What to do in a place you've been to a gizzilion times? All of the definitive must see sights and sites have already been seen (plobly!) but there must be other stuff. Atlasobscura is great for finding those non-A list attractions. Sometimes they are still pretty major things but perhaps a bit odder than average. Anyway, this was one of their things to see in Edinburgh... A disused railway tunnel.
In the hay-day of steam, the locomotive train, the city of Edinburgh was served by a network of railway lines. The advent of the automobile caused a massive decline in rail travel starting in the 1920s. Miles of tracks would lie dormant for several years around the city. It wasn’t until the end of the 20th-century that many of these abandoned pathways were converted into walking and cycling routes.
This particular train track was once traveled by novelist Robert Louis Stevenson, who would take the train to see his grandfather, Dr. Lewis Balfour and one of the poems he wrote is about his memories of riding along the rails. The poem was called From a Railway Carriage and is the inspiration for a public art installation that adorns the walls of the Colinton Tunnel.
Pictured below is part of the mural of RLS sat at his writing desk musing on the poem.
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Hongluo Temple is about 55km north of the heart of Beijing and has the Hongluo Mountains to the north of it and Hongluo Lake to the south. Originally built in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (338AD), it was expanded in the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907). This 1000-year old temple complex covers 800 hectares in total, and is an extraordinary Buddhist holy land. It is said that there are 'Three wonders of Hongluo Temple' - the imperial bamboo forest, the male and female ginkgo trees and the wisteria pines. As with a lot of temple complexes in China, the Hongluo Temple complex is a very cool, peaceful one. There is an abundance of bamboo, as well as thousands of acres of pine trees surrounding the whole area. These two temples are across the road from one another to the north east of the Forbidden City. The Confucious Temple is several hunderd years older than the Lama Temple, but both are impressive temple complexes to wander around. Temple of ConfuciousThe Temple of Confucious was build in 1302 during the Yuan dynasty. It has been added to over the years - the first time being during the Ming dynasty; the second during the Qing dynasty and now sits approxiamtely 20,000 square metres of grounds. The grounds are a very quiet place to wander. The buildings to the sides of the main temple have been converted into exhibition rooms highlighting the life and works of Confucious and how his teachings have impacted other countries. One of my all-time-favourite temples is the Temple of Heaven. This temple, just south of the Forbidden City and Tianamen Square, was completed in 1420 and is a complex of an 'axial arrangement of Circual Mound Alter to the south open to the sky with the conicallly roofed Imperial Vault of Heaven immediately to its north.' (Temple of Heaven: an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing - UNESCO World Heritage Centre)
It's one of my favourite temples because it is so different. You don't come across that many circular structures and certainly not decorated to the degree that these are. When we lived in Tianjin, we always used to like wandering around the Art District when we came to Beijing. It had a very different vibe to it - relaxed, laid back and generally not that busy. Now that I am living in Beijing, it's still one of my favourite places to head to, but it has changed somewhat over the years! My first trip back here was a more crowded experience - admittedly, I did come on a public holiday! (will try not to do that again!) The red dinosaurs are one of the first instillations you see when you enter from the main road. They're big; you can't miss them! Some of the other instillations that I remember from our early trips seem to have gone. There are plenty of new art galleries of varying sizes open these days and most are free to enter. It's always been a place for finding quirky little shops, and many are still there, but quite a few seem to have been replaced with more general tourist tat - it's a same really!
Well, that was a shock! Logged on to write this post and discovered the last one was 11 months ago. Life here has become so mundane! All of the covid restrictions, Gill having her summer holidays buggered about and then having to depart for China to quarantine there meant we didn't get anywhere in the summer at all.
This past year was not what I signed up for at all. Anyway, as Thailand slowly opens up, I have decided I will try and visit some of the tourist attractions in the city before they become overrun and crowded again. This mini project begun with a trip to a floating market. Never been to one! Lived here for nearly six years and have never been to the staple of Thai tourism posters. Thought I would give the one at Klong Lat Mayon (ตลาดน้ำคลองลัดมะยม) a punt (Klong means canal, if you're interested) Not really been able to get out of Bangkok since, well, forever really. A combination of the Covid thing and schools messing up holidays so none of our breaks matched. Anyway, the decision was taken to end the year with a bit of beach trip to the Island of Koh Samui. Not a huge fan of beaches as I get bored and start to whine but we definitely needed a break from the big city. I have to say, I bore sitting on the beach and by the pool, with only the occasional beer or cocktail to see me through manfully. To be honest, in the 'burbs of Bangkok we are a little insulated from the problems that locking down the country, and up until now at least, keeping COVID at bay has caused. Life has pretty much gone on as normal, now that we are out of lockdown. At work we have various (all right, lots!) of things we have to do be allowed to open but they have become normal quite quickly. It is only when you go somewhere like Koh Samui which has an economy that is totally reliant on tourism that you realise the problems. Lots and lots of shops, restaurants and bars were shut and have been for months and very, very few tourists around. Essentially the same view, one in the middle of the day and the other first thing in the morning.
