Posts/Entries
All posts/entries, for now, from over two decades of global travel. And a few colourful tags, too.
Siberian Russia – First Look || Riding The Rails
My love affair with the train continues. I've left Mongolia and are now en route to Irkutsk in Siberian Russia, my first stop on this my first visit to Russia, the world's largest country. Russia: mysterious dark continent, remote, inaccessible to...
Ulan Bator, Mongolia (2006)
Mongolia. That name has always stirred up visions of the untamed - Genghis Khan, camels wandering the Gobi Desert and wild horses galloping across the steppes. It's a huge, landlocked country (17th largest in the world) about three times the size of France, squashed...
Hohhot, China, to Ulan Bator, Mongolia (2006) || Riding The Rails
The 36-hour train journey I've just completed from Hohhot in Inner Mongolia, China, to Ulan Bator in Mongolia proper was a bit special. It turned out to be my first time spending 2 consecutive nights on a train and it took me through a part of the world I had always...
Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China
Hohhot is the capital of the Chinese province of Inner Mongolia and it was once, along with vast stretches of Siberia to the north, part of Mongolia proper, my next stop. I remember reading that it's a good place to come if you want to experience the Mongolian way of...
Beijing, China (2006)
I'm back in Beijing, the capital of China. I'm getting reacquainted with the city en route to Mongolia & Russia as I embark, I hope, on a Trans-Siberian journey back home to Europe. I had to organise a few things during this my third visit to Beijing (although my...
Toronto, Canada
As Canada's biggest city, Toronto, home to 2.5 million people, is the 5th biggest city in North America. Although not the country's capital, it is entrenched as the nation's financial, communications and business hub, having the busiest Canadian port on the Great...
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
With a reputation as a happening, hip amalgam of culture, style and diversity, Montreal is the largest city in the Canadian province of Quebec, a province where most people speak French as their first language. There is a unique look & feel to the city, its...
Saint Joseph’s Oratory, Montreal, Canada
Saint Joseph’s Oratory is a Roman Catholic minor basilica and a National Historic Site of Canada commanding a spectacular hilltop setting in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is Canada's largest church & the largest shrine anywhere in the world honouring Jesus’ father,...
Angkor, Cambodia
The UNESCO-listed temples of Angkor, the capital of the ancient Khmer kingdom, are Cambodia’s greatest treasure & the highlight of any trip to Southeast Asia.
Angkor Wat, Cambodia
Occupying some 400 km² of tropical forest near the present-day town of Siem Reap in north-western Cambodia, the UNESCO World Heritage listed archaeological district of Angkor consists of hundreds of sculptured stone Buddhist and Hindu temples built to glorify a...
Mui Né, Vietnam
Mui Ne is a small, laid-back coastal resort & fishing village 200 kilometres (120 miles) north of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), in southern Vietnam. Although it is firmly on the tourist trail, it is a good place to come for some relaxation and to recharge the...
Hoi An, Vietnam
Hoi An is an historically important, laid-back, picturesque and enchanting river port 30 kilometres south of Danang on the Vietnamese coast. The town, rich in history and with a unique character, is full of cozy cafes, restaurants selling gorgeous food, quaint arts...
Marble Mountains & China Beach, Vietnam
The Marble Mountains are 5 sizeable marble & limestone outcrops, named after the 5 elements, located south of Da Nang in central Vietnam. All five of the mountains have cave entrances and numerous tunnels, some of which were used as field hospitals during the...
Hué, Vietnam
The city of Hué is nestled in the central lowlands of Vietnam, about 700 kilometres (430 miles) south of Hanoi, 1100 kilometres (680 miles) north of Ho Chi Minh City (Siagon) & about 10 kilometres from the South China Sea to the east. Traditionally Hué has been...