Tag Archives: backpack

Swat Valley – Home Away From Home

    If you visit Pakistan’s Swat Valley you will hear the area referred to as the “Switzerland of Asia”. Swat doesn’t need to rely on comparisons like this though, it has its own unique charm and beauty. A beautiful … Continue reading

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Peshawar – Paradise and Catastrophe

Peshawar is a city in the north west frontier of Pakistan. It is the last major city before the famed Khyber Pass which leads into Afghanistan. Peshawar is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world with its … Continue reading

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Java, Indonesia in pictures. Part 2.

Welcome to part 2 of a look at the island of Java through the lens of a blind guy.  If you haven’t had a look at part 1 yet you can check it out here.   Walking through a residential … Continue reading

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Java, Indonesia in Pictures

I was recently lucky enough to spend three weeks on the beautiful Indonesian island of Java.  I was nervous at first about visiting one of the most densely populated areas of the world, I mean that’s a lot of people … Continue reading

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A Blurry Hello

  It would be brilliant if every photo was crisp, clear and in focus. It would be great if my daily vision was like that too. They are not of course but sometimes the blurryness is part of the story … Continue reading

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A Lion’s Tale

“Hurry, hurry. They are getting very active!” These aren’t necessarily the words you want to hear while standing in between a pair of adult male and female lions! There could be worse comments though, like “See that?  Just there!  Can … Continue reading

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Face Tattoos and Eye Patches; the Ordinary Story of a Pirate in a Chin Village.

“You are now entering a war zone.  Please be careful and don’t go to any strange places.” That was our welcoming warning by a Burmese man as we stopped for morning coffee in rural Rakhine State, Myanmar. The warning didn’t … Continue reading

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Pilgrimage to Pyay; the Spectacled Buddha

Bagan, Inle Lake, the Shwedagon in Yangon; these and a few others are usually the first places to make the ‘must visit’ list when planning a trip to Myanmar.  One place that doesn’t usually make people’s intimacy at all but … Continue reading

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Are You a Tourist or a Traveller? Inle Lake and the Phaung Daw Oo Festival.

“Are you a tourist or a traveler?”  What’s the difference and does it even matter?  In this context a tourist is one who is focused on seeing the major sights in a limited and well organised time schedule; who eats … Continue reading

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Snakes on a Train! The Yangon Circular Railway and Twante Snake Temple.

Snakes on a Train! Snakes on a train!?  Is my Charles Bonnet Syndrome taking over again or have we entered a bad Hollywood prequel?  Thankfully neither is the case; instead this is a story of  just two things you can … Continue reading

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