Intrepid Cities and Cultural locations

Overland from Bangkok to Singapore via Malaysia’s Penang
After a busy few days in Bangkok, I headed south, straight past the lures of Southern Thailand's beaches (they’d have to wait for a future trip), directly to an island …
Sweden’s Jokkmokk Winter Market
Held for three days from the first Thursday in February, every year since 1605, the Jokkmokk market (Jokkmokks Marknad) is a fascinating and unique cultural experience. The town of Jokkmokk …
Munnar’s Memorable Tata Tea Plantation
Once my time in Kerala’s west coast town of Kochi had come to an end, my French travel buddy and I boarded a local open-air bus from Kottayam enroute to …
Iran’s Must See City – The Eternal Esfahan
No trip to Iran is complete without venturing to Esfahan; Iran’s most scenic city. The central city is awash with beautifully maintained parks delightful hand-painted tiling and a magnificent public …
What not to Miss in Belgium and Netherlands
These pictures are some of the highlights from my time exploring Benelux. Hopefully they might give some ideas or inspire you to visit for yourself!
Visiting the Sacred Hindu City of Varanasi
Varanasi is an historical city in the northern part of India, not far from Nepal that is located on the banks of the holy Ganga (Ganges) River. It is considered …
Overland to Oman’s Capital Muscat and Interesting Day Trips
On the penultimate day in Dubai, I opened Derrek’s Arabian Lonely Planet and started to read about Oman. Towards the bottom of the first page it read:"Oman is not the …
Cruising California’s Los Angeles and San Francisco
Not long after returning to work after a recent trip around the former Yogoslavia, I thought to myself as I stared out the window that 'if I didn't do it now, I …
The Backpacking Mecca of Bangkok
Bangkok is an enormous modern city that is alive with nightlife and energy. It is Thailand's spiritual, cultural, political, commercial, educational and diplomatic centre. Many intrepid travellers may initially be …
Brilliant Barcelona’s Best Attractions
The following are some pictures from a brief trip to Barcelona I made before boarding the Hanjin Brussels, hopefully they may offer you some ideals or inspiration to visit yourself!
Loving London
I ended up spending a few extra days in ATL due to the flight being over booked, but it worked out well in the end and I finally made it …
Lao’s Vang Vieng River Tubing and the Capital Vientiane
The next destination on my travels through Laos was Vang Vieng. The bus ride through the mountains of central Lao’s from Luang Prabang proved to be the worse of the …
Packing for Pakistan’s Lahore
Pakistan created in 1947 from the bloody partition with India, Pakistan became a state for Muslims lead by the much revered (in most parts) Mohammed Ali Jinnah. That word Pakistan …
Partying in Ibiza, Where to Stay, Clubs and What to do
What comes to mind when you hear Ibiza? Sunny summer days, golden beaches and turquoise waters? Partying, super clubs and drugs? Or both? Ibiza is certainly world famous for all …
A Day in the Capital of Saxony, the Historical Dresden
When travelling through Germany you’ll likely visit Berlin at some point, if you do consider making an overnight trip to Dresden which is the capital of the state of Saxony …
Israel’s Cultural Heart, Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Near-by Dead Sea
Jerusalem is the capital and largest city in Israel and is holy to three of the world’s great religions (Islam, Christianity, and Judaism) and is considered as one of the …
Lao’s Historic Plain of Jars near Phonsavan
Not far from the geographical center of Laos, I had made the journey (by local bus from Luang Prabang) to Phonsavan, a relatively backwater town, for one reason – to …
The Walled Ancient City of Xian & the Terracotta Warriors
Xi’an in Central China is a city of some eight million souls and one of the oldest cities in China. Xi’an is the former home to 73 former emperors including …
Ancient Damascus, Surprising Western Yet Draped in History
Damascus (nicknamed City of Jasmine ) is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on earth and on account of its physical location has been a transit point for many …
Mumbai and India’s West Coast
India is approximately 11 times the size of New Zealand (my home country) and as of 2008 has 270 times the population. If New Zealand had the population density of …
Hong Kong an Interesting Destination or Entertaining Stopover
Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. It's a place with multiple personalities as a result of being both Cantonese Chinese and having been …
Danish Escape and Perfect for a Weekend Break – Copenhagen
The capital of Denmark and home to over one million Danes, Copenhagen is beautiful and friendly city which is big enough to offer any of the advantages of a world …
Berlin’s Cultural and Historical Attractions
Berlin is the capital city of the Federal Republic of Germany and its largest city with a population of 4.5 million. Berlin is known for its historical significance as the …
Backpacking through Syria’s Northern Cities and Tourist Highlights
As part of my overland journey from India to Egypt, I would take the opportunity to visit and explore Syria, which in 2009 was stable and peaceful. My Belgium travelling …
Washington DC – Museum Capital of the World!
Washington, D.C. is the capital of the United States of America and the seat of its three branches of government, as well as the federal district of the U.S. The …
Siem Reap and the World Class Ancient Wonder of Angkor Wat
Having spent a few days relaxing on Cambodia’s southern beaches, it was time to get back to some serious sightseeing. What better place than the northwestern town of Siem Reap …
Downtown Dubai; Sights, Sounds and Getting Around
Several decades ago Dubai’s Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, realizing that oil reserves would one day be exhausted, began a process to diversify the economy to relieve it of …
Amritsar’s Incredible Silk Golden Temple
Sri Harmandir Sahib, informally referred to as the "Golden Temple", is not only a central religious place of the Sikhs, but also a symbol of human brotherhood and equality. It …
Experiencing Sweden – The Year I Lived in Gothenberg
Gothenburg (known in Swedish as Göteborg) city, located on the west coast of Sweden and on the mouth of the Göta älv (Göta river) is the second-largest city in Sweden …
India’s Northern Desert Cities
One of the great things about travelling is that two neighbouring countries can be so different, even within a country like India from North to South (India’s incredible South) the …