This page remains a work in progress, but outline details are now available for most posts.
Our trips to South East Asia have been some of the most enjoyable we have made. Although the people are almost universally welcoming and smile readily, some of the countries have been convulsed by war, even genocide, within our life times. All are now largely peaceful and very pleasant places to visit.
This page covers our visits to Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. Starting with our most recent trip to the region and working backwards.
The Malay Peninsula (2017)
 |
| Malaysia |
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1 |
|
26/02/17 |
Arrival in
Malaysia, Malacca Intro, Heeren Street, Jonker Walk and Durians, Jalan Tukang
Emas, Temples and Mosque side by side, Baba-Nonya culture, Dutch Square, the
former Church of St Paul, One of the Graves of St Francis Xavier. A Famosa, Memorial to Malayan independence,
Regrettable Nonya lunch, the Melaka River and a better dinner |
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|
2 |
|
27 and 28/02/17 |
27th Lunch at Bukit Bintang, Jalan Alor Chinese
food stalls. 28th Walking Tour: pulled tea, Independence Square, St Mary's Cathedral, Selangor
Club, Sultan Abdul Samad Building Jamek Mosque, Taoist and Hindu Temples, Chinese
Central Market. Petronas Towers |
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|
3 |
Batu Caves and North to the Cameron Highlands
|
01/03/17 |
KL to the Batu
Caves, Lord Murugan, 272 steps up to caves, macaques. Motorway towards
Cameron Highlands, Lata Iskander (waterfall) and a huge spider. Into the
Highlands, Ringlet, Bharat Tea Plantation. Strawberry Park Resort and the house
from which Jim Thompson disappeared | ||
|
4 |
Cameron
Highlands, Rainforest Walk, BOH & Curry
|
02/03/17 |
Despite the
weather we take on the ‘Forest and Farm’ Walk. Jungle walk No 9 to Robinson
Falls, Giant snail, spiny-backed orb-weaver spiders, Orang Asli. Descend to
farms, Malaysian Cherry red centipede, BOH Tea at Sungai Palas Tea Garden, Mutton
Varuval at Restoran Sri Brinchang, Tanah Rata. Walk round Tanah Rata. | ||
|
5 |
From the Cameron
Highlands to Kuala Kangsar and Georgetown
|
03/03/17 |
Leaving the Cameron Highlands, good views marred by too many polytunnels. Ipoh. Kuala Kangsar, ancient
rubber tree, Perak River, Istana Kenangan, Ubudiah mosque. Malaysian postage
stamps, and the elective monarchy. The bridge to Penang. George Town, 23 Love
Lane. Dinner in the Red Garden Food Court. |
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6 |
|
04/03/17 |
Fort Cornwallis,
Francis Light & the Sri Rambai Cannon. The Penang Peranakan Mansion.
Samosas and a temple in Little India. Khoo Kangsi and other clan houses. The
delights of Laksa and Cendol. Therevada Buddhist Temple. Hussein’s Nasi
Kandar stall. Kek Lok Temple. Jubilee Clock Tower & Protestant cemetery. Dinner
in the Red Garden Food Court. |
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|
7 |
Turtles, Monkeys and the Penang National Park
|
05/03/17 |
To the Penang National Park via Batu Ferringhi (Foreigner’s Rock). Walk across the national
park to Kerachut Beach – rengas trees, hairy caterpillars, pitcher plants,
millipedes, the meromictic lake, a tortoise and a tonkat ali tree. Turtles on
Kerachut Beach. Boat to Monkey beach. Lunch and Monkey business. Back to Georgetown.
Armenia Street and around. Dinner in the Red Garden Food Court. |
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|
8 |
Langkawi: A
Tropical Paradise (for now)
|
06/07/08 and 09/03/17 |
Penang-Langkawi Ferry, Frangipani Resort, beach and pool. Flora and fauna. Dinners at Indian, Chinese and Thai restaurants. Langkawi Cable Car and Sky Bridge, 3-D Art Museum. Journey Home |
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| Petronas Twin Towers |
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| The Batu Caves guarded by Lord Murugan |
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| BOH Tea Plantation |
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| Ubudiah Mosque, Kuala Kangsar |
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| Laksa, Penang |
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| Monkey business, Penang |
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| Lamb dopiaza, spinach and sambar, Tulsi Garden, Langkawi |
Thailand and Southern Laos (2015)
Having enjoyed northern Laos so much in 2014, the idea this time was to explore the south. It was easiest to start and finish in Bangkok, so we saw a good bit of Thailand, too.
