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Salé & Rabat – Medina’s and a Kasbah
I had looked over the map of the Salé medina and had an idea of where the riad (guesthouse) I was staying at was located. In fact the Maps.ME app that I had used in Myanmar even had it bookmarked, so I was fairly confident when I got off the train I could make my…
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Casablanca – Play it Again, Sam
Yes I know that’s a famous misquote from the film, and now I know Casablanca the city is nothing like the film too. Forget the exotic locale, Casablanca is a grimy place full of rubbish in every possible nook and crany (note I’ve tried to avoid the grime in the photos). I had repeatedly read…
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Sydney to Casablanca – Crying and Yelling
Arriving at the Etihad counter I was greated with an enornous queue to check-in, snaking it’s way out of the roped area. One common theme holding up the line was people overpacking and going over the weight limit. One guy must have spent 15 minues repacking his suitcase, staying at the counter so no-one else…
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Ngapli Beach – Sun and Sand, Seafood, Selfies, and back to Sydney
The flight into Thandwe airport is impressive. The airport itself sits on the beach, as you fly in you get a birds eye view of the beaches below and the Bay of Bengal strenching out blue and glittering in the sun. It’s a good introduction to Ngalapi. The hostel I was staying at was pure…
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Bagan – Part 2: Easy Rider
The E-Bikes are straight forward vehicles. The right hand grip is the throttle, along with a manual squeeze brake. When I first mounted one of these things it was hard not to accidentally turn back the throttle and leap forward, which is exactly what I did and catapulted myself across the road and skid out…
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Bagan – Part 1: New Bagan by Foot
The area of Bagan exploded in temple building dating back to the 11th century, when King Anawrathta was converted from Hindu to Buddhism by the monk Shin Arahan. Like all good monarchs that switch religion, he did so with much gusto and started an enormous Buddhist temple building exercise that lasted the course of 200…
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Mandalay – Climbing a Hill and a Cruise down the Irrawaddy River
The flight to Mandalay was aboard a small two prop aeroplane, just flying low enough below the cloud layer to enjoy the view of the lands below. I really like small planes like this, they’re agile and move quickly, not having that slow lethargic feeling of the bigger long distance planes. I had lucked on…
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Inle Lake – Here be Foreigners, a big Lake, and missing out on Fire Balloons
The bus to Inle Lake was meant to come by the main road at 7pm. I’d scoped out the road the day before and was wondering how I’m going to figure out which bus to try and hail down that was mine. As it would turn out, the girl on reception told me to wait…
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Hpa-An – Buddha’s Live in Caves
Hpa-An is the capital of the Kayin state, and while the city itself doesn’t have any attractions, other than sitting by the river and letting time pass by, it’s what’s surrounding the city that is fasinating. Buddha’s, so many Buddha’s. Living in caves. After finding the backpackers with Dan and the French girls, it would…
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Mawlamyine – British Burma and a Boat to Hpa-An
Mawlamyine (nee. Moulmein), once the capital of British Burma from 1826 to 1852, it’s as though the colonial buildings have receded back into the undergrowth and the jungle has taken back ownership. The odd old building stands out, but more over this is a Myanmar city again, and situated along the Thanlwin River it delivers…
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