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By boat from Mawlamyine to Hpa An
Following construction of a road, the boat trip from Mawlamyine to Hpa An in south eastern Myanmar became obsolete public transport for locals. Now the journey is reserved for foreigners as a leisurely alternative to bumpy bitumen. However, apart from an unnecessary temple excursion adding an extra hour and a 1,000 kyat tuk-tuk fee, it’s a pleasant and interesting way to […]
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Mawlamyine: Pagodas and Poems Minus the Grime
Maps can inspire false impressions. In cities, for instance, they reveal the avenues and boulevards and winding streets; the parklands and rivers; the cafes and restaurants, museums and temples. But they don’t portray the imperfections: the rubbish, the smells, the noise, the potholed roads or lumpy footpaths or the chaotic traffic, or the heat and humidity …or the poverty. Then […]
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Another Day Around Ye
“I apologise if anyone in my village does wrong to you,” said the boatman as I paid for our just completed journey up the River Ye at Jaun Yua in Mon State, southern Myanmar. Fortunately, he also worked for the local emergency rescue. Before the boatman made the above comment, I had already gained an impression some locals were becoming disgruntled […]
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Dawei Dayze
Dawei is one of those in between Myanmar towns – enough travellers venturing there to provide some creature comforts, like a good cafe or two, and a wider variety of dining options, while retaining a friendly, casual atmosphere of somewhere less visited. And it has a great ice-cream shop (depicted above), reminiscent of one I frequented in Mandalay when there […]
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A Moment in Myeik
Myeik, sometimes known as Mergui, is off the traveller’s circuit in southern Myanmar. While tourism potential abounds the infrastructure hasn’t been established yet, apart from comparatively expensive day trips to nearby islands. Other day trip options exist, but weren’t available in early November during my brief stay. Foreigners are not quite the novelty they once were, but few are still […]
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A day in Ye
People wanted to feed me, women wanted to marry me, kids got excited, men wanted to buy me drinks. And, of course, some people were totally indifferent. Ye (pronounced ‘yay’) is in Mon State, Myanmar and, for the moment, is a little off the main travel route. Photos in this slideshow were taken during one day while journeying by motorbike […]
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Ranong to Khawthaung visa run the fun way.
March, 2018. I recently completed this Thai visa run as an alternative to obtaining a 30 day extension through an immigration office for 1900 baht (and possible bureaucratic and/or logistic hurdles depending on where you are trying to do it). It also fitted in with other travel plans. Ranong is a Thai border town along the Andaman Coast that is more interesting […]
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Penang by George
Georgetown by any other name would still be …Penang, because that’s what most people refer to it as. Though, strictly speaking Penang is an island and Georgetown is its capital. On the other hand, both are deemed cities. Penang is also a state. Even more strictly speaking, Georgetown should be split in two noun-wise – it’s George Town, named after […]
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Shape-shifting Singapore:
Singapore has undergone many stages in its transformation from river-settlement to world metropolis. In the 14th Century the Kingdom of Singapora reigned and fell. The 19th Century saw resurgence when the East India Company purchased the island from the local sultan. Japanese invasion and independence meant further evolution in the 20th Century. From a traveller’s point of view, in its […]
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The King and I
Of course, I never knew Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej personally; only by reputation. While a filtered view could sometimes be presented, according to accounts he was a modest figure widely respected for initiating reforms and programs, especially those benefitting poorer Thais in rural communities. Not to mention creative interests. My visits to Thailand, beginning with the first many years ago, often coincided with events […]
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Tequila Torquay
These ‘tequila’ sunrises were taken in the Downunder Torquay as opposed to the one in Britain. No mixed drinks, Mexican or otherwise were consumed, though it was mid-winter and a stiff drink might have helped ward off the chill. I settled for a brisk walk.
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Climbing Doi Luang Chiang Dao
Doi Luang Chiang Dao (or Doi Luang as locals shorten it to) is Thailand’s third tallest mountain and it’s most spectacular. From a distance it appears as one gigantic looming mass, but is actually, as I discovered, a series of peaks intersected by a valley. Either 2175 or 2225 metres high depending on which map or brochure you’re looking at, […]
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Anglesea – one perfect day + 1
It was a pristine November day in Anglesea, on the Surf Coast of Victoria; the temperature was mild and the sky an intense blue. I was beach-hopping from Point Roadknight to Anglesea main beach, but it wasn’t until I detoured into the shadows of the cliffs lining this part of the shore that I noticed the sky reflecting in water […]
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White Night Melbourne, 2014
Humans are social creatures and, whether conscious of it or not, we’re also an outdoorsy lot. Most of us no longer hunt-and-gather in the prairies or plains or decorate cave walls, but we still retain an innate desire to create and explore new worlds. Events like the White Night Festival encourage city folk to venture outside to discover their metropolitan […]
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Myanmar, Taunggyi Balloon Festival
The International Balloon Festival in Taunggyi, Myanmar was held in mid November, 2013, during Tazgaungmon at the end of the eighth lunar month, and is one of the most spectacular events on any calendar, but one I nearly didn’t attend, even though chance deposited me in the right place at the right time …well near enough: within seventy kilometres.
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Nakhon Phanom, Lai Rua Fai Procession
Saturday – The illuminated boat procession. Like with the Candle Festival in Ubon Ratchathani, I was in the right place at the right time when temple communities began gathering for the day’s celebrations. It was late morning, and from the hotel room guitar could be heard, followed by a woman singing, then flutes and drums completed the impromptu orchestra. So, […]
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Wat Phu Tok, North East Thailand
The seven levels of circular walkways, meditation caves and platforms that comprise Wat Phu Tok, rise precariously 200 metres above the Mekong River floodplain. Sometimes referred to as the Stairway to Heaven the temple symbolises the seven steps to enlightenment, and was the inspiration of Buddhist monk Ajaan Juen. The first step, for a traveller, is getting there. I’m approaching […]
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Myanmar Shangri La
This plateau of hill tribes in Myanmar proves to be rustic rather than primal. There’s no jungle or bark huts or uncultivated natives. It’s pastoral, more like being in a European art-house movie set at the turn of last century with enchanting characters and muted landscapes where boy meets girl in a script written by someone from the Romantic School.
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Bells Beach on Fire
The Rip Curl Classic at Bells Beach is the world’s longest running professional surfing event. Located in a rural setting outside Torquay in Victoria, it is held every Easter. The timing of it has often been an obstacle, but this year, 2013, the 52nd, I got to attend mid-event. It was raining when I arrived, though fortunately, for us spectators, it soon passed. […]
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Beside the Sea in Ibusuki
Being buried up to your neck in hot sand is often associated with punishment meted out in Western movies, but on the black volcanic beaches of Ibusuki, at the south-eastern tip of Kyushu, Japan, it’s a pastime of health and recreation. This is day two of my visit to Kyushu’s southern city, Kagoshima. The May morning presents grey clouds and […]
Welcome to Spinksy Travel World
My name is Paul and this is a travel blog of tales, musings, images and information. Some posts will be retrospective, others more up-to-date; some will explore close to home, others much further afield. If life is a journey 'travel' can mean anything.