Video: Khaosan road in Bangkok, Thailand

This video shows Khaosan Road in Bangkok.

Khaosan road is what you can call a traveller’s mecca. Some people hate it and some people love it. It is located in the old part of Bangkok in an area called Banglampu. It is well connected to major attractions in Bangkok by bus number 2, 15, 47, 73, and 511 just to mention a few. Bus no. 53 goes to the main train station.

I always stay around Khaosan Road when I visit Bangkok and have previous lived in the area for 4 months. I love the buzzing atmosphere – you can find absolutely everything here: restaurants, cheap guesthouses, old and new friends, clothes and handicraft shops, massage places, tattoo artists, internet shops, travel agencies (it is cheaper to by bus tickets from here than from the government run offices at bus stations) and places to have a fun night out.

It is a very vibrant place and a crossroad for travellers from all over Asia. I highly recommend you to stop over in Bangkok when you are in Thailand. This city has a lot to offer. Enjoy

Copenhagen, Denmark

In July, whilst on our trip back to Europe, I flew over to Denmark for the first time to see Tina and her family. We ate loads of food, saw lots of the sea and countryside, and met lots of people.

Copenhagen

Cycling around Copenhagen was fun, although I couldn’t get used to braking by backwards-pedalling on an upright bicycle. I nearly crashed twice on my first outing.

What were my general impressions of Denmark? “Blond, potatoes, friendly, bicycles, sea” would sum it up I think.

Cornwall, England

CornwallCornwall is one of my favourite places in the world. The coastline is beautiful – just loook at the photo below taken overlooking Bedruthan Steps, just north of Newquay. It is one of the places I have missed most in my four years away from the England. Cornwall is the most South-Western country in England, and it has a population of about half a million people.

Cornwall is noted for its wild moorland landscapes, its extensive and varied coastline and its mild climate. Also notable is Cornwall’s stone age and industrial archeology, especially its historic mining landscape, a world heritage site. Tourism therefore forms a significant part of the local economy; however, Cornwall is one of the poorest areas in the United Kingdom with the lowest per capita contribution to the national economy.

Map of Cornwall, England

Cornwall is the homeland of the Cornish people and is also considered one of the six “Celtic nations” by many residents and scholars. The Cornish language is closely related to Welsh and Breton, and less so to Irish, Scots Gaelic and Manx. A study in 2000 suggested that there were around 300 people who spoke Cornish fluently. Cornish however has no legal status in the UK. The language is still taught in about twelve primary schools, and occasionally used in religious and civic ceremonies.

Website design – Karen Human Rights Group

Karen Human Rights Website designKaren Human Rights Group (KHRG) are a small grass-roots organisation documenting the human rights situation of people in rural Burma. KHRG is the organisation I volunteered with when I arrived in Thailand in 2005.

I undertook a redesign and redevelopment of the KHRG website whilst working for KHRG, which began with an assessment of the current website – looking at its design, speed of download & visitor statistics. A series of documentation was drawn up including sitemaps & wireframe diagrams detailing the proposed new design & functionality. This was followed by full page mock-ups in Photoshop.

I developed this website in HTML and PHP with a MySQL database storing report information. Delivery of the website was followed up with several training sessions, and a training manual containing all the information required for KHRG to update and maintain the system themselves. You can visit the website by clicking here.

Photos Koh Lipe, Thailand – Christmas 2007

You may be interested in seeing the video of Koh Lipe we made whilst there during this Christmas trip.

This is where we’ll be heading on 23rd/24th December if anyone is at a ‘loose end’ for Christmas… I went to Koh Lipe a couple of years ago, and it is well worth the journey. It’s absolutely stunning.

Koh Lipe is a small island that is part of the Tarutao National Marine Park located in Satun Province.

Satun is a small province in the south of Thailand that borders Malaysia, facing the Andaman Sea. The province possesses renowned picturesque islands with verdant forests and mountainous land. The majority of the locals are Chao Lay and speak a dialect unique to their culture. It is located 973 kilometers from Bangkok and occupies an area of 2,478 square kilometers with 80 kilometers of coastline.

Most tourists head out to the pristine islands of Tarutao National Marine Park. Its landscape is full of underwater peaks, excellent beaches, calm and peaceful coves, jungle and mangrove swamps. Snorkeling can be found at Koh Lipe (Lipe Island), while neighbouring Adang Island has stunning primary forest with mountainous terrain and waterfalls.

How to get there: http://www.kohlipethailand.com/how_to_get_there.php

Video: New Years Eve party, Hadrin Beach, Koh Phangan, Thailand

I just thought I’d post this video to show the mayhem that Tina and I experienced on Hadrin beach, Koh Phangan for New Year 2006/2007. Four days later, on the 4th January, it was followed by a full moon party. Haad Rin on Koh Phangan is not for the faint-hearted generally, but as the video shows, at this time of year it goes absolutely mental. If you’re not into partying – go somewhere else 😉

Quito, Ecuador

Quito was a remarkable city. The second highest capital city in South America, after La Paz in Bolivia, it quite literally takes your breath away. I discovered this the hard way, leaning against a wall and seeing stars whilst running around town for an hour trying to find us a guest house before dark!

Plaza de San Francisco, Quito, Ecuador

At an altitude of 2,850 metres, the climate is relatively comfortable, with warm days and cool/cold nights.

The main attraction of Quito, providing it with its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site is the ‘Old City’. The heart of the old Spanish colonial centre is Plaza de la Independencia from here it is easy to wander through the many cobblestone streets and explore the rest of the old city on foot. The photo pictured above shows Plaza de San Francisco, and the famous church and monastery of the patron saint of Quito – San Francisco – constructed by the Spanish in 1553.

The new city, especially La Mariscal district on the other hand is not quite so pleasant, with frequent reports of pickpockets and robberies at night. I stayed there for a week whilst doing some work, and generally made sure I was back in the hostel before dark.

There are a few day trips you can make from Quito, including visiting Mitad Del Mundo – the Equator line, a couple of hours on a bus from the city centre.

Links

Photos of Quito
Warning – bagslash robberies on buses leaving Quito