|
1 |
|
06/11/2015 |
Arriving in
Bangkok, A fine Red Curry. A train to Phitsanulok. Visit Wat Yai to see the
renowned Phra Phuttha Chinnarat Buddha. Drive to Sukhothai. Dinner in Old
Sukhothai. |
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|
2 |
|
07/11/2015 |
To Ban Na Ton
Chan Village to see handicrafts and join in the festival for the end of the
rainy season. Meeting the oldest resident. To Si Satchanalai to see ruins of
the ancient city. To Sukhothai for lunch then National Museum and historical
park. A controversial dinner in Sukhothai |
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3 |
|
08
& 09/11/2015 |
08/11 From Sukhothai
back through Phitsanulok and east into Phetchabun Province, Wat Pha Sorn Kaew
(The Temple on a Glass Cliff). Sweet Tamarinds. A brief trip into the
highlands: Strawberries and camp sites for those who like the cold. Lunch - Isan's
fiery cuisine. Dan Sai, Wat Neramit Wipattasana and Phra That Si Song Rak (The
Stupa in Honour of Two Loves). Eco Lodge and arson at dinner. 09/11 Through
Loei and, Udon Thani to the Friendship Bridge |
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|
4 |
Return to Vientiane, Cooking and Eating
|
09
& 10/11/2015 |
Over the
Friendship Bridge to Laos. Reacquainting ourselves with Vientiane: noodles
pastis and a barbecued fish. Cooking with Nook, Market, coffee, lesson and
lunch. An over-vigorous massage. Tuk-tuk safari with no tuk-tuk. Vientiane night
market (grubs and grasshoppers). Finding the right restaurant for dinner. |
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|
5 |
|
11/11/2015 |
South down Route
13. Pause at Wat Phabat Phonsan with its massive ‘footprint’ of the Buddha.
On to Paksan, stop for coffee. Ban Ton Mae Market. Turn east into the
mountains. Bomb boats on the Kadding River. Minor roads to Sala Hin Boun in
deepest countryside. | ||||
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6 |
Kong Lor Cave and a Minor Disaster
|
12/11/2015 |
Auberge Sala Hin
Boun. To mouth of Kong Lor Cave, and underground river. Boat along the river,
stalactites and other reasons to disembark. Falling in the river. Exit cave
for reflection and recovery. Phim makes lunch in a borrowed wok.Walk to a remote rural village. Return through cave. |
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7 |
Thakhek, a French Colonial Delight
|
13/11/2015 |
From Sala Hin
Boun back to Route 13 and south towards Thakhek (Tha Kaek). Detour to the Tham
Pha Buddhist Cave. Lunch in Thakhek (Tha Kaek). Walking and shopping to
replace broken sandals. Pastis and an evening meal. |
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|
8 |
South Past Savannakhet and East to Tad Lo
|
14/11/2015 |
South on Route
13. Stalls selling fish or salt. The Natuay Salt Factory. Towards Savannakhet (aka
Kaysone Phomvihane). Diversion to That Ing Hang and some folk tales. Turn east
towards the Bolaven Plateau. Lunch and rice whiskey. Tad Lo hotel and
waterfall. Bathing elephants. |
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|
9 |
|
15/11/2015 |
A not entirely
successful early morning walk. A much more successful elephant ride. The Bolaven
plateau’s ethnic minorities: visiting the Katu people, then a very different
visit to an Alak village. A substantial market on an isolated crossroads.