Below: Me enjoying a cheeky afternoon beer overlooking the beach and the Gulf of Thailand
The Secret Buddha Garden is hidden up high in the hills in Koh Samui's interior, offering what would be cracking views across the island if it was a nicer day and an unusual collection of statues amid lush jungle surrounds. The gardens are a creation of an old Samui fruit farmer, Nim Thongsuk, who in 1976 began erecting several statues and temples around his family's verdant land to the north-west of Lamai Beach. Although oddly enough, I don't think there were any actual Buddha statues!
Still a great break from the monotony of sitting by a pool or on the beach... I get bored easily and so after a day or so of that am desperate for something else to do, even if I do have a good book and banging tunes to keep me occupied. The websites all say you need 4X4 to get there but, nah, you just need a car and a bit of care. It is steep but its roads all the way.
After an excellent feed at the highly recommended Chivit bistro we sauntered round the corner to the second of the triumvirate of coloured themed attractions. Unlike the White Temple, the Blue temple is similar to many temples here but is, well, blue. Very blue! It is, I have to say, pretty cool. We've seen a lot of temples over the years but this was one of the most striking.
Perhaps not quite as stunning as the White Temple, it is still really impressive and is an actual temple rather than an artist's folly!
Going on holiday outside of Thailand wasn't really possible this summer. Well, it was possible to get out and go just about anywhere, but getting back would then be nigh on impossible. I can confirm that you don't get much sympathy when you moan about HAVING to go on holiday in Thailand. However; I don't hugely like beaches.... Great for a morning but after that, I'm bored and we've been to most of the other major sites. This is might well end up being the first time in 20 years we spend a whole year in one country! We might get away in October but I wouldn't bet money on it.
One of the places we'd been planning on going to this year anyway was Chang Rai but up until now that's not been do-able. So here we are. The place was pretty much deserted! We didn't literally have the hotel to ourselves but pretty much did. Walking around, we rarely saw another pedestrian, tourist sites were deserted, so all-in-all that worked out OK for me. We did notice that apart from restaurant and hotel staff very few people wore masks (although we didn't see many people out and about either!). In central Bangkok pretty much everyone does. Another difference was the lack of motorbike helmets: Virtually nobody wore them either. It's been a discussion point here: The Government has stopped Covid but done nothing about road deaths which daily claim the same as the total number of Covid deaths in the country and they are usually motorbike riders. The big tourist draws to Chang Rai are all colour related. There's the Blue temple, the Black House and the big daddy of them all; the White Temple. All are cool in their own way, but we'll start with the White Temple... Which for some reason they weren't charging even foreigners for when we there.... Usually its free for Thais and foreigners pay 100 baht. One of the last things we did before departing for China was a day out visiting old friends in Oxford... We both decided we could see ourselves living there until we looked into Estate Agents windows and discovered how much a teeny-tiny house would cost!
A pleasant morning wandering around some of the university colleges and along the banks of the Cherwell and a couple of pub stops on the way. As we've been stuck indoors for more or less four months, firstly working form home and then through the SongKran holiday and now summer's here. Horah! Hmm! We had an amazing summer planned to Italy which would have been fantastic as it is just coming out of lockdown and we would have had the place to ourselves, but whilst one can fly out of Thailand without too many troubles, one cannot very easily (or at all!) get back in. Therefore all of that is cancelled... Hopefully next year!
Its the rainy season here so its not that great to be here... Grey and humid would sum it up. We do have a few trips planned but the OH's school messed around their holiday times so we don't have very long off together. I've already planned every holiday we could possibly take for the next 15 or so years so, I have maps of trips I want to do, a map of our bucket lists of places to go: All sorts. 'So, what's next?', I hear you ask. Glad you asked! I thought I would have a look at some of my older posts from when we lived in Taiwan, Brunei and Spain and add them to this blog. I was scrolling through old photos and thinking about the places we went to and realised that my first attempt at a blog has basically disappeared into the mists of internet time never to be seen again and it would be a shame to loose those altogether. So, interspersed with some new stuff are our memories of what is basically pre-China. Not sure if it will be in a chronological order yet or just the order that I publish them in. We'll see!
I have to say I do like Malaysia. Perhaps I'm just getting old but it is just nice. Although Singapore has a reputation for being dull, I think its rubbed off on its neighbour a bit. People are unfailingly polite, its quietly affluent and just goes about its business. I know there's huge scandals about massive, almost Russia-like, levels of corruption, but as far as I can tell it all, just basically works. The food is great (coffee less so!) with excellent Indian curries, Malay dishes, Chinese cuisine and some really good fusion/modern stuff too. The pick, if you visit, was the China House. THis is one of those traditional buildings mentioned below, with gardens and cakes.
