Travelogue
Prostitutes, Transvestites and Junkies - Wellington's Royal Oak Hotel Bistro Bar - 26 October 2013
Port cities usually have their more lurid attractions and more than their fair share of characters. Wellington was no exception. The city has a rich maritime history dating back to the 1840s. Where there are ships and sailors there are usually bars. Auckland had the notorious Snake Pit but Wellington’s Bistro Bar at the Royal Oak Hotel was world famous amongst seafarers. Once off the boat on the Wellington docks, it was a rush to the Bistro. Rumour had it the Bistro was one of the seven most famous sailors’ bars the world over, a must see and do for mariners. John Steinbeck, it is said, would have recognised Wellington and the Bistro Bar; it was full of characters, night and day. The Bistro Bar was the haunt of prostitutes, pimps, transvestites, junkies and sailors. Someone once said it was “like a scene from a Federico Fellini film, even at midday”. News of the Bistro Bar spread across the globe by word-of-mouth; port to port, ship to ship. Not that the Bistro Bar was alone. The local underworld gathered at one nearby bar where the publican was once convicted on the rare charge of allowing the premises to be frequented by habitual criminals. But the Royal Oak was special. It was one of the finest hotels in Wellington along with the Midland, the Grand, the Waterloo and the St. George. Sadly, three were later demolished including the Oak, and the other two live on but as backpackers and student accommodation The Royal Oak received many visiting
Wellington - Like a Hurricane - 28 September 2013
They call Chicago “The Windy City” but it has nothing on New Zealand’s capital, Wellington. Whereas Chicago’s moniker was apparently derived for the hot air and rhetoric of local politicians, “Windy Wellington” is so named because it is just that, bloody windy; like a hurricane. Old sailors’ claimed that below latitude 40 degrees south
White Cockies Can Bite - 30 August 2013
On what was once the outskirts of Melbourne, at the foothills of the Dandenong Range in Scoresby, 25 km from Melbourne, are the Caribbean Gardens. There’s a lake, Lake Caribbean; markets, the Caribbean Market. Nearby are the Caribbean business park and a large display yard full of boats, Caribbean boats. The market is a drive away. Like just
Shake, Rattle and Roll - 26 July 2013
Wellington is one of the most earthquake-prone cities in one of the world’s most earthquake ridden countries, New Zealand. The city sits along a series of major fault lines where every day thousands of people live and work. On average, there is an earthquake every 30 seconds, most of them too small for people to detect. The “big one” locals tell
Grand Palace Bangkok - Dance of the Emerald Kings - 30 June 2013
The Grand Palace is a city within a city in the heart of Bangkok. It was built by royal decree when the kings owned all the land and held the power of life and death. To some extent Thai kings still do, due to Thailand’s strict lese majeste laws.It is said the palace is best first viewed from the Chao Phraya River, the city’s less than
Phnom Penh to Saigon - Slow Road to the Fast City - 31 May 2103
The road from Phnom Penh was narrow, uneven and the much promised leg room for passengers only held true if you were Cambodian. Traffic was slow, often reaching a near crawl behind agricultural machinery towing trailers packed with passengers or avoiding bicycles or overloaded motos, all competing for too little space offered on National
Siem Reap - Landmines, Temples and Crocodiles - 30 April 2013
The town itself stretches north to south along the Siem Reap River and east to west along National Route Six. Siem Reap literally means “Siam Vanquished” and was the administrative and spiritual centre of the bloodthirsty Khmer Empire, which rivaled the Roman in size before it somewhat mysteriously crumbled. Siem Reap has
Hua Lamphong and the Siam Railway - 30 March 2013
In the Pathum Wan District near the geographic centre of Bangkok sits Hua Lamphong, the city’s premier train station. Officially, it’s known as the Bangkok Railway Station, but nearly everyone calls it Hua Lamphong or “Who Lam Pong” depending on your pronunciation. Hua Lamphong was once the grand old lady of the Siam Railway. These days
The Tinat Restaurant - Phnom Penh - 28 February 2013
On the corner of Streets 154 and 51 is one of the best value diners in Phnom Penh, the Tinat Restaurant. The Tinat isn’t included in any guidebook, a blessing in disguise, and the hard working Khmer-Chinese owners do nicely anyway, thanks very much. It’s not on any list of places you want to be, there are no Michelin chefs, no fancy
