Coastal Sri Lanka

It’s very weird to arrive in one of the locations in Sri Lanka that was obliterated by the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami just as the Japanese tsunami is occurring. All the new buildings here and the occasional large boat stranded way inland serve as a reminder.I can’t say I looked at the Indian Ocean and […]

Tea for one

      I’ve never seen tea on bushes before today. And when those bushes carpet every spare corner of the rolling hillsides in the pleasantly cool atmosphere at about 5000 feet up in the Sri Lankan mountains, it’s extremely refreshing. Nearly as good as a cup (Liptons of course, since Sir Thomas founded his […]

Mindblowing Myanmar

Words fail me – well nearly! This is the most stupendous traveling experience I have had in a very long time.Whatever else the governing generals may have done, their policies have effectively placed Myanmar (only the British decided it should be called Burma) in a time-capsule. No credit cards, no ATM’s, no mobile phones, hardly […]

How many foreigners can you fit in a Toyota pickup?

Much touted as a charming boat trip through rice paddies and farmland, this would be a 3-4 hour trip in the wet season. But right now it’s dry…   So a pre-dawn pickup in Siem Reap leads to a crammed bus ride for about an hour to the most upriver point where you can board […]

The Churning of the Sea of Milk

You do get to judge the general cost of living in a country based on its currency. $100 just bought me nearly half a million Cambodian riels. When you consider that the smallest note I received was newly printed and worth about 12cents, you do begin to get the picture.   What on earth were these guys […]