Travelogue
It's The News But Not As We Know It - 11 October 2010
The media in Britain covers the whole spectrum from the ridiculous to the sublime, whereas New Zealand just has, well, the mediocre. At the recent annual television media awards, Television New Zealand (TVNZ) News beat the competition to be named news channel of the year for New Zealand in a competition of two, well, three – almost. Hardly a competition at all I’d have thought, especially when the main opposition comes from rival channel Television Three, whose news coverage is dire to say the least. The other channel in the race is Prime, which is a subsidiary of TVNZ in any case, and manages in 30 minutes, half the news time allotted to TVNZ, to cover exactly the same number of stories in the same if not better fashion. Lacking either the inclination or the resources to effectively analyse news or what’s behind the news, especially international news, both channels resort to the inane coverage of local items, including court proceedings in excruciating detail, yet without really adding any value to the story. To illustrate this, last year TV3 spent precious national news minutes predicting what it thought would be the events in an especially gruesome murder trial for the following week. This trial, where the defendant was accused of stabbing his former partner over 200 times, citing provocation as his defence, had been a rich source of media time for both channels to their detriment as informed investigative news
Let the Games Begin - 3 October 2010
The Commonwealth Games are here. Terrorism, racism, burning effigies, exploitation, poverty, masses of security and, oh yeah, then there’s the sport.The XIX Commonwealth Games are about to get underway in the Indian capital, New Delhi, but not without more than it’s share of problems associated with hosting multinational sporting events.
Driving in New Zealand - 1 September 2010
Never mind the traffic in Ho Chi Minh City or murderous roads in Bolivia, driving in New Zealand can be just as lethal. New statistics show New Zealand road deaths are among the highest in the world per capita, alongside Cambodia, Malaysia, Lithuania and Slovenia.Per capita, Kiwi road deaths last year were the ninth highest, with 8.9
Boca Juniors - The Chocolate Box and the Cake Tin - 24 August 20
The Wellington Phoenix football team has only been around for a handful of years playing against teams from Australia in the Hyundai-sponsored A-League. For a team with a mix skilled squad they recently managed a remarkable feat, beating a team with one of the greatest pedigrees, Boca Juniors from Argentina. Granted Boca
Ayutthaya - Venice of the East - 12 August 2010
Ayutthaya (or Ayuthaya, or even Ayodhaya. No matter how you spell it, its pronounced ah-you-tah-ya.) was the former royal capital of Siam from the mid-fourteenth century until the late eighteenth century. You wouldn’t know it to visit it, but the city is more-or-less an island bisected by a myriad of canals. Located an
Luang Prabang - The Jewel of Laos and UXO - 19 July 2010
Luang Prabang, the jewel of Laos, a UNESCO heritage site, situated at the confluence of the Mekong and Kham rivers is home to 32 pagodas, and famous chill out place for overseas visitors. Once the capital of Lane Xang, the Kingdom of a Million Elephants, Luang Prabang is the old royal city of Laos. The peaceful town beside the Mekong
Kratie - Dolphin City - 20 June 2010
The city of Kratie is 300 kilometres by road north of Phnom Penh, on the Mekong River. Aside from some spectacular sunsets viewed over the river, the town is known for being home to some of the rarest dolphins in the world. Tourism, so often the harbinger of extinction for so much and so many, has probably, to some extent, saved these
Phu Quoc Island - The Isle of Dogs - 6 June 2010
At Ho Chi Minh City airport the woman from Vietnamese Airlines, resplendent in her national costume of white trousers with ankle-length dress split to the waist, struggled with an elderly Russian couple. “Do you speak English?” They spoke none and no Vietnamese either, not a word, so communication was reduced to sign language.
Cat Ba Island
Wednesday 26 May 2010Richard was from southeast London, “the good part” he said, though I was unable to decipher which part that was. South was pronounced “sarf” but with two “F’s”. He and his girlfriend traveled light, they one bag each the size of a day pack. After the cruise they would head from Hanoi to Laos via Dien Bien Phu. He had a
