501 Places

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 [...]

I heard much about Vientiane being a very laid back capital where there is little to do for the visitor. After spending over a week in Laos it was hard to imagine anything other than a chilled city as the centre of this smiling, easy-going nation. Happily, Vientiane lived up to its billing, with one [...]

In the West we are familiar with the Vietnam War, where millions of American soldiers went to fight the communist forces of the north during the 1960s and early 1970s. Few are aware however that the bulk of the carnage inflicted by both sides in that war in fact fell on Laos, desperately unfortunate in [...]

If you visit Laos you will almost certainly spend at least some of your time in Luang Prabang. While Vientiane is the adminstrative capital there is little doubt that Luang Prabang is the cultural, historic and tourism centre of Laos. If you travel here by boat as we did, approaching the city along the Mekong [...]

There are several ways to travel between the Thai-Lao border and the ancient city of Luang Prabang. The bus journey takes around 10 hours on roads that leave a lot to be desired. Most people choose to travel along the Mekong River as it meanders south through lush Lao countryside and passes simple villages that [...]

Dec 5th is a very important day in Thailand. It is the day on which this nation celebrates the birthday of its beloved king. As well as being a public holiday, it is a time of national celebration. We flew on the morning of the 5th from Bangkok to Chiang Rai. Travelling to the airport [...]

It might be the noise and smells on the streets. It might be the signs written in an unfamiliar script. A part of it is almost certainly the change in heat and humidity. Whatever it is, there is something exhilarating about arriving in a new city, in a new country, at the start of another [...]