Liverpool, Liverpool, Liverpool. The Beatles, Liverpool Football Club, a very high-pitched accent. Oh yes.
It was a must-do day trip while being in Manchester, and it's just a thirty minutes train ride away. Located by the bank of river Mersey and just a few miles away from the irish sea it had a slight vibe of a marine city, with its docks and seagulls soaring above.
If you think about english industry, Manchester is what pops into your head. In Victorian era it was dubbed "the Warehouse city" or "Cottonopolis" as its history is concerned with textile manufacturing during the industrial revolution. In 19th century people flocked to Manchester from the whole England, Scotland and Wales, the city began to grow uncontrollably. All kinds of industries were introduced, fatories and warehouses were raised rapidly and Manchester has become without challenge the first and greatest industrial city in the world. It had at its peak 108 cotton mills, and it's just one industry.
Penang island was our final stop, located in the north-west, relatively close to the border with Thailand. It's the second largest aglomeration in Malaysia, concentrating around the colonial city of Georgetown. A large part of Penang is a national park preserving tropical jungle habitat with its fauna and flora.
After two weeks of super intensive sightseeing the time has finally come to slow down and relax, for that we chose a less popular destination of Perhentian islands. The archipelago is located about 18km from the eastern shore of the peninsula and consists of two main islands, pulau Besar and pulau Kecil which literally mean "big island and small island". Perhentian means literally "a stopping point" because it was a stop on the trading route from Malaysia to Bangkok.
Welcome to Malaysia! Not so far from the equator now, the temperature has risen up to humid 34 degrees at day, monsoons were heavier and we noticed fauna and flora was much more exotic. We caught a morning flight from Phnom Penh to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's metropolitan yet still super diverse capital.
Phnom Penh was our last stop in Cambodia, it's the country's current capital. The hub of Khmer Empire and french colonists, located on the junction of Tonle Sap and Mekong river.
In the mere heart of cambodian jungle lies s a treasure beyond any traveller's imagination.
The ruins of a grand civilization founded in early XIXth century were forsaken for hundred of years until a French explorer accidentally stumbled upon them on an excursion of an utterly different purpose. I can only imagine his shock. What he found were the remains of Angkor Thom and Angkor Wat.
Some places just hit you so hard you know you will remember them for the rest of your life. This was one a kind experience I've had in Kampong Phluk, Cambodia. It makes you reconsider all of your first-world problems and become a little more humble about yourself, and this might sound pompous but I can assure you that it's true.
Bangkok wasn't always the most important city of the Thai region. Ayutthaya, about 80km north from there, was the capital of the former Kingdom of Siam from 1350 to 1767. It was a large and crucial trading point as it lies between China, India and the Malay Archipelago. For a period of time it was the largest city in the world until the Burmese raided Siam and almost entirely burned Ayutthaya to the ground. All the libraries, houses and some of the temples were destroyed, which is a big pity because the kingdom was very prosperous and advanced at this time.
Today a few ruins still remain on site. By "a few" a mean a complex of about 9 temples, all open for public sightseeing.
Welcome to Bangkok! Thailand's wild capital is a genuine feast for the senses, full of intense smells, noises and music, unexpected tastes and sights that you'll probably remember for a long time. It also guarantees memorable experiences and adventures at all times. It's so full of contrasts, golden temples popping out between slums, full of tourists scams for example trying to talk you into buying a suit, full of delicious street food and cheap thai massage venues. It's a wonderful chaos.
However I wouldn't really reccomend it for the faint-hearted or for people who hate mess, bad smell or poverty. In such case only a package-tour is an option, but in my humble opinion Bangkok's most valuable experiences are not found in the Grand Palace but among its narrow streets where you sit down on a plastic chair and dine with the locals.
Okay, but to deprive Bangkok's main cultural attractions is a sin as well. They indeed are grand, and you just cannot miss them. The Grand Palace and an endless number of temples would be enough to occupy you for a few days in Bangkok.
After a 7 hour flight we arrived from Doha to Pattaya in Thailand. To be honest Pattaya isn't a particularly rewarding destination in the terms that we were interested in. We flew in there only because of the low price of this particular flight connection. Instead of rushing off straight to Bangkok we decided to spend one day there anyway, and it did surprise us with a few pretty cool attractions.
There are certain places in the world where you wouln't expect to find yourself but you somehow end up. However, after you visit the place it turns out to be an uncanny experience.
This happened to me with Qatar, my stay there was a result of a flight delay on my way to Thailand. Having a 16-hour layover in Ad-Dauha (known as Doha) it would be a true sin to resist the temptation of sightseeing Qatar's capital. I haven't ever been to the Middle-East before, the opportunity to grasp this new experience was great. No visas were needed. So why not?
24 / architecture student / illustrator and cartoon artist / amateur photographer / piano enthusiast / dog lover / fuelled by coffee / short and blonde / vagabond.
