Travelogue
Milford Sound - 2 September 2020
Milford Sound lies in Southwest New Zealand in the Fiordland National Park, the largest and fourth oldest of the country’s 13 national parks, the fifth largest park of its kind in the world and part of the Te Wāhipounamu (Greenstone) World Heritage Site. It has been judged the world's top travel destination in an international survey, and referred to as New Zealand's most famous tourist destination. Rudyard Kipling once called it the Eighth Wonder of the World. If New Zealand still had the Pink and White Terraces, long since disappeared in volcanic eruption, Milford Sound might just be the ninth wonder. Every year about one million visitors see it up front and in person. Most come by car or by bus, some fly and some by sea, and about 14,000 people take three days just for the privilege of walking there. Milford Sound is a paradox, for while it attracts streams of visitors it is located in an area with some of the most remote coastline, in one of the world's most remote countries. The Māori named the sound Piopiotahi after the thrush-like piopio bird, one of some 53 bird species now extinct since people first reached New Zealand 1000 years ago. For centuries Māori came from near and far for hunting and fishing, and also the pounamu or greenstone (jade) used for carvings and in war. John Grono, a Welshman, “discovered” the sound in 1812 whilst on sealing expeditions, often taking 10,000 skims at a time. Milford Sound is in fact not a sound at all, but a fjord. A
Australia versus North Korea in Phnom Penh 1965 - 1 July 2020
In 1965 Cambodians witnessed one of the more unusual footballing events; World Cup playoffs on home soil not involving their own country. The two matches between Australia and North Korea were played in Cambodia as neither country had diplomatic relations with each other and Cambodia was the only country with diplomatic relations with both
François Bizot's 'The Gate' and the Spirits of the Dead - 3 June 2020
I had never read François Bizot’s seminal book ‘The Gate’ but had always seen it for sale. Then a friend gave me a copy. It is said it should be numbered among the great post-Second World-War memoirs of incarceration and is noted for ‘its intense dignity, by its unexpected attention to beauty, and by a discretion which never shades into
Flying High with the Bolivian Air Force - 6 May 2020
Travelling in Bolivia is a challenge of world-renown, one of those destinations your mother warned you about. The roads are rough, few are paved. The terrain is intimidating with high mountains and deep gorges best described as lethal. Transport infrastructure is rudimentary or was when I went in 1991, especially air travel. Safety leaves much
Aeroflot Skies - 4 April 2020
Back in the day in the early 1990s, the cheapest way to fly from Europe to Asia was on Eastern bloc airlines. Polish Airlines (Polskie Linie Lotnicze-LOT)) was one option, while Aeroflot was another. After the Berlin Wall came down LOT, previously known as Aerolot and one of the oldest airlines in operation, began moving back to using Western
Poipet - In a Galaxy, Far, Far, Away - 25 February 2020
The border crossing between Aranyaprathet in Thailand and Poipet, or Krong Poi Pet, in Cambodia is marked by a dying waterway, the Nam Sai, choked and putrefied with the detritus of modern life. The Nam Sai (which ironically means “clear stock” as in soup, in Thai) roughly marks the border. In some places it is the border, while in others it
Borderlands - Aranyaprathet and Poipet - 27 January 2020
In the early 2000s I made two trips into Cambodia by road from Thailand. These were my first ever visits to the country. The route I took was the same many visitors took back then, and many still do, from Aranyaprathet and Poipet, though much has changed in terms of infrastructure. I’ve heard it said peoples’ impressions of Cambodia are
Hotel Cambodiana on the River Mekong - 22 December 2019
One of my favourite pastimes in Phnom Penh is sitting poolside at the Hotel Cambodiana watching the river traffic go by. Norodom Sihanouk came up with an idea for the hotel and even contributed early drawings for bungalows, before it morphed into a full-blown hotel, then one of the biggest in town. It was built, but not finished, during the
Royal University of Phnom Penh - 19 November 2019
Most visitors to Phnom Penh entering the city along the road from the airport would not see one of the architectural splendors of a city once known as “The Pearl of Asia”. Probably because it’s on the other side of the dual carriageway, and more probably they’re not looking for it. The Royal University of Phnom Penh faces what is now known as
