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Kyoto, Japan

20/3/2023

 
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Summary

Airport Rating *****
Reception of locals ****
Cost: £££££
  • Just over two hours from Tokyo in a bullet train
  • Cultural centre of Japan with over 2,000 temples and shrines
  • Large and unique concentration of Japanese pre-war architecture
  • No problems as a Sikh getting around the city
  • Main Sights: Kiyomizu-dera, Fushimi Inari Taisha, Gion District, Yasaka-Jinja, Nishiki Market, Sanjusangendo Temple

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Tokyo, Japan

6/3/2023

 
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Summary

Airport Rating *****
Reception of locals ****
Cost: £££££
  • No issues at the airport as a Sikh
  • People are generally friendly and polite, but have a distrust of foreigners 
  • Relatively expensive city, and surprising still heavily cash based
  • Incredible metropolis that stretches for miles, with an endless things to see and do
  • Main Sights: Asakusa, Akihabara, Ikekeburo, Shinjuku, Harajuku, Ginza, Senso-Ji, Meiji Jingu Shrine, Shibuya Sky and Crossing, teamLAB planets, Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building Observation Deck, Yoyogi Park, Zojo-Ji, Imperial Palace, Roppongi, Omoide Yokocho, Atago Jinja 

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2022 through my eyes

6/2/2023

 
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2022

After two years of living in a pandemic, 2022 is when the world slowly started to re-open. It also meant that after a travel free 2021, my 7th edition of a yearly review has some interesting places.

My end of year review for 2021 is here
My end of year review for 2020 is here
My end of year review for 2019 is here
My end of year review for 2018 is here
My end of year review for 2017 is here
My end of year review for 2016 is here

My first trip after the re-opening was to France, focusing on Brittany and Normandy. I continued my European adventure with another trip to Amsterdam, followed by my second trip to Rome. In Italy, I also visited Florence, Pisa, and Parma. I hopped across the Irish sea to Dublin before I moved to Washington DC. While on the East Coast, I made a trip to New York, 6 years after living there, before switching to the West Coast and visiting San Francisco for the second time. I went back to South-East Asia when I finally visited Lao, stopping off in Vientiane, and then in Luang Prabang. A third trip to Bangkok followed, before a first ever visit to Kuwait. I finally made it to Greece with a visit to Athens, before I went back to the Middle East for my second visit to Dubai and ended the year in Mauritius. Yep, it has been a busy one, and I still don't know how this council estate boy has managed to grow up visiting so many places - but I am grateful.

As always, you can click any of the blue links to read in depth reviews of each location

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Mauritius

16/1/2023

 
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Summary

Airport Rating *****
Reception of locals *****
Cost: ££££
  • No issues at the airport or on the island as a Sikh
  • An island paradise with idyllic beaches, beautiful landscapes and a diverse mix of residents 
  • Mauritius is expensive to get to, and expensive in resorts, but gets cheaper in the cities and villages
  • Main Sights: Chamarel Waterfall, Le Morne Brabant, Seven Coloured Earth Geopark, Flic en Flac Beach, Pereybere Beach, Le Pouce

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Return to Dubai, United Arab Emirates

2/1/2023

 
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Summary

Airport Rating *****
Reception of locals *****
Cost: ££££
  • No issues at the airport and no issues in a very diverse and cosmopolitan city
  • City still feels a little fake with a focus on style over substance, 7 years after my first trip
  • Dubai continues to grow and expand and there are a lot more activities to do, especially with families
  • Main Sights: Burj Khalifa, Dubai Marina, Dubai Mall, Museum of the Future, Gold Souk, Global Village, Dubai Frame, 

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Athens, Greece

26/12/2022

 
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Summary

Airport Rating *****
Reception of locals ***
Cost: £££
  • No issues at the airport as a Sikh but a few strong stares in the city 
  • A city that feels like an open-air museum with history all around
  • Excellent night-life near the city centre, and a lot to see and do during the day
  • Relatively cheap for a European city
  • Main Sights: Acropolis, Parthenon, Ancient Agora, Roman Agora, Hadrian's Library, Plaka, Temple of Hephaestus, Panathenaic Stadium, Panagia Kapnikarea, Metropolis Cathedral of Athens

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Kuwait City, Kuwait

19/12/2022

 
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Summary

Airport Rating ****
Reception of locals *****
Cost: £££££
  • Small-dated airport, but no issues travelling through as a Sikh
  • A relatively strict city-state, especially when compared to some of the other countries on the Gulf coast
  • Not too much to do, main sights are shopping centres, but the locals are friendly
  • City is quite dull, but there are areas of beauty, particularly along the coast
  • Not as expensive as the UAE, but certainly not a cheap destination
  • Main Sights: Kuwait Towers, The Avenues, Souk Al-Mubarakiya, Coastal Walk

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Return to Bangkok, Thailand

5/12/2022

 
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Summary

Airport Rating **
Reception of locals *****
Cost: £££
  • Airport loses another two stars since last review with another questionable experience
  • Bangkok is still sensory overload, in good ways and bad
  • Public transport is relatively extensive, cheap and easy to use
  • Things have become slightly more expensive since my last visit, but cost of living in the city remains manageable for those on holiday
  • Main Sights (this time): Wat Saket, Khlong Bang Luang Floating Market, Terminal 21, Ong Ang Canal, Khao San Road, Sikh Gurdwaras, 

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Luang Prabang, Lao

21/11/2022

 
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Summary

Airport Rating •••••
Reception of locals *****
Cost: ££
  • Comfortably one of the most beautiful cities that I have visited
  • Stunning landscapes mixed with gorgeous historical buildings
  • I can imagine it must get rammed during the busy season with tourists
  • More expensive than Vientiane but still very affordable
  • No issues travelling as a Sikh, although no local Sikh community
  • Main Sights: Phousi Mountain, Wat Xiengthong, Kuang Si waterfalls, Luang Prabang Night Market, Morning Market

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Vientiane, Lao

7/11/2022

 
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Summary

Airport Rating ••••
Reception of locals *****
Cost: £
  • Not easily connected from the UK, requiring connecting flights from larger neighbouring countries
  • No issues as a Sikh in the airport, or walking around the city (in fact, I got a lot of positive attention)
  • Expensive to fly there, but very cheap when you arrive
  • Lacks the x-factor that some other capital cities in neighbouring countries have
  • Main Sights: Wat Si Saket, Patuxai, That Dam, Vientiane Night Market

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    British Sikh, born in the Midlands, based in London, travelling the world seeing new cultures.

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