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Philippines, diving Puerto Galera
About a two-hour drive and an hour’s boat ride south of the balmy, bustling streets of Manila loom the cloud-covered hills of Mindoro Island, its shoreline and some of the best diving in the Philippines. Puerto Galera and its surrounds have become popular in recent years because of their proximity…
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Burma, the Mergui Archipelago
As tourism increases in the beauty spots of Asia and development races ahead in a relentless tide of construction, many of the natural wonders that attracted people in the first place are being swallowed up. Beaches become concrete boulevards, primary forest becomes a parking lot and coral reefs simply don’t…
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Thailand, surviving the tsunami
After consuming a few too many Christmas beers the night before I woke late and it was likely we would miss our boat to Koh Phi Phi today. Left the hotel and wandered down to the beach to see what all of the commotion was about, people were heading inland…
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Thailand, journeys through the south
[1998 – 2007] Several trips were taken through south Thailand during the decade from 1997 to 2007. From Bangkok down taking in Petchaburi, Cha-am, Hua Hin (where I finally settled in 2000) Prachuabkirikhan, Bangsaphan, Chumphon, Lang Suan, Ranong, Suratthani, Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Koh Tao, Khao Lak, Phuket, Pha-nga, Krabi,…
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Cambodia, overland to Angkor Wat
[1999] I had been told that the border crossing between Aranya Prathet in Thailand and Poipet in Cambodia had only been open to foreigners for a couple of months and was often closed again due to remnant Khmer Rouge activity in the area. Needless to say I wanted to cross…
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Up the Mekong through Laos
[1999] Vientiane is a dusty low rise capital city that had no real distinguishing features. A local market was the place to change currency where you’d get a bag full of bank notes in exchange for a few dollars. Due to the French influence the food was good and the…
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Singapore
[1998] After almost six months travelling through Thailand and Malaysia, Singapore came as a bit of a shock to the system. Orderly, regulated, clean, efficient, somewhat characterless … and very expensive – it didn’t feel like Asia at all. The only thing reminding me that I was still in the…
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Malaysia, the peninsular overland
[1998] This journey took approximately two months and started off at the southern Thai border crossing of Sungai Kolok. From there I travelled to Kota Bharu on the Islamic east coast of the Malay peninsula. This town was a little frustrating at times, due to one religious festival or other…
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Australia, the long way round
[1997 – 1998] Leaving my homeland, the UK, disgruntled with the routine and treadmill of office life as the biting British winter began to set in, I wanted to get as far away as possible so secured myself a work visa and headed down under for a year. It was…
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