Arusha – Tanzania’s coffee gateway to the wild
On your way to or from your dream safari in Tanzania why not linger a while longer in Arusha where a couple of lodges we’ve found, in the middle of coffee plantations, could really invigorate your trip? There’s a tendency when going on safari to head straight to the wildlife and miss out on some of the local life. Safari can also be exhausting and we think that a couple of nights either before or after your wildlife adventure can...
Hanoi highlights
With Hanoi still set to be on the Formula 1 Grand Prix racing circuit at some time yet to be determined; Vietnam will be in the spotlight worldwide but here we’ll take you on a different street circuit. At odds with the razzmatazz of F1, the historically communist capital of North Vietnam has a distinctive and pragmatic character, compared with the more decadent and ‘Western’ south. Our guide who meets us at the airport tells us how...
Inle, Myanmar – Part 1 – Lake and life
Travels in happier times that we hope will return. Combine Intha, Taungyo, Pa-O (Taungthu), Danu, Kayah, Danaw and Bamar ethnicities and it alludes to the broad diversity of activities, crafts and lifestyles that you’ll encounter around this picturesque lake in central Myanmar. Inle Lake is also one of the most picturesque and varied landscapes you’ll find in Myanmar, providing you with wonderful opportunities for photography around...
A slow train to ‘nowhere’
This sleepy ponderous train ride gives us a sense of overall fulfillment when visiting the old British Burma colonial hill-station of Kalaw. Boarding the train at Shwe Nyaung station, near Inle Lake, we’re struck immediately by the Spartan and somewhat grubby nature of the Upper Class carriages we’re to travel in. The curtains look as if they’ve doubled up as cleaning cloths and the seats as footrests, so we’re under no illusion that...
A taste of old Rangoon
Hidden away in corners of Yangon, Myanmar, are memories of the often unwelcome presence of occupying nations. Nevertheless they offer stylish refuges from the modern bustle and clutter of this busy city. Yangon like so many Asian cities is growing faster than it can accommodate in terms of cleanliness, clutter and noise. It’s not one of the most attractive cities we’ve been to, being an amalgam of pagodas, power-lines and pollution...