They have, I think really made a big effort to attract tourists without turning it in to a theme park and haven't done too bad a job, but they do have one of those umbrella streets that seem to crop up everywhere.
Penang is an old colonial trading port and a UNESCO world heritage site. The old town, which is the bit we visited, is full of beautiful colonial buildings with fading glory. Again, I really like the slightly shabby but well-loved appearance of much of it.
Bangkok, shall we say, has a reputation.
However, there is another side to Bangkok, that's not all temples and sex-tourists. For some reason though, Thais don't seem to be proud of this (Not saying they're proud of sex-tourism btw) and tend to hide a cool and funky light under any convenient bushel. It's actually a real shame because there is lots of cool and interesting stuff out there, but its never publicised, really. For example, there is loads of modern Asian art (in the broadest sense of the world) but trying to find out about it is a bit of a mare. This is a great case in point. If you're bored of the crowds of Grand Palace and the markets selling all eleven kinds of tourist tat then I can not recommend highly enough Chula Art Town. There is a big bit of it that's almost finished and I'll be going back to that soon, but don't let that put you off. It looks like they've taken the influence for it from the rebuilt hutongs of Beijing. Modern buildings, but with a clear Thai/Asian feel to them in a rabbit warren of streets. The ground floors of which (I hope) will be independent coffee shops and retailers selling all manner of what-have-you. That was a by-product of our visit to the university district. We'd got wind of street art project sponsored by Chulalongkorn University and heard great things about it so off we went and it did not disappoint!
We were planning on coming here early on new year's day and went to York instead. Turned out to be a good choice, another friend did go and said the world and his wife was there. York, nicely quiet. Whitby is always busy! Although I have to say a cold, crisp and sunny January morning, with frost on the ground and the Abbey would look lovely.
Instead we went on a really lovely summer's day. The beach and the rest of the town was packed. Oddly thought, the Abbey was quiet. You couldn't say we had it to ourselves but it was by no means busy. The drive through the North York Mores to get there was lovely (Middelsborough excepted). One of the things about Whitby is that it is in the arse-end of nowhere... Says the man who lives in Berwick!
While in Durham, just after a cracking lunch at Vennel Cafe (really good quiches and, the one we were all after, scones!) the weather turned south as we headed just up the road and into the cathederal. It is an immensly impressive building, and like all 'big' churches one needs to imagine it the best part of 1000 years ago when it would have domintaed the skyline for miles around and reminded everyone of the power and wealth of the church. I always struggle to get an impressive shot of the outside of a church though, so its either the inside or details that get shown... The interior this time.
We had arranged to meet some of my oldest friends for a nice Saturday out. At the last minute we decided we would copy them and let the train take the strain.... Good decision, as it turned out.
Anyway, we left the station, and what a set of sights there were there... Lots of large orange ladies wearing bits of their net currtains on their heads. Apparently, they're called fascinators! Wear a hat or don't wear a hat but not those! Also, they were all wearing skirts that were at least a size too tight for them. I believe it was ladies day ay York races. Having left the station, and sauntered into the usually quite quiet city centre, we were confronted with hordes of people, all intent on getting stuck into the town's supply of booze and more than a few sub-machine gun armed polis. We had no idea but it was the annual Durham miners' gala. This is an old day out associated with trades unionism and, in particular the miners and mining villages that used to stretch across county Durham. I'd sort of, vaugely heard of it but if you'd have asked me I would have said it died out with the pits in the mid to late 80s. How it works is each pit (usually) a village, carries a huge banner behind which their brass band plays and the village would follow on behind that and large quantities fo alcohol would be consumed. The parade would end up at the racecourse where political speaches were given. This year it was the leader of the opposition, the Magic Granddad, as the star turn.... Hence the machine gun totting police (I don't mean in a political assination sense of it!).
The black drapes along the top of the banner used to be used to signify that someone had died in that mine during the year. Now, they symbolise the death of mining!
One of our local tourist traps; and I dare say numbers are on the rise since it was the setting for a detective novel. When visiting, the first thing to check is the tides. You could be stranded on the island for 6 hours waiting for the tides to turn and causeway to be passable again. However bleak the prospect of being stuck on Holy Island might be, its better than risking the causeway. Every year, probably about once a month, some poor idiot doesn't heed the signs and drives off the island at the wrong time and their car is abandoned and left to the mercy of the sea as the tide engulfs the narrow strip of road.
