Archives: Places to go

Malaysia – Getting to know Taman Negara Taman Negara is one of the oldest rainforests in the world – more ancient than both the Amazon and the Congo. Its primary forest is a haven for endangered species such as the Asian elephant, rhinoceros, clouded leopard and tiger to name a few, although you are more … Read more

Kota Bharu: An Introduction Sat in the far north east corner of the Malay Peninsula; Kota Bharu is the capital of the state of Kelantan. The city is the gateway to the Taman Negara National Park, the Perhentian Islands and also offers a border-crossing into Thailand. Although it is often considered as a one-night-stop destination, … Read more

Getting to know Putao Putao, far to Burma’s north, is bordered by both China and India, and lies beneath Mount Hkakabo Razi, Burma’s highest peak. Although the mountain’s name means ‘snow-capped all year round’, the town itself is surrounded by a green, sub-tropically rural landscape. This spreads up towards the Himalayan foothills & starts to … Read more

Myanmar – Getting to know Hsipaw The more adventurous traveller will find it hard not to fall in love with this dusty Shan town; many are already head-over-heels before they roll into town thanks to the picturesque two and a half hour drive from Maymyo. The town itself is slowly becoming popular with the intrepid … Read more

Hill Station Train Each day a train departs Mandalay and travels a mountainous route via Maymyo (Pyin Oo Lwin) and Hsipaw before arriving 12 long hours later in Lashio at the northern tip of the Shan State. Undoubtedly loved for its on-board cultural exchanges and the dense jungle panoramas, rather than its on-board comfort and … Read more

Getting to know Kengtung A Shan trading town near the Chinese border in Burma’s far east, Kengtung town sits amongst a large rural population of traditional tribes, including the Akha, La Mone & Lahu, all of whom inhabit the surrounding Kengtung province. Some of the more remote tribespeople have never met a Westerner before, which … Read more

Myanmar – Getting to know Loikaw On a wide area of level ground in Kayah State, within the misty landscape of the Karen Hills, nestles Loikaw: the state capital, and a regional focal point. Only recently reopened to visitors, this seemingly quiet and undeveloped town has several higher-education institutions, a hospital, busy markets, and air … Read more

Myanmar – Getting to know Mawlamyine & Hpa An Six or so hours’ drive south-east of Yangon, on the Andaman coast, sits Mawlamyine – formerly Moulmein – Myanmar’s third largest city, and the capital of the Mon State. Situated on the Salween river delta where it meets the Andaman sea, flanked by lush countryside and … Read more

Kyaiktiyo: The Golden Rock A remarkable example of Buddhist devotion, the Golden Rock is quite literally a huge granite boulder, covered in gold leaf layers which have been continuously added to by pilgrims over the centuries. Balanced, rather nerve-shreddingly, on the jutting tip of a rocky outcrop, the Rock’s apparent anti-gravity is attributed, to a … Read more

Myanmar – Getting to know Ngapali Beach Ngapali Beach (pronounced Na-pal-ly) is that tropical beach – the quiet one, that none of your friends have been to, that still has fishermen pottering about on it (along with – rather randomly – ox-drawn carts), and boasts vast stretches of pure, soft, white, virtually empty sand. It’s … Read more

Sittwe: An Introduction On Myanmar’s north-western coast in the state of Rakhine, gazing out over the Bay of Bengal, Sittwe is a long-established harbour city that grew from a small fishing village into a crucial maritime stronghold during the 19th century. The reality of life in Sittwe today is very hard, and since the town’s … Read more

 Mrauk U: An Introduction Nestled just below the border with Bangladesh on Burma’s far west coast in the state of Rakhine, the ancient capital of Mrauk U is another of Burma’s key cultural highlights. Located in a predominantly agricultural region, this unassuming town was once the Mrauk U Empire’s splendid capital, a thriving nexus of … Read more