Travel photos and journals from across Asia [1997-2025]
Since we only had a day remaining the only way to get to Lake Toba was to be a day trip from Berastagi. I’d always wanted to go there so couldn’t miss out being this close. Our driver took us through rustic villages and fertile fields but one disturbing observation was that rubbish is a…
At 1300 meters above sea level Berastagi was cold to say the least, and our reason for venturing up here was a geological one, the two active volcanoes of Sinabung and Sibayak. I’ve always wanted to climb an active volcano and this was the chance. Sinabung was off limits since it erupted last month causing…
It was time to leave the north and head to Medan to work out what to do with our remaining days in Sumatra. Our original itinerary should have taken us to Bukit Lawang next, a jungle retreat on the edge of the Gunung Leuser National Park famed for its Orangutans. Time was now against us…
Would like to have spent a little more time exploring Banda Aceh but I really came here to get to the idyllic tropical island of Pulau Weh, an hours ferry ride off the northern tip of Sumatra. The main reason for coming to this island, I admit, is a selfish one; the lure of the…
Banda Aceh airport is primitive to say the least however getting the $25 visa on arrival was a doddle compared to the circus in Vietnam. After two flights and lots of queuing we just wanted to get into town, it had been a long day, so we actually went with the first guy that approached…
Clear skies greeted us on Independence Day and the ride north looked promising, it was time for some of our own emancipation and a few days on the road – destination Kanchanaburi. We picked up another rider in Cha-am, downed a quick coffee, consulted GPS units and set out, trying to avoid the main highway…
It had been a while, three years to be exact, since I had taken a dedicated dive trip so it was time to head back to the Philippines to see what the sub-aqua scene in Subic Bay was like. Originally a naval base established by the Spaniards in 1885, it became the largest US naval…
Three intrepid riders met up at Starbucks in downtown Hua Hin early one Saturday morning, the satellite image looked clear and routes were punched into phones, we were riding to Pattaya, some 350 kilometers round the Gulf, for the 2013 Burapa Bike Week. My initial worry was being able to keep up with the other…
We decided to seek out some accommodation at the EGAT village at Rajaprabha Dam on the edge of Khao Sok National Park. Glad we did as we got a large 4 bed room overlooking the lake during peak week at 1,300 baht per night. Floating accommodation on the lake is priced per person and all…
I’d never heard of Koh Sukorn either. It is not one of those places that is promoted to the tourist hoards which is exactly why I wanted to go there, especially after recently witnessing the cess pool that Phuket has become. Getting there was a long drive, the departure point, Ta Sae pier is around…
Riding a motorcycle in Thailand isn’t for everyone, however vast numbers of visitors to the Kingdom do it at least once during a trip and a large portion of these limited experience bikers end up getting too friendly with the asphalt. Road rash victims are a common sight in any Thai hospital. There are a…
Another trip out of Saigon took us an hour or so north to the Cu Chi area and the infamous tunnels that ended up as the demise of the US forces during the war. At its peak the tunnel system stretched all the way from the Cambodian border to the outskirts of Saigon, there was…
Not wanting to spend our final days in the city we booked a couple of day trips, the first of which being to the rice bowl of Vietnam – the Mekong Delta. The Vietnamese don’t use the word Mekong and refer to the mighty river as Song Cuu Long, River of Nine Dragons. The journey…
The final leg of our north to south journey took us to the commercial heart of Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City. We opted to skip the hedonistic beach resort of Nha Trang for a couple of reasons but primarily because getting there and away would have involved two overnight trains or buses and two days…
This World Heritage site (pronounced ‘mee sun’) dating back over 1500 years consists of around 20 structures where 68 once stood before the American war; the VC used the area as a base consequently a lot of ordinance was dropped on the ancient temple ruins. Restoration efforts were taking place and the site gets very…