Riding the buses » Historical sites
Should you “vote with your feet” and skip the Besakih Temple in Bali?
The Mother Temple of Bali may be the most important temple on the whole island but foreign visitors increasingly skip it because it’s not worth the hassle. “This place is run by gangsters, ” says one blogger. “Rude children followed us everywhere, shouting taunting jibes; overbearing ‘guides’ at the entrance demanded money even though we had paid,” says another. “Besakih is awful and the tourist authority should do something about this,” blogs yet another. Besakih Temple … Read entire article »
Filed under: Good trips, Historical sites, Indonesia, Memorable moments
Finding Chiang Mai’s magic
I first visited Chiang Mai when it was one of the must-see places along the hippie trail through Asia back in the 1970s. It was a long trip there by bus from Bangkok but probably those of us who made the detour had few regrets. My then husband and I didn’t know much about the place before we arrived and mostly hung around enjoying the friendly atmosphere before renting a motorbike and venturing a little … Read entire article »
Filed under: Good trips, Historical sites, Thailand
Ta Prohm (and the other Angkor temples!)
Everyone seems to know about Angkor, that archaeological wonder in the jungles of Cambodia where so many temples have been restored. The most famous are probably the Temple of Angkor Wat and the Bayon Temple at Angkor Thom. About two million people come every year to see them along with several others. A favourite of mine is Ta Prohm because it’s the least restored and when you’re there you can just imagine how awed the … Read entire article »
Filed under: Cambodia, Good trips, Historical sites
The alms ceremony in Luang Prabang, Laos
Early every morning in much of Southeast Asia monks can be seen out on the roads collecting alms. This is an ancient, religious tradition and those who give alms earn merit for their next life. There is a town in the mountains of northern Laos where the alms gathering ceremony is simply spectacular because it involves almost 30 monasteries and several hundred monks. Luang Prabang is on the Mekong River about 425 km north of Vientiane. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Good trips, Historical sites, Laos, Memorable moments
