While Kyoto was incredibly nice and the Gion Matsuri an eye-opener to Japanese festivals, Takayama offered a slice of Japanese culture, tradition and architecture in a setting that felt a lot more authentic. One major highlight of the region is…
Kyoto: Of Geishas, Maikos and Matsuris
Kyoto was probably the city I was looking forward to the most on my Japan trip. I’d heard endless stories from fellow travellers about how Kyoto is the city which best preserved Japan’s cultural heritage. This holds true compared to…
Miyajima: The Ryokan Experience
I read before that Miyajima could be done as a day trip combined with Hiroshima. While that may be true, I am just so glad that I decided to spend one night there instead. After all, the Torii Gate is…
Luang Prabang
My trip from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang may have been a nightmare because of the ridiculously cold weather and incessantly winding roads, but I just love that place. It has a very strong French influence, in terms of architecture…
Road to Mandalay
Mandalay was my least favourite place in Myanmar but to be fair we didn’t spend much time there. In fact, we were only there in transit on our way to Bagan. And that was after a gruelling 18-hour train ride during which I…
The Golden Rock on Mount Kyaiktiyo
The golden rock is the reason why people make the journey to Kyaiktiyo in Myanmar. It is the second most sacred site after Shwedagon Paya. Getting there is not a straightforward task. To reach the golden rock requires a compulsory truck ride…
Touring Yangon
We spent only one day and one night in Yangon and frankly I wouldn’t stay any longer. Yangon is a city which sleeps at 9:00pm so unless you like spending time in your hotel room watching TV, you’ll get easily…
Bagan temples
If you’ve always marvelled at photos of Bagan in Burma / Myanmar with its endless layers of stupas, I can tell you the feeling is enhanced a hundred times when you’re there. It’s simply hard to conceive that an area…