Lunch at the Sinouk coffee estate and resort. Tad Fan waterfall. Back into the
Mekong valley and south to Si Phan Don (4,000 Islands) |
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10 |
|
16/11/2015 |
Dawn at Muang
Khong, By boat to Don Khon Island. Across the island by motorcycle taxi. Freshwater
dolphins, Taxi to Somphamit Falls. The French Mekong expedition of 1866 and
Laos’ first (and so far only) railway. Lunch at Ban Khon. To the east bank of
the river and the Khon Papheng Falls. North to Houei Tomo and,Oup Mong. A small
ferry across to Champsak. |
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11 |
|
17 & 18/11/2015 |
Wat Phou UNESCO World
Heritage Site, a 5th century Hindu temple that came under Khmer rule. Most
surviving building are 11th century Khmer. Temple became Buddhist along with
the rest of the Khmer Empire and is still an active Buddhist shrine. The Royal
Rd. Pleasant idling round Champasak, not so long ago the capital of a small
kingdom, now a village beside the Mekong. Drive into Thailand and take train
from Ubon Ratchathani to Ayutthaya |
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|
12 |
Ayutthaya, Another Minor Disaster and the King and I
|
19/11/2015 |
Leave train at Ayutthaya,
a former Thai capital. Tour in a Kermit tuk-tuk; Buddhas, chedi’s, temples
and roosters. Sugar rotis and circumnavigation of the city centre by river
and canal. Lunch. A final temple, an accident and a trip to hospital. On to
Bang Pa-In, a former royal residence connected with the reality that became
the confection of 'The King and I.' Drive to Kanchanaburi. |
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|
13 |
Kanchanaburi, the Bridge on the River Kwai and Hellfire Pass
|
20/11/2015 |
Kanchanaburi,
The Death Railway Museum & Cemetery, ‘The Railway Man’, The Bridge on the
River Kwai, the film and the reality. North to Hellfire Pass. Back south on
the railway. |
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|
14 |
Following the Mae Klong to Samut Songkhram and the Gulf of Thailand
|
21/11/2015 |
South along the
Mae Klong, Tha Kha floating market, a boat trip and a domestic visit, Rama II
Memorial Park and Museum. Bang Kung Camp and Bang Kung Wat, a small temple
almost completely overgrown by a banyan tree. An excellent squid lunch beside
the Mae Klong. The original Siamese twins. Samut Songkhram’s railway market. |
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|
15 |
Cha Am and the Thais Way of Beach
|
21 to 23/11/2015 |
Ch Am and an
almost finished hotel, Thai beaches and the way they work. Idle days. Going
Home and the de-icing crew |
 |
| Celebrating the end of the rainy season, Ban Na Ton Chan |
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| The life of the Buddha, Wat Pha Sorn Kaew |
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| Lynne and a bag of grasshoppers' Night market, Vientiane |
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| Bomb Boats, Kadding River |
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| Phim makes lunch in a borrowed wok |
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| Monks gather as dusk falls, Tad Lo |
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| Alak Medicine hall, Bolaven Plateau |
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| Motorcycle taxi, Ban Khon |
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| The Royal Road, Wat Phou |
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| Wat Phra Mahathat, Ayutthaya |
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| Hellfire Pass, Burma Railway |
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| Tha Kha market, Samut Songkhram |
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| Lounging on the beach, Cha Am beach |
Bangkok (2012)
On our way back from Myanmar in 2012 we stopped off in Bangkok for a 'city break'. These posts are a little out of chronological order, but appropriate to introduce here.
|
1 |
|
25
& 26/11/2012 |
Arriving in Bangkok
from Yangon. Skytrain from the Airport, Size and price of accommodation compared
with Hong Kong. Skytrain to river and waterbus on the River of Kings. Wat Pho
Temple, the huge reclining Buddha, (many) more Buddha images and stupas.
Lunch. Royal Palace and Wat Phra Kaew, The Emerald Buddha. Back to our hotel.
Bangkok’s famous street food: Rain stopped play. |
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|
2 |
Jim
Thompson’s House and Other Shrines
|
27/11/2012 |
The story
of Jim Thompson, his house, his collection
and mysterious disappearance. Using the Khlong Taxi. The Nai Lert Fertility
Shrine. The Erawan Shrine, Lunch and shopping at the MBK Centre. Learning
about licensing laws and failing to find information on the King of Thailand.
Bangkok’s famous street food: Success. |
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| Wat Pho Reclining Buddha, Bangkok |
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| A 'Khlong Taxi', Bangkok |
Following the Mekong Through Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos (2014)
|
1 |
Return to
Saigon, Cookery and Music
|
11 & 12/02/2014 |
Obtaining new passport
photos. Dinner with Phong, the organiser of our journey. The Banh Tanh Market
with Chef Mai then to the Mai Home Kitchen to cook and eat lunch. The Truc
Mai Music House and a performance on traditional instruments. Walk down Dong
Khoi (formerly the Rue Catinat). Dinner at Pho24 |
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|
2 |
Through
the Mekong Delta by Sampan
|
13 & 14/02/2014 |
From Ho Chi Minh
city to the Mekong delta and our Sampan. A walk round Phu An, a typical delta
hamlet. Upstream to An Huu and a walk through the market. Night Mooring
Dinner. Dawn on the Mekong, Sa Dec, Marguerite , Duras, The Lover and
the ‘Ancient' Chinese House, Fruit in the market. Upstream pass rice wotks
and brick kilns to Chau Moi. Tiger Island and a tussle with water hyacinth.
