501 Places

When we mentioned to friends and family that we were going to Syria last year, we received many concerned and surprised looks. “Is it safe?” was a common question, closely followed by “you must be mad”. For those who have visited Syria, they will doubtless concur that it is one of the safest countries in [...]

We had arrived in Siem Reap in the early afternoon and made plans to visit the Angkor Wat temples for the next three days. So after a painfully slow check-in we set about exploring a little of the city. I took a strong dislike to Siem Reap at first glance, and while I did learn [...]

Angkor Wat was without doubt the most famous and most visited stop on our SE Asian journey. I don’t think I met anyone who was travelling in Cambodia for whom this wasn’t the main purpose of visiting the country. Yet I have to confess that by leaving Angkor Wat to the end of our itinerary [...]

In a recent Lonely Planet article, Tony Wheeler described his visit to northern Laos to hike the 100 waterfalls trek. It had only been discovered (for non-locals of course) in 2008, and a local ecotourism company Tiger Trails was taking small groups of visitors to the falls. We love hiking, we love waterfalls: we just [...]

While the tourist paths of northern Laos are becoming increasingly well trodden, the number of visitors to the south of the country are still relatively small. Those who do make the trip to the areas close to the Cambodian border, dominated by the Mekong and the life that is centred around it, are well rewarded [...]

Between 1975 and 1979, an estimated three million people lost their lives under the barbaric rule of the Khmer Rouge and their murderer-in-chief, Pol Pot. Initially welcomed as a revolution of the proleteriat over the previous corrupt system, the killing and torture of the Cambodian population started within days. The infrastructure to conduct genocide on [...]

It’s hard to walk down a street in the big cities of SE Asia without seeing a huge number of massage establishments. In some places massages are even available in the public squares or in the doorways of buildings. I’m not talking about the seedy image of massage parlours, but regular places where both tourists [...]

I have crossed several borders overland in recent years, and even now there is a strange sense of excitement and apprehension as I approach the border guards. They have it in their power to make life very difficult for someone, and it is always my hope that that someone will not be me that day. [...]

“Please Mister, buy something from me” “You buy from anyone you buy from me, ok?” “Maybe when you come back. I remember you” “Is special good morning price!” “Lucky for you, lucky for me” Anyone who has visited Angkor Wat will be familiar with these lines and many others in constant use by the kids [...]

Only a few weeks ago I asked on 501 Places about the best way to keep blogging while travelling. Many people responded and shared their tips and personal strategies, and I took these on board as we set off for our month in Asia. Now that we’re back home, I thought I would take the [...]