Hit me with your rhythm stick, part 2

On the road to Mandalay The latest stage in my totally pointless quest to act out the lyrics at the locations in Ian Dury’s, Hit me with your rhythm stick. See Part 1 if you have no idea what I am talking about or care enough to find out. The town of Hsipaw, in the north-east of Myanmar seemed a good a place as any to represent the lyric as the main road through its centre led directly to Mandalay,…

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Soul of the city: Nay pyi daw, Myanmar

You might have thought that when deciding on where to locate your new capital city you would consult someone with some kind of geographical background but not General Than Shwe, dictator in chief of Myanmar. Back around 2005 the first person he went to was his astrologer, as he had for many important decisions, except for when to torture people as every day was an auspicious occasion for inflicting suffering on the people. As luck would have it, the astrologer…

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Myanmar: escape from the Lonely Planet

The most useful characteristic for a traveler that is rarely mentioned, is having a nice fat arse. Not for any reasons of sexual allure but to provide cushioning on substandard public transport. Staying within the confines of the guidebook routes in Myanmar is demanding enough on the posterior as it is but never was a point so sorely made than after twenty-eight hours on a motor boat up the Chindwin river, in the north-west of the country. If you are…

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Thailand: The fine art of cabling

With much of our electricity and phone network consigned to the ground in the West we have lost a great art form which is still highly cherished in other parts of the world, where it is very much on public display. Thailand is one such destination which deserves to be praised for its fantastic creations. With inspiring work such as this it is of little wonder that electricians are hailed as creative geniuses and highly revered by the general public….

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