Further upstream to a night mooring near Chau Doc. |
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|
3 |
|
15/02/2014 |
Arriving at Chau
Doc by sampan past fish farms and a floating market. Victoria Hotel, and differing
views about western Food. Fish Farm, Basa, Chau Giang village and the
impoverished Cham community. A hot pot dinner |
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|
4 |
Phnom Penh (1)
Royal Palaces and Museums
|
16/02/2014 |
The Victoria
Speedboat from Chau Doc. Crossing the Vietnam/Cambodia border. Reaching Phnom
Penh and lunch at the Bompha Restaurant. The Royal Palace and the Silver
Pagoda. The National Museum. Romdeng Restaurant training street children for
a career in hospitality. | ||||
|
5 |
Phnom Penh (2)
Killing Fields and Torture Chambers
|
17/02/2014 |
Cambodia in the 1970s,
how the Khmer Rouge came to power and ‘rationale’ for what they did. Drive
out to the Choeung Ek Killing Field. Return to city and the ‘Russian’ Market
for light relief. Tuol Sleng Prison. Bou Meng, one of the 7 survivors, Comrade
Duch the camp commander. Sex tourism. Lunch and a walk down Norodom
Boulevard. A beer and a look at Cambodia’s unusual currency arrangements. |
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|
6 |
|
18/02/2014 |
Phnom Penh to
Skune famed for fried tarantulas. To Kompong Thom, edible insects in the
market but lunch without. Ruins of Sambor Prei Kuk, the forerunner of the Angkor
civilisation. Alternative view of Pol Pot. The medieval Spean Praptos Bridge. | ||||
|
7 |
|
19/02/2014 |
Angkor and Khmer
history. Explore Angkor Wat, carving of the Churning of the Ocean of Milk.
Back to Siem Reap for Lunch. To Angkor Thom & Bayon Temple with its 4-faced
towers. Climb Phom Bakheng to see sunset. |
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|
8 |
Siem
Reap (2) Angkor Thom and Other Temples
|
20/12/2014 |
West Mebon
temple formerly in a lake, Neak Pean (Entwined Serpents Temple), amputee
band, Preah Khan. Angkor Thom, the Elephant Terrace, Baphuon, Phimeankas, Terrace
of Leper King, Jungle Temple. Beef and red ants Diner |
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|
9 |
|
21
& 22/02/2014 |
21/02 Drive to Tonle
Sap Lake. By boat down the creek to Chong Khneas floating village. Crocodile
farm. Down the lake to another creek. Canoe through the mangroves. Drive to
Roulos for lunch. The Roulos Group of Temples, Lolei, Bakong, and Preah Ko.
Pub Street in Siem Reap. 22/02 A half-day wander round Siem Reap. |
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|
10 |
Luang Prabang
(1) The Old Town
|
22
& 23/02/2014 |
22/03 Laos visa
on arrival. The Lao kip. 23/03 Monks dawn begging. A doctor’s visit. Lao History, Former Royal Palace, Wat Mei,
Wat Xieng Thong. Luang Prabang sausages and meat salads. Climbing Mt Phousi, |
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|
11 |
Luang Prabang
(2) Back on the Mekong
|
24/02/2014 |
Upstream from
Luang Prabang on an overlarge boat. Ban Xang Hai village and rice ‘wiski’. Pak
On, Buddha caves & lunch. Back downstream The Chitdara Villa |
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|
12 |
|
25/02/2014 |
Another look at
the begging monks, Luang Prabang. Drive out to elephant sanctuary. Riding an
elephant ride. A pirogue upriver to see a baby elephant. Further upstream to
the (dry) Tad So falls. A boulodrome, back to LP, Bamboo Footbridge over the
Nam Khan. A foot massage. |
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13 |
|
26/02/2014 |
The monks begging rin (video). Drive Luang Prabang to Phou Koun, World Vision pumps used in roadside villages. A convention of military top brass, Phou Koun. Phou Koun market and lunch with an armed guard. Up Highway 7 to Phonsavan. Hmong ethnic minority. Barbecued venison. Dinner in Phonsavan |
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|
13 |
Phonsavan, the
Plain of Jars and UXO
|
27 & 28/02/2014 |
27/02 Former
Royal Capital of Muang Khoun. War-damaged temple. Plain of Jars Site 1, an archaeological
mystery. Mine clearance and bomb casings by the Phonsavan tourist office. 28/02
the work of the Mines Action Group (MAG), Bomb Harvest. Phonsavan Market. Xien
Khoun Airport |
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|
15 |
Vientiane (1)
Wats, Stupas and a Heavy Buddha
|
01/03/2014 |
Introducing Vientiane. Wat Si Sakhet, Vientane’s oldest building. Wat Pha Keo a home for
the absent Emerald Buddha, That Luang the stupa at the heart of the city.