Have gone for a bit of a black and white vibe in these. The prior is the oldest part of the island and was founded by St Aiden who was a monk at Iona on the West coast of Scotland. St. Cuthbert, Northumberland's patron saint was abbot here .
The graveyard is well worth a mooch. There are graves of priates, masons and plauge victims (amongst others). In the picture you can see the castle in background... Whch seems to be the motif running though all the pictures. The monastry was, of course, disolved by Henry VIII and its stones were taken to make the original castle builiding around the same time (mid 16th century). During the Jacobite Rising of 1715, Lancelot Errington, one of a number of locals who supported the Jacobite cause, visited the castle. Some sources say that he asked the Master Gunner, who also served as the unit's barber, for a shave. Once Errington was inside, it became clear that most of the garrison were away; later that day he returned with his nephew Mark Errington, claiming that he had lost the key to his watch. They were allowed in, overpowered the three soldiers present, and claimed the castle as a landing site for the Jacobite group led by Thomas Forster, Member of Parliament for the county of Northumberland. Reinforcements did not arrive to support the Erringtons, so when a detachment of 100 men arrived from Berwick to retake the castle they were only able to hold out for one day. Fleeing, they were captured at the tollbooth at Berwick and imprisoned, but were later able to tunnel out of their gaol and escape (Which sounds about typical of Berwick!). The castle was rebuilt in the Arts and Crafts style by Sir Edwin Lutyens. To be honest though, the inside of both the castle and priory are a bit dull and my advice would be save your money. A wander round the outside of the castle is lovely and you can see all that is of interest from the free graveyard of the monastry without paying themassive entrance fee.
We now quite regularly stop for lunch on the way down to my out-laws near Manchester and one of my favourite stops is at Once Brewed near Hadrian's Wall. One of the sights that I've wanted to see here is the famous sadle in the landscape that has a solitary sycamour tree growing in it. The tree featured in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and was apparently less than a day's journey from Dover back then! It is also all over Instagram and other such places.
It is clear though that it is the sky that makes the shot here, as I am rather under whelmed by this. So, back again another day! Hey-ho! It is about a mile from the car park at the pub (Twice Brewed; geddit? (Once brewed for the place and a second time for the beer being brewed) Along Hadrian's Wall (or what's left of it) to the gap. If you follow the wall it's very up and down and hard work (But short!) or go slightly south of the wall and its about the same distance but not as hilly.
The Castle dates from around 1200 CE and for most of its existence was owned by the Hepburn family (Part of the Douglas claan). Originally built by the de Gourlay's: a Northumbrian family, they chose the wrong side in one of the many English Scottish skirmishes and had the house taken off them by the Scottish crown, who gave it to the Hepburns, who built it from a fortified house into a castle.
Thai beach destinations have a bit of reputation for seediness and if one goes to Pattaya or Phuket then that side of them is certainly on view. However, with just a little more effort, one kind find a much nicer side of things. Koh Chang is one of those. I have friends who went there before it had electricity and, whilst its a long way from that now, it gives an idea of how underdeveloped it is.
We particularly like the southern tip of the island around the small town of Bang Bao. This town (well tiny village would be giving it ideas above its station!) is based around a jetty leading into the bay with shops, restaurants and bars on either side and beaches either side of the bay. There is also a thriving diving community with some fabulous days to be had snorkelling and diving.
As most of the restaurants and bars are built on stilts over the water, they have holes in the floor that allow you to sit with your feet dangling just above the water. You sit on cushions at knee high glass table the basically covers the hole, which is nice.
Its not the most exciting place on the planet but it is, well, just nice! This is one of the places we really wanted to visit when we first knew we were coming to Thailand and three years on we finally made it. My Dad's uncle was taken prisoner when his ship docked in Singapore during the Second World War and , after being held in Changaie prison by them, was one of the 100,000 prisoners who were forced to work under the most brutal of conditions by the Japanese to build their rail link across their new empire in South East Asia. We started at the cemetery in Kanchanaburi. As always, the Commonwealth Graves commission does a fantastic job of keeping these war graves perfectly. Whenever I go to these sites its the simplicity of the messages on the tombstones that touches one, along with the pride that families express in these simple messages: That this was something you had to do and this is price that is paid. I'm fairly sure that is not something we really understand any more.
We drive past York regularly on the way up to Northumberland and I haven't been there for years, so I thought I'd put that right on our last trip down to the outlaws near Manchester. In fact, I have a feeling that the last time I was there was also a new year's day too but in the 90s and I was probably not feeling to great that morning.
A really nice winter's day with clear blue skies. |
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AuthorsWe are teachers and have worked in various schools in Europe & Asia. This is really a chronicle of out travels over the years. It is meant for us to look back on, reflect and remember where we've been, what we've done and all our little adventures. If you like it too, then fab! If you don't, do you think we care? Archives
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