First Taste – Pyin Oo Lwin (Myanmar)

It’s been a while since I did a ‘First Taste’ – this is a series of blogs I’ve done on the place I first arrived when I went to a country, also for the first time. So today I’m going back a couple of years to the town which introduced me to Myanmar, the hill-village …

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Sunday Spotlight – Hoi An, Vietnam

Yes! Sunday Spotlight is back! And today a trip for me down memory lane (has it really been that long?) to 2011 and my visit to Vietnam. Sort of halfway up the coast is the little town of Hoi An, with a charming old town, welcoming tourists happily and with welcoming arms. It’s a great …

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Paris Through My Lens – Part Two

Again we're looking at Paris as I saw it a couple of months back now, but obviously a completely different set of pictures. Again I look into the Musee D'Dorsay - and particular a couple of paintings by Mr Vincent Van Gogh (one will mean a bit to Doctor Who fans out there!). Then there's …

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On the Shinkansen

It seems odd that I’ve never done a post specifically on the Shinkansen before. One reason is that I didn’t have ANY pictures despite having used the Shinkansen many times since first visiting Japan in 2011. So today’s Train Journeys is going to look at this Japanese marvel of modern technology getting you from A …

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Accommodation Review – Marins Park Hotel Ekanterinburg, Russia

After a couple of hostels and a yurt, I found myself in the rather wonderful business hotel 'Marins Park Hotel' in Ekanterinburg. Okay, it wasn't the most amazing stay I've ever had, but it ticked all the main boxes and I left feeling pretty satisfied with my stay and choice. I had a basic double …

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Train Journeys – Irkutsk to Ekanterinburg (Trans-Mongolian Leg 3)

After three days in Irkutsk it was mid-afternoon and I was back on the rails again headed roughly due west towards the city of Ekanterinburg, the city which saw the demise of the last Tzar of Russia, Nicholas the Second. Again, it was realrussia.co.uk through which I got my ticket for this train. 180 pounds …

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