And you call this work! 15 March 2011….The first obvious question is where is Kerala? And to be honest, I had to look it up. As it turns out, Kerala is the southern most state of India, virtually on the tip of the sub-continent, famous for its beaches, inland waterways and delicious local foods. So when your biggest and fastest growing customer in India, invites you to a ‘Leadership Retreat’ … Continue reading →
Hanging out with a couple of the locals 7 February 2011…No trip to Dubai can be complete without a trip out to the desert. And of course in our case, that means two trips to the desert and also a trip to the nation’s capital, Abu Dhabi. Oh yes, also a visit to Oman, a country almost lost and forgotten in the big world. Because when visiting Dubai there … Continue reading →
One of us had to wear traditional clothes to visit the Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi 4 February 2011…One of the fascinating aspects of life in the Middle East – and one of the most obvious clashes between east and west that is evident in Dubai – is the wide range of clothing people wear. We’ve all seen the movies and watched the highlights on CNN but what do … Continue reading →
01 February 2011…By now almost everyone has heard something about Dubai, that amazing modern-day metropolis which epitomises all the good and bad about the new wealth of the Middle East. Julie and I spent almost a week there recently and saw all that good and bad plus a mountain more, including rare once-a-year rain, old souks, camels in the desert, four wheel driving in the sand dunes and even a … Continue reading →
Happy little campers, Thai style 31 January 2011…What do you buy a girl who has everything? That’s exactly the dilemma I face every Christmas, which awkwardly arrives each year in the same week as Julie’s birthday. Well, this Christmas the answer was easy! I bought her a tent and a sleeping bag and a sleeping mat. Not because she only had 12 tents to choose from back in … Continue reading →
12 January, 2011….In Thailand less than 1% of the population is Christian so you would logically think that Christmas would be a total non-event in this country. Well, think again. At least here in Bangkok where consumerism, capitalism and entrepreneurialism are driving so much growth Christmas is seen more as an excuse to gather with friends and family, go shopping and spend money. Does it have any religious significance – … Continue reading →
Resting after a long day of temple gazing Thailand is divided into 75 provinces, many of which have their own unique culture and history. Two neighbouring provinces north of Bangkok that have buckets of ancient history, unique cultural traits and a big dose of current controversial political affairs is Sukhothai and Tak. On a recent long weekend we hit the road to see what they had to offer.
Continue reading →14 November 2010….Life in Bangkok this year has been fantastic for many reasons but the most fun Julie and I have had is when we’ve had visitors. Which is just as well because we’ve had a lot of visitors, nicely spread out over the year, family and friends, former work colleagues, short stayers, long stayers, first timers, seasoned veterans, in singles, pairs and groups, we’ve had the lot. And as … Continue reading →
A window of opportunity to explore ancient Khmer temples 18 October 2010…At some time in everyone’s life you have to answer the question – how many 11th to 13th century Khmer temples is too many? Well, on a recent long weekend here in Bangkok Julie and I decided to find the answer to this all important question.
Continue reading →26 September 2010….On the weekends when we’re both in Bangkok and without any other plans we head out to explore this fabulous city. Our method and our plans vary from excursion to excursion and our transport is by any means, be it by foot, boat, car or train. There are so many places to explore, sometimes a couple of temples, sometimes a particular museum or park, maybe a market or little … Continue reading →
A couple of non-terracotta warriors 12 September 2010….There’s something about them that has always intrigued Julie and I. Maybe it’s their distant history or the mysticism that surrounds them or their individual looks or maybe just their sheer volume. Whatever it is, we have always wanted to see them. The problem, of course, is their remote location. These guys are not on the main tourist trail of Asia and … Continue reading →
15 August 2010….The last two days of our trip to Myanmar were all about a pilgrimage to one of the most revered sites in Myanmar. So with an open mind, strong legs and recharged camera we set off for the Golden Rock. The Golden Rock is on the top of a mountain near the town of Kyaikhtyo (pronounced just like its spelled!) but because that’s a five hour drive from … Continue reading →
14 August 2010….If you venture north of Inle Lake, around the mountains and up a windy narrow road you come to a little village called Kakku. And near the village we found one of the most amazing, totally unexpected and bit bizarre scenes of our whole time in Myanmar. Yes, more stupas. But not just more stupas, or more chedis, or more zetis. Much more. In fact, sitting … Continue reading →
Thru the teak window – a novice monk is distracted from his studies August 12….You gotta love the service at Myanmar airports. I know the airports are small, very small, but the service and efficiency is amazing. Your bags are picked up at the curb, immediately tagged for your flight (there aren’t that many flights!) and disappear, to be seen again at your destination. Check in takes less than … Continue reading →
1,000 monks are a lot to feed from local donations every day August 10……The road to Mandalay is actually a 20 minute prop jet flight on the great Air Bagan, filled only with foreign travellers as no locals could afford such extravagance. We were met by our driver Chalwin and his 20 year old Nissan with worse suspension than the last car and a top speed of 60 kph. … Continue reading →
9 August 2010….After a beautiful run at dawn amongst the sleeping stupas we loaded into Oh oh’s car, such as it was, for the three hour drive up to Mt. Popa. This was our first chance to see the countryside and it introduced us to other aspects of Myanmar. Do not adjust your set – this is 2010 The country’s economy is mainly based on its agriculture and here … Continue reading →
8 August 2010….The only real attraction I had ever heard of in Myanmar was Bagan. From what I heard over the years Bagan was a place of unbelievable stupas, thousands of them, all built hundreds and hundreds of years ago. Comparisons have been made with Angkor Wat in Cambodia which in my mind puts it in the ‘Top Ten’ category. So we expected our visit to Bagan to be … Continue reading →
7 August 2010…..After many discussions, much research and considerable soul searching Julie and I agreed one of the ‘must see’ places to visit while we lived in Asia was Myanmar. In fact, before we embarked on this journey we followed the general global protocol and called the country Burma in deference to its historic and pre-dictatorship days. But whatever you call it, the country had a strong, if not … Continue reading →
In early May I was in India for business meetings and Julie flew down to Mumbai (or Bombay, the only major city in India that hasn’t made the full transition to its modern name) to join me for a few days of R&R. On Saturday morning we flew down to the beach holiday state of Goa, about an hour south of Mumbai.
Continue reading →On 19 May after two months of increasingly hostile and violent protests here in Bangkok between the so-called Red Shirts and the government/military we saw the unimaginable happen.
Continue reading →Our website is finally up and running but still very thin on content or anything worth looking at. But hopefully that will change. In the meantime, we are not lost and hopefully not forgotten in the magnificent jungles of Bangkok.
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