Patouxai, the Arc de Triomphe. S’s story. Noodle lunch. The Black Stupa. The
Heavy Buddha. Finding a beer garden. Dinner at the Belgian Beer Bar | ||||
|
16 |
Vientiane (2) A
Buddha Park and a Fond Farewell
|
02 & 03/03/2014 |
02/03 The BeerLao
brewery. Making Khao Lam. Xieng Khuan’s eccentric Buddha Park. JCBs. Lunch in
a family restaurant. Textile museum in a teak mansion, Beer lao Dark at the
Belgian Beer Bar. A barbecue dinner. 03/03 A final day’s wandering. The
President’s residence. King Anouvong. Lunch at Makphet Restaurant, training
street children (like Romdeng in Phnom Penh). |
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| How not to play a monochord, Ho Chi Minh City |
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| Sunrise over the Mekong delta |
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| Topiary teapot, Silver Pagoda, Phnom Penh |
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| Spean Praptos Bridge |
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| Stone faces, Bayon temple |
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| Ta Prohm, the 'Jungle Temple' |
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| The Sim, Wat Xieng Thong, Luang Prabang |
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| A tiny portion of the Plain of Jars |
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| At the Xieng Khuan Buddha Park, nr Vientiane |
Cambodia and/or Laos
are also labelled in the following, which link back to the Mekong posts above|
A Collection of
Arches de Triomphe (None of them in Paris) Part 2, Post-1900 |
20/08/2020 |
My collection of arches includes:The Independence
Monument in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, |
|
Lost and
Forgotten - Things Big and Little that Disappeared for Centuries |
27/02/2020 |
The whole of the
Angkor complex, including Angkor Wat form Cambodia’s
contribution to this post – a round-up of things that were lost and now are
found. |
|
19/01/2017 |
Angkor Wat
supplied the first of my collection of illustrations (carvings, paintings and
sculptures) of this tale from the Mahabharata. |
|
|
31/03/2013 |
The Emerald Buddha
has been in Bangkok (see above)
since 1784, but the story of how it arrived there is long and starts in
mythology. |
 |
| Myanmar |
|
1 |
Arriving in
Yangon (or is that Rangoon?), the former capital of Burma (or should that be Myanmar?) |
13/11/2012 |
Burma or
Myanmar, Rangoon or Yangon. Local driving. Aung San Suu Kyi. Myanmar has no ATMs but the moneychanger was
unavailable. Subbed by our guide. Dragon Fruit. A nap.An expedition down Shwedagon Pagoda Rd
to find beer. Another nap. Shan noodles for dinner. |
|
2 |
14/11/2012 |
Bogyoke Aung San
(Scott's) Mrkt, Lunghi, Kandawgyi Lake, Chaukhtatgyi Reclining Buddha,
National museum, Tea shop, Shwedagon Pagoda, |
|
|
3 |
15/11/2012 |
Pansodan Ferry
to Dala, Trishaws, markets, Moe Goak monastery, orphans of Cyclone Nargis,
abbot, Shwe Sayan Pagoda, undead monk, Sule pagoda, Chinatown |
|
|
4 |
16/11/2012 |
Yangon to Nyaung
U, Shwezigon Pagoda, Gubyaukgyi and Htilominlo Temples, Lacquerware, Ananda
Temple, Horse-drawn trip round the plain. Dinner in the bamboo encampment |
|
|
5 |
17/11/2012 |
New Bagan Market.
