The referendum on whether Scotland should be an independent country will take place today. I lived in Scotland for three years and have visited many more times. In fact, having been to the Northern Scottish Islands known as the Orkneys plus all major cities (Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Stirling), the Highlands, West Coast and more, I have seen more of the country, than many residents have! It is a stunning place to be wild about travel in! I also have Scottish siblings and friends so discussions over the last few days have been interesting. It seems to me that culturally…
Place Reviews (Thursday)
Category Archives for Place Reviews (Thursday).
Chilling in Chiang Mai
I have been to Thailand a few times now but never to Chiang Mai until now. I am very sorry to have left the city alone for so long. The city is a little more isolated than other parts of Thailand but still attracts approximately five million visitors per year- 40 per cent of whom are from outside Thailand. I soon discovered why it was placed at 24 on TripAdvisor’s “25 Best Destinations in the World” in 2012. Chiang Mai is 700 km (420 miles) from Bangkok. Getting there requires a flight of about an hour or a 12 hour…
Being in Busy Bangkok
“you’re going to Thailand…in a coup?” My friends were incredulous. After all news of a coup conjures up images of danger, disorder and degeneration. My friends were not alone in their fears. Tourism arrivals fell 20% in the first week after the Thai coup, some airlines have canceled flights into Bangkok and most tourist spots are way less busy. The capital itself is operating pretty normally, the army presence is minimal and apart from the curfew (which has now been lifted in some beach side areas) tourists have been largely unaffected. Remember, this is not the first…
Thai Curfew Times Relaxed
In a move which is intended to help tourism, the military has relaxed the curfew. The curfew now runs from from midnight to 4 a.m. (It was 10pm to 6am). Markets, shops, petrol stations and bars will now be able to stay open longer. This follows a fall in tourism numbers of 20 per cent since martial law was imposed just over a week ago. Nine per cent of Thailand‘s GDP is tourism related. There has also been a drop in consumer spending by Thais. Outside Bangkok, tourists and locals are reporting little difference to day…
Unique Yangon (Rangoon)
When I was a child, Rangoon was one of the exotic cities of the world talked about in books and poems: mysterious, adventurous and colourful. I have long wanted to see the place for myself. Verdict Regular readers will know, I rate every city I visit. My Overall Rating: 68% Ranking out of my top 200 Cities: 155th place which gives it a similar ranking to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Richmond, Virginia in the USA. The Economist Ranking: not ranked Why it should be visited: Stunning architecture, easy to get around, brilliant museums, great art, food and culture scene Negatives: Expensive hotels…
Breathtaking Bagan
Bagan is one of the musts on the Myanmar tourist trail. Almost all tourists make the trek by air, train bus and even car to this spot 715km (431 miles) northwest of Yangon. The area is sited on the eastern bank of the Ayeyarwady (or Irrawaddy) River. This river slices Burma into two. You can travel to Bagan from Mandalay using this river on an express boat (which takex 10 hours) or an equally long train ride, a very rough bus or car ride (8 to 9 hours). Trains, cars and buses will take you south to Yangon (13…
Road to Mandalay
“For the wind is in the palm-trees, and the temple-bells they say: ‘Come you back, you British soldier; come you back to Mandalay!’” Despite writing this very famous poem, Rudyard Kipling never stepped foot in Mandalay. This city 716 km (445 miles) north of Yangon (previously known as Rangoon) was the capital of Myanmar (Burma) from 1857 to 1885. At that time, the British annexed the country , exiled the royal family, made the country part of India and moved the capital to Rangoon. As per usual, with every city I visit I rate the city in comparison…
Happening Ho Chi Minh City
My first time in HCMC, Vietnam! When I visit a city, I like to rate it across some criteria which gives me a comparison. You can check other city reviews at the end of today’s post. Ho Chi Minh officially replaced Saigon in 1976, after the Vietnamese leader who asserted independence from France in 1946. Saigon was the capital of the French colony of Cochinchina from 1859 to 1945 and then the capital of the independent republic of South Vietnam from 1955 to 1975. Many of us associate Saigon with the long war in that…
Visiting Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur (known as KL by locals) started in 1857 as a mining town. It apparently means “muddy river confluence” in Malay. It was made capital of the Federated Malay States in 1896 and then became capital of modern Malaysia in 1957. It is now a massive sprawling city of 243 km² (94 sq miles) with an estimated population of 1.6 million. The greater KL area has eight million people. I have been to KL a few times now but not reviewed it before. Like all cities, I visit, I rate key aspects of the city…
and the winner is…Tokyo
Tokyo, Japan has been chosen over Istanbul to host the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games- 60 votes to 36 votes. Madrid had been an early contender but was eliminated in the voting , after it initially tied with Istanbul. Tokyo managed to convince the International Olympic committee, that Fukushima posed no threats to the games. Fukushima was seriously damaged in the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami that killed more than 18,000 people. There was delight in many locations across Japan. It will be the city’s second games. Tokyo was also the location of the Summer Olympics held…
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