Eastern European Architecture

After spending almost six months in Africa I had almost forgotten what old buildings and architecture looked like. Despite its rich history not too many man made remainders still exist in the parts of the Africa I visited.

Eastern Europe also has a rich history and despite the best efforts of two world wars, numerous local conflicts and a handful of bad, mad dictators a great deal of the most interesting, grand and in some cases such plain weird buildings remain intact.

From the house built around a tree near the DMZ in Berlin to the blue synagogue in Budapest to the functional but spectacularly ugly communist era constructions in Slovakia each of these buildings has a story to tell.

 Helsinki, Finland

 Prague, Czech Republic

 Budapest, Hungary

 Bratislava, Slovakia

 Bratislava Government Building (where else?)

 Is it a bridge? Is it a UFO?

Berlin Street Art 

'Treehouse', Berlin

Luang Prabang

Some places just get you. For me Italy, Ghana, Budapest, Cambodia and most of Laos just felt right. Places I felt comfortable instantly no matter how exotic, foreign or far from home they happened to be. There is no logic reason why some places elicit this reaction. It just simply is.
Luang Prabang in northern Laos was a place I expected to like. I didn't. I loved it! Small, beautiful and laconic, Luang Prabang sits on banks of the Mekong River and is a stunning town that is perfectly suited to doing very little. Sure there are pagodas and temples to visit, markets to browse and restaurants to enjoy. Luang Prabang is also the gateway to several great waterfalls and a number of trekking opportunities. But in reality this is a place where time passes slowly and the best thing to do is order a mango fruit shake, kick off your shoes and find a spot near the river and RELAX....

Mekong River Adventures

If you have spent any time in South East Asia you know the Mekong River system. It winds down from the mountains of Tibet for 4200 kilometres through China, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia before reaching the South China Sea. As you would expect the importance of this waterway to the communities in these countries is huge, especially in landlocked countries such as Laos. It is a source of water for farming and industry, a source of food and income and in the wet season a violent and dangerous force of nature to be feared. In parts of Laos and Cambodia it is said that people eat so much 'Mekong Catfish' that this is the reason for the whispy beards men grow here!! The Mekong is also an important transportation link in any area with poor roads that are often inaccessible during the wet season.
After spending a week in sleepy Luang Prabang, I had a couple of days to get up to Huay Xai in the far north of Laos. There are a couple of options; 16 hours on a bus, 6 hours on a speed-boat or 2 days by slow-boat. First off the bus option - cheap, direct and utterly painful. Not only are the roads in the northern part of Laos breeding grounds for potholes but Lao people seem to be extremely prone to travel-sickness. Every bus trip I experienced in Laos was accompanied by the soundtrack of some poor local person wretching into a plastic bag for the duration. Not fun!
The speed-boat option was the fastest and also the most expensive and has the added drawback of being both noisy and dangerous. I quote directly from Lonely Planet - "Deaths are not uncommon; given the recklessness of the drivers this is no great surprise!"
Therefore I spent two wonderful long, laconic and very relaxing days cruising up the Mekong watching the locals at play, working and living their lives on this major artery of SE Asia.

I met some fascinating people, drank some terrific Lao coffee and saw a lot of cool things; young monks bathing, elephants washing on the riverbank, kids playing and fish caught and brought to our boat alive to be weighed, haggled for and sold.
Sure beats the bus!!

Bryn

Fine Dining HK Style

Those who know me well know I like to eat well and often. This trip has really opened my eyes to how much good food is out there in different parts of the world, and quite often the good stuff is extremely accessible. From street meat in Ghana to Chapati in Uganda to Pho Bo in Vietnam, the world is awash with great flavours and smells. Nowhere is this more true than in Hong Kong. Every flavour and palate is catered for here and everywhere you look people are either eating, on their way to eat or coming back from eating. If indeed Hong Kong has a common language it is food!!
To anyone with a serious foodie addiction the name Tim Ho Wan is legendary. This 'restaurant' (it looks more like a workers canteen) is the brainchild of Mak Pui Gor, the former dim sum chef from the swanky and internationally renowned Four Seasons Hotel, who has managed to create the world's cheapest Michelin starred restaurant. And I mean cheap. Like $5 a head cheap. For these prices there are some things you don't get. Like a tablecloth or pretentious waiters or a wine list or even a menu. The only drink available is jasmine tea poured into a plastic beaker and cutlery consists of a pair of very cheap chopsticks and a ceramic soup spoon. Rather than ordering from a menu you are handed a paper order form and pencil as you queue outside and place your order that way. Yep! There is also a queue.. from 9am (the restaurant opens at 10am) right through until 10pm when the places closes.
Once inside you are herded on to plastic tables and chairs in a small room that seats only 30 people. Clouds of steam billow from the small kitchen and despite the early hour the excitement in the room is palpable. This is going to be good!!!

And what of the food you ask? Amazing, life-changing, joyful, simple and inspiring are some of the words that leap to mind. Traditional classics like prawn and pork dumplings and pork buns are more exciting and bursting with flavour than they have any right to be, while newer dishes like are pork liver wrapped in vermicelli with soy sauce sing like a choir. This is how food should be; simple, flavoursome, joyous and just really bloody good!!
It is the type of food you wish you could eat everyday and if you are lucky enough to live in Hong Kong you can. More than worth the 45 minute wait and guess what? They even do takeaway!

Bryn

Champagne Culture on a Beer Budget

One of the drawbacks of long term budget travel is that there are some things that fall outside the budget. Obviously you prioritise some more expensive experiences - like tracking Mountain Gorillas in Uganda - but there are some things that either cost too much or just don't fall into the 'not to be missed' category.
When I found myself in Vienna, Austria in February this year I figured the seeing a show at the iconic Vienna State Opera House would fall outside my budget. And I was right, at $230 a ticket for the best seats to see the ballet version of Don Quixote. Well sort of...
For those willing to queue up 90 minutes before the show starts there are standing stall tickets available to every show at the Vienna Opera House for the pricely sum of three Euros or $4. Ticket holders are then ushered into stalls above the main seated area, with a direct eyeline to the stage. Those of us with the knees and patience to endure more than two hours standing in a fairly crowded and warm environment were treated to Austria's finest ballet ensemble and a damn fine pit orchestra to boot!!
Who say high art is only for the wealthy and elite?

Bryn

Auschwitz

One of the biggest reasons I wanted to visit Poland was to travel to Auschwitz and try and understand what happened there. Or more accurately why. Assuming most educated people are aware of the Holocaust, and the role of Auschwitz, I have found that seeing a place in the flesh aids my understanding of it and what occurred there. This was certainly the case in Rwanda, and as I write this I am preparing to visit the S21 prison museum in Cambodia, which was the site of some of the worst atrocities of the Khymer Rouge.
Despite the time elapsed since World War II and how much has been published about what happened in the concentrations camps at Auschwitz near Cracow, a visit here still packs a powerful emotional punch.

To describe what happened here as inhuman or a crime against humanity almost misses the point. To treat your victims inhumanely requires one to recognise their humanity and the value of life. What happened at Auschwitz was the extermination of an enemy viewed with as much thought and compassion as you might treat an insect. To be confronted with the evidence of such an act some 65 years later is a breathtakingly painful and numbing sensation.

Lest we forget.

http://en.auschwitz.org.pl/m/

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