Dhammayaziki Pagoda and a Bagan overview. Abeyadana, Manhua & Nanpaya
temples. Myinkaba village. Gugyaukgyi temple and the Myazedi Stone. The Tharabar Gate and
its Great Nats. A trip on the mighty Irrawaddy. Dinner, a puppet show and a clumsy
attempt at a scam. |
|
|
Int |
18/11/2012 |
Rudyard Kipling
and how he came to be in India. Mandalay, the poem and the song, music by
Oley Speaks. A look at the poem and an appreciation, including its appalling
geographical errors. |
|
|
6 |
18/11/2012 |
We pass a
village roadside enterprise. Peanut oil, production, toddy tapping and
fermenting, the production of sweets. Further on water being transported from
a well. A Robe giving ceremony, Popa and the Greta Nats, climbing the
volcanic plug of Taung Kalat to the temple on the top. Lunch at The Crown,
Mandalay, the Mosque, dinner at Nay. | |
|
7 |
19/11/2012 |
Making gold leaf.
The Mahamuni Buddha, Monks lunch at Maha Ganayo Kyaung, Silk weaving. Two teak
monasteries. Wood carvers, Zegyo Market, Shwenandaw Kyaung, Kuthodaw Pagoda
and the world’s biggest book. Mandalay Hill, Ghurkha memorial and a failed
sunset. |
|
|
8 |
20/11/2012 |
U Bein's Bridge,
the longest teak bridge in the world. Sagaing, Potters and Silversmiths,
Saigang Hill Temples and ‘genuine’ Raybans, To the island of Inwa, the former
Kingdom of Ava, for lunch. Horse and Buggy ride stopping at Yedanasini
Pagoda, Bagaya Monastery, Nan Myin the ‘Leaning tower of Inwa’. |
|
|
9 |
21/11/2012 & 22/11/2012 |
Flying
Mandalay-Heho and driving Heho-Pindaya, The Golden Cave with 8000+ Buddha
Images. Paper Making, andfoot operated lathes. Acquiring a local Breakfast.
The Five Day market at Heho. Cattle and produce market. |
|
|
10 |
Inle Lake (1),
Stilt Houses, Fishermen and Non-Swimming Buddhas |
22/11/2012 |
Nyaungshwe Town,
Down the canal to Lake Inle. Unique Fishing styles and rowing with a leg and
an arm, Ywama Village, Tha Lau and the , Phaung Daw Oo Temple, Gold leaf on
Buddha images and the barge that capsized. Nga Phe, Jumping Cat Monastery.
Khaung Daing village and Keepie-Uppie with a rattan Ball. |
|
11 |
23/11/2012
& 24/11/2012 |
Fishing on Lake
Inle. Up the creek to Inthein. Silversmith. Lunch at the Golden Moon. Lotus
weaving. Blacksmith. Cheroot making. The very last fisherman. Red Mountain Winery. Shwe Yaunghwe Monastery.
Back to Yangon. |
 |
| Lynne and Swe have lunch, Yangon |
 |
| Lardy-arsed foreigner almost fits on trishaw, Dala |
 |
| The Bagan Plain |
 |
| Lunch on the road to Mandalay |
 |
| Making the gold leaf, Mandalay |
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| U Bein's Bridge, Amarapura |
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| Five Day Market, Heho |
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| Fishermen, Lake Inle |
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| Shwe Yaunghwe Monastery |
Vietnam North to South (2012)
 |
| Vietnam |
|
Pr |
22/053/2012 |
The Price of sunglasses in London Airport, Street Traders in Ho Chi Minh City, the mega-rich should not haggle too hard, Sunglasses bought | |
|
1 |
Hanoi (1), Ethnic Minorities, The Old City and The Water Puppets |
23/03/2012 |
Hanoi Traffic, Introduction to Pho. Museum of Ethnology, VN's 54 ethnic minorities Hanoi Old
City, scary electrics, Water Puppets. Dinner at Ly Club. |
|
2 |
24/03/2012 |
Long Bien Bridge. Ceramics at Bat Trang, Bonsai Trees. Dong Ho village of art and funerals artefacts. Tam Tao, lunch in a village house, Quan Ho music and Fighting cocks. Back to Hanoir and St Joseph's Cathedral | |
|
3 |
26/03/2012 |
Hanoi to Halong, Burial Practices in fields along the way. Boarding Junk at Ha Long. Surprise Cave. Swim. Kayaking across Ha Long Bay. Seafood dinner. Fish Farms. Floating village. Kissing Rocks | |
|
4 |
27/03/2012 |
The Hanoi-Lao
Cai sleeper train. Breakfast in Lao Cai, the Chinese border, a huge Banyan and
a Taoist Temple. To Coc Ly Village Market, the Flowery Hmong. Tea plantation
on the way to Sa Pa. Sa Pa and the Black Hmong | |
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5 |
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6 |
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7 |
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8 |
