in the conflict) and Robert Capa.

From Vietnam War

Saigon Traffic - yes I know I am obsessed

2010-04-13T15:24:00.001+01:00

OK so I am a saddo, but I cant help it. The traffic - especially the motorbikes - in Vietnam, have a hypnotic effect on me. Its almost choreographed. Everyone seems to be so confident of their own movement and those around them. I stood on street corners in Saigon for ages (no not doing that) taking video and photos of the endless stream - starting and pausing, interweaving, as if controlled by some unseen director. Its so much better than TV! Alright I know I'm getting a bit carried away. Here is a clip from the centre of Saigon. See what you think.

Vietnamese Laundry

2010-04-04T12:56:00.009+01:00

One lesson I learnt early on travelling in Southeast Asia was that it was simply not worth trying to do your washing in a hotel sink. The hotel will do it for you of course but charge you a pretty penny per item for the privilege. In most cases you can locate a small laundry just round the corner from the hotel which will do it for you fast, well and cheaply. On top of that it gives you a chance to get out and meet the locals!

In Nha Trang, Vietnam I discovered a typical laundry run by Hong from the front porch and living room of her home in an alley to the side of my hotel. I could not help but admire her enterprise and determination, typical of so many Vietnamese people ...

Travel Map - Recent Places

2010-03-23T05:31:00.007Z

This map shows some of the places I have been in recent months. They may be major cities, towns or tourist spots, or just a small village, beach, dive site or other place that I found interesting or felt the urge to post something about! To get a bigger, more detailed version in Google Maps click the link just below the map.

View Pauls Travels in a larger map

Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

2010-03-21T17:19:00.002Z

Ha Long Bay is quite literally an amazing place to visit. It is probably quite unlike anything you have ever seen before. It consists of over 700 large and small islands and rocky outcrops emerging from the sea in a 200 km stretch of coastline in the North of Vietnam. The pictures that I took on our three day cruise of the Bay by junk portray it far better than I could ever do here in words.

Karst limestone geology forms this region as in Laos. The difference here is that there is ocean between the rocks and mountains rather than land. It is a quite awesome place. During our visit it was often shrouded in mist but was incredibly beautiful nonetheless.
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Motorbike Madness

2010-03-11T12:43:00.012Z

In many countries the pickup truck is the basic mode of transport, for businesses and families alike, but in the Far East (particularly Thailand and Vietnam) it is the motorbike. That means you're going to see some pretty weird things on a motorbike, from entire families, including the in-laws, to massive stacks of boxed goods or even dead animals.

From Motorbike Madness

I look forward to any journey by road so I can watch out for something even crazier than I saw yesterday. I have added some of the pics and movie clips already (see album) and will keep adding any new ones as I see them. Here is one for starters (notice the child as well as the massive load!).

I think I will start a caption competition for these pics. I have popped a few on there but I am sure others could come up with some more humorous lines! For now just add a comment to the actual pic and I will use the best ones.

A credit here to Colin S who took a good few of these shots - and spent much of our time travelling together in Vietnam with his head and camera perilously poking through the car or cab window waiting to capture these weird images - and simultaneously letting all the expensively conditioned air out!

Hanoi Traffic - Organised Chaos

2010-03-11T03:17:00.009Z

The first thing that strikes you when you come to Hanoi (but hopefully not literally) is the traffic. Motorcycles and scooters swarm the streets. Most minor road junctions don't have traffic lights so motorcycles and cars arrive from four directions and interweave using some mysterious code of practice which keeps traffic flowing and rarely results in damage or injury. Call me sad if you will, but I found it fascinating to watch. I also came to the conclusion that the traffic flowed faster than if there had been lights. Bike riders and car drivers exercise considerable skill in avoiding each other and anticipating others movements. There is also an unexpected level of courtesy (or perhaps it's just self-preservation).

Crossing the street on foot at first feels like jumping off a cliff - plain suicide. On my first night in Hanoi I felt restricted to the block which our hotel was on, and crossing any of the narrow roads with bikes swarming in both directions was not an option. Watch the locals and you see that they simply walk slowly from one side to the other and the traffic avoids them! When you pluck up the courage to try it you find that it does work. You have to pick the right moment of course and not step off the curb in front of a scooter, but once riders and drivers can see you provided you walk in a slow and purposeful way they just drive around you!

Here is a lesson in how to (but remember to take a not very busy street - like this one - to practice at first!)

Problem posting to blog from Vietnam

2010-03-09T03:53:00.002Z

Having been in in Vietnam now over a week - Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, and now Hoi An (near Da Nang), I have tried numerous times to post to this blog without success, even though Internet access in Vietnam is faster than in Laos or Thailand. I was beginning to think there was a problem with the blog set up when I decided to Google to find out if anyone else was having a similar problem. Maybe the Blogger system was dead (unlikely because it is owned by Google itself). I suppose I should not have been surprised to discover that in fact the whole Blogger.com domain is blocked by the Vietnamese government in a bid to suppress what they regard as subversive elements (or what we would call free speech!).

Luckily I have found a way around this (not saying how!) hence this post.

Postscript - 4th April 2010. This problem seems to have gone away in the past 2 weeks. Some people have suggested that sites like Blogger are not permanently blocked but just intermittently to make it annoying enough to deter people from using them.

Vientiane, Laos

2010-02-28T04:23:00.011Z

Vientiane is the capital of Laos, named by the French during their rule (the Chinese name is Viang Chang). The French influence is everywhere - cafes, food, street names - even a replica of the Arc de Triomph!, and is a strange mixture faded French Colonial and native Lao. There are also a lot of French tourists who converge here probably for a nostalgic look at a country they have left their stamp on from the days of French Indo-China.

Wiki Travel on Vientiane

Vang Vieng, Laos

2010-02-25T05:54:00.000Z

Vang Vieng is on the main highway 13 halfway between Luang Prabang in the North and the capital of Laos, Vientiane, in the South. I'm told that there was very little in the way of a town in Vang Vieng before the Americans built a runway nearby during the Vietnam War, or the arrival of backpackers more recently who use it as a stopover between North and South Laos, to chill/party for a few days of beers, TV bars, and “tubing” (see Wiki link below).

Travelling by road down from Luang Prabang through the mountains however reveals some stunning mountain scenery formed by the Karst limestone geology. The mountain road is dangerous by European standards, with hundreds of hairpin bends without protective barriers, and there are a number of fatal accidents along this road every year. Even so the journey is something not to be missed. The scenery is quite breathtaking.

The Nam Xiong River forms the backbone of Vang Vieng and there are some stunning sunset and misty morning scenes (see pics gallery). For those of who don’t want to spend their daytime watching re-runs of Friends, it’s well worth leaving the main road and the backpacker tourist areas as you arrive very quickly in parts of the original village with cattle in the roads, smiling children, and rustic village homes.
Wiki Travel on Vang Vieng