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38 short notes

CHINA | Thursday, 14 Sep 2006 | Views [1302]

(5) DdaDACDF (3, 4) If I'd done as much travel as I've done, I would have taken the Gecko's tour from Hanoi rather than from Saigon. I don't think that I would do Hanoi-Beijing overland solo, though. (1,4,3) ... Read more >

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Oil and Water

CHINA | Friday, 8 Sep 2006 | Views [1009]

Hell Is Other People How do you politely tell someone that they're driving you and others insane? On the last night in Hanoi, I left Long, Cam, Jock, and Margie at the Draught Beer place down the road while I had a shower.... Read more >

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Sands

VIETNAM | Friday, 1 Sep 2006 | Views [750] | Comments [2]

Sleep and Time I'm used to spending a week in a place if I don't feel like moving - inertia is my major driving force. Phase two of my travels consists of two months of package tours - the first a Gecko's from Saigon to Beijing; the second an ... Read more >

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Mars and Venus

VIETNAM | Monday, 28 Aug 2006 | Views [779]

Kallisti "9", said Tom - an assessment of one of the girls on our trip. No holier-than-thou-ness, please: male or female you probably rate people too. "9.5", replied I, "until she spoke". I have a low irritation ... Read more >

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Interlude: Books

VIETNAM | Thursday, 24 Aug 2006 | Views [612]

Those of you who enjoy the work of Jeremy Clarkson may be glad to know that I picked up The World According to Clarkson, a collection of his Sunday Times columns, a few days ago. Those of you who dislike Jeremy Clarkson will be glad to know that it ... Read more >

Tags: General


Companions: Travelling and Drinking

VIETNAM | Wednesday, 23 Aug 2006 | Views [808] | Comments [2]

You see and hear English words that are (practically?) unused in Australia - anyone know what a "suzerainty" is without looking it up, for instance? "Confluence" (a joining, specifically of rivers) crops up quite frequently - not ... Read more >

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Dalat: Kitsch

VIETNAM | Tuesday, 22 Aug 2006 | Views [713]

When Dalat, in Vietnam's Central Highlands, is viewed from a distance, it gives a very Central European impression. Many of the larger buildings are from French colonial days. The lake is a manufactured one; the hills in the background natural ... Read more >

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This Floating Life

VIETNAM | Friday, 18 Aug 2006 | Views [1416]

In the minibus coming back from the River Kwae were A. and R., two Brisbanites. "I thought you were foreign so I was speaking to you really slowly", said A., on discovering I was also Australian - the peril of being half-Japanese, ... Read more >

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Animals

VIETNAM | Tuesday, 15 Aug 2006 | Views [735]

I think the last time I'd been to a zoo may have been Ange and Kieren's wedding reception; the only visible animals small and tasty. Saigon's Historical Museum was closed on Mondays, however, and since the zoo was adjacent it seemed a waste of a ... Read more >

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Wars

VIETNAM | Sunday, 13 Aug 2006 | Views [1026]

History is fungible Every War Museum I've been to has presented its own version of events; I suppose that the history presented by the Australian War Memorial is similarly individual, but since it presents a history aligned with what we learned ... Read more >

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Angkor: The Geometry of Computer Games

CAMBODIA | Thursday, 3 Aug 2006 | Views [1532]

Banteay Samre, 15 km north of the main Angkorian clusters, consists of a central temple on a stone island, surrounded by a (now grassy) moat, in turn surrounded by a square high wall, surrounded by a walkway a couple of metres wide, surrounded by ... Read more >

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Angkor: Places less touristed

CAMBODIA | Wednesday, 2 Aug 2006 | Views [900]

West Gate I'd not intended to visit Angkor Thom the day I did - the Western Baray and its temples were sufficient, I thought, to keep me occupied, but those plans had been scrapped once I'd seen the track. Instead, I found myself bouncing over laterite ... Read more >

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Angkor: Earth and Water

CAMBODIA | Friday, 28 Jul 2006 | Views [624]

Muddy Waters There are two main families of bottled water in Thailand/Laos/Cambodia. The (relatively) expensive type is normally indistinguishable from standard Australian brands. The cheap type comes in 900ml soft bottles with the label ... Read more >

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Long Journeys

CAMBODIA | Wednesday, 26 Jul 2006 | Views [1145]

A Minor Alignment of Patterns... So I check out of my hotel, dump my bag next door (where I'll be picked up for the overnighter to Pakse ), and walk up the street... and there's Jim, who's in town for a day before heading over the bridge ... Read more >

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Vientiane

LAOS | Monday, 24 Jul 2006 | Views [834]

Low Season There are advantages to travelling in low season - even-cheaper prices being one of them - but there are downsides too. Repairs and maintenance are done during this period: the museum in Kuala Selangor was closed, for instance, ... Read more >

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Luang... Prabang... by... Boat

LAOS | Thursday, 20 Jul 2006 | Views [4466] | Comments [4]

Farewell Thailand There wasn't much to border town Chiang Khong: an internet cafe that closed at 11pm, turning me out into the waiting thunderstorm; a main street terminating at the Mekong - not long, but long enough for a wet bike-ride home;... Read more >

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Northern Cities

THAILAND | Saturday, 15 Jul 2006 | Views [830]

Maths: E- Despite previously claiming to loathe long-distance travel of as much as seven hours' duration, I decided to break the eleven hour journey from Bangkok to Chiang Mai only at Ayutthaya, a one and a half hour train ride from Bangkok. ... Read more >

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Bangkok: Fashion and Grooming

THAILAND | Sunday, 9 Jul 2006 | Views [4063] | Comments [4]

A Close Shave I'd stopped shaving every day. Cold showers, though fantastic in evenings if the heat of the day is yet to dissipate, are not quite so pleasant when the shower is actually cold... and of course cold-water shaves make cold showers ... Read more >

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Bangkok: Red-light Stop, Greenlight Go-Go [Not Particularly Safe For Work]

THAILAND | Wednesday, 5 Jul 2006 | Views [3881]

[ This is rated M for suggestive language and scenes of an Adult Nature. It's probably safer NOT to read it from work unless you have a relaxed internet policy ] The Naked Truth One of these days I'll complete ... Read more >

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Myanmar (Burma): The Daytrip

MYANMAR | Saturday, 1 Jul 2006 | Views [1664] | Comments [3]

Q: How do you eat an elephant? A: One bite at a time. I hate long-distance travel, so I decided to break Phuket to Bangkok into three chunks, stopping in Ranong and Phetchaburi (Phetburi). Phuket and Phetchaburi were pretty well uneventful - walked ... Read more >

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