Hanoi (3), The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and the Temple of Literature |
31/03/2012 |
Ho Chi Minh. His Mausoleum, French Gov's Palace, Ho's quarters, Harry Enfield, One Pillar Pagoda, Confucian Temple of Literature, Restaurant L'Indochine. |
|
9 |
Hue (1), The Citadel, The Battle of Hue 1968 and Some New Things to Eat |
01/04/2012 |
Banh Khoai pancakes, The emperor Gia Long, first of the Nguyen dynasty built Hue's Imperial city & citadel. Attack on the citadel during the Tet Offensive in the Vietnam War, Don McCullin photographs. Dong Ba Market, green oranges, and an unrecognised fruit. Breakfast with sapodilla and gracilaria jelly. |
|
10 |
Hue (2), A Self-Sacrificing monk, an Impotent Emperor and Imperial Dinner |
02/04/2012 |
An Hien Garden House, Thien Mu Pagoda, Phuoc Duyen Tower, Thich Quang Duc the monk who set himself on fire. The Perfume River. Tu Duc Mausoleum. Mandarin Café. Afternoon in Hue. An Imperial dinner at the Pleasant Garden Manor restaurant. |
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11 |
03/04/2012 |
Dam Cau Hai, Dam Lap An, oysters, Hai Van Pass, Champa Museum, Apsara Restaurant, China Beach, Da Nang Airbase and airport, Marble Mountain | |
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12 |
04/04/2012 |
Hoi An: The Thu Bon River and history as a trading port. Japanese Bridge. Chinese Assembly Halls. Across the killing fields were mission success was decided by the body count. My Son, the religious centre of the Champa empire. Back to Hoi An. Cao lau lunch. Ferrymen and (Kerala style) Chinese fishing nets on the river. | |
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13 |
06/04/2012 |
Sex Tourism. Eel Curry, The Cho Lon District and Binh Tay market. History Museum and the,Oc Eo Culture. Jade Emperor Pagoda. Lunch at Ngon, a Saigon institution. The reunification Palace and the End of American War. The War Remnants Museum, St Philip’s Good Friday Service. | |
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14 |
07/04/2012 |
Ho Chi Minh City to the Mekong delta. A boat ride to Cai Be and its factories making rice paper and sweets. Across the river for a lunch of elephant’s ear fish. Upstream to our homestay. The solution to the Hue fruit mystery and many more fruits. | |
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15 |
08/04/2012 |
Being rowed along a Mekong backwater. A coucal. Fruit trees and durians. Visiting a brick (and garden gnome) works. Vietnamese Folk music. Boat to Vinh Long, then car over the Can Tho Bridge to Can Tho. Ho Chi Minh statue, Chinese chess, crushed sugar cane and a Hotpot dinner | |
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16 |
09/04/2012 |
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17 |
10/04/2012 |
The Thich Quang Duc Shrine. Cu Chi, Tunnels, making sandals, booby traps. The uniquely Vietnamese Cao Dai religion, Attending a service at the Cao Dai Great Temple, The Kim Phuc photo by Nick Ut. A day in Ho Chi Minh City, weasel coffee, Hindu temple, shoe shine boys. |
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| Chilis, ginger. food seller's street, Hanoi |
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| Deliveryman, Bat Trang |
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| Ha Long Bay |
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| Flowery Hmong women, Coc Ly |
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| Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, Hanoi |
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| The Forbidden City, Hue |
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| Fruits made from Bean Paste |
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| Hangars, Da Nang Airbase |
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| The Japanese bridge, Hoi An |
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| The tank that ended the war |
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| Elephant's Ear fish |
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| Rice barge on the Mekong |
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| Inside the Cao Dai cathedral, Tay Ninh |
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