SummaryAirport Rating ***** Reception of locals ***** Cost: £££
Rio was the last stop on my travels from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean, and in many respects it was a case of saving the best for last. Now in terms of adventure, it wasn't going to compete with climbing a mountain in Peru or exploring Machu Picchu, nor was it going to compete with the sight of the salt flats in Bolivia, but in terms of experience, this city not only lived up to, but exceeded my high expectations.
With Brazil the centre of the sporting world hosting both the FIFA World Cup and Summer Olympics in quick succession, you can tell as soon as you land the large re-development programmes being undertaken. I landed in a terminal that was not even fully completed, with advertisements for the Olympics everywhere. I jumped into a taxi, and after the relatively orderliness of Santiago, it was back onto manic roads as soon as we left the airport. Again the modernisation programme was in full swing, although this time less positive. As I drove along the main highway from the airport to the Copacabana, I noticed large opaque blocks along the road. It took me a few minutes to realise that behind these blocks were favela's that were basically being hidden from public view. SummaryAirport Rating *** Reception of locals ***** Cost: ££
San Pedro de Atacama bore the brunt of the consequences of my cancelled flight. Having planned to spend a whole day there with a night tour of the desert, I managed to reach the town 12 hours later than I had originally planned, meaning for me, it was more of a resting place as opposed to a town I could explore.
As I mentioned in a previous entry, the flight cancellation had meant that I had to switch my three day salt flats tour to a one day tour. The three day tour would have slowly worked its way down Bolivia and into Chile, reaching San Pedro in small manageable journeys. As I had switched to the one day tour, I had to make one long journey from Uyuni to San Pedro via Calama. SummaryAirport Rating ***** Reception of locals *****
The cancellation of my flight in Peru had a knock on effect that lasted about a week covering my time in La Paz, Uyuni and San Pedro de Atacama. In Uyuni I had booked a three day salt flats tour. The tours are world famous and take in the salt flats, lagoons and active volcano's as they work their way down to the Chilean border. However, as I had been delayed by two days, I had to cancel the three day tour and rebook onto a one day tour. The tour operators were very helpful, offering me alternative dates and when this wasn't possible, refunding me the extra money that I would have spent on the longer tour. It wasn't ideal, but I figured it was better than nothing.
The plane from Cusco to La Paz was small, but the one from La Paz to Uyuni was tiny. You couldn't actually stand up in the plane and the spaces for the carry on luggage were very small, but did the job for what I had with me. Although the plane could probably seat about 40-60 people, there were only 5 of us on the plane. I had struck up a conversation with a French guy who was living in Dubai. He had a two week holiday and the salt flats were on his bucket list of things to see. I had read nightmare stories about the turbulence on this flight, especially with smaller planes and as I sat down, there was a sick bag right in front of me so I was prepared for the worst. The journey, however was very smooth. As with Cusco, the scenery when flying out of La Paz was phenomenal. Large mountains in the distance surrounded the plane and from every angle the view was more impressive. SummaryAirport Rating n/a Reception of locals *****
As far as natural beauty goes, there aren't many places in the world more beautiful than Ollantaytambo. Unlike Cusco, which gains some of its splendor by its architecture and cobbled streets, Ollantaytambo's splendor is completely in the breathtaking scenery that surrounds the settlement.
The drive from Cusco to Ollantaytambo was a little over two hours, and on the way we stopped at a lookout point that had spectacular views of the Sacred Valley, of which Ollantaytambo is an important part. The Valley was the traditional heartland of the Inca Empire, and looking at the difficult mountain passes and Incan Era fortresses still visible, it makes you wonder how the Spanish found and then conquered the area. The drive down takes winding routes through mountainsides and the views are pretty amazing. SummaryAirport Rating ** Reception of locals ***** Cost: £££
I don't like flying at the best of times, which is strange considering all the flying that I do. Something about being in a glorified rocket where you put your life in the hands of complete strangers just doesn't work for me, no matter how many times I'm told it's the safest form of transport in the world. Usually, however, once I'm in the air at cruising altitude I tend to forget where I am and get lost into a book, or, on the larger flights a film or music until I have to land again. The flight into Cusco was genuinely one of the scariest flights I have done.
The flight from Lima isn't particularly long, and unlike some other journeys it was a decent sized plane that was almost full. The flight was relatively smooth until we came in for landing. Cusco is a city built at a high altitude (almost 3,400m) and as we began our descent I very quickly realised that some of the surrounding mountains were actually higher than the plane which was now beginning to make a lot of sharp turns and a very steep and quick descent. Usually at this point I would look around and see people around me acting normal but almost everyone else had their hands dug into their seats, some had their eyes closed. I turned to look out the window and the hills and valleys looked ridiculously close to the plane, it was both beautiful and also panic inducing. The constant turns from the plane didn't help and I don't think I've ever been more glad than when we finally landed on the runway. We walked out into an environment significantly cooler than Lima and an airport which was extremely small. However, if I thought my journey into Cusco was bad, going out, almost two weeks later, would be even worse. SummaryAirport Rating **** Reception of locals ***** Cost: £££
Bangkok is an assault on the senses. The sights, sounds and smells are overwhelming and impressive in equal measure. The dichotomy of rich and poor, modern Bangkok and the old city are amplified when compared to other cities in SE Asia. There is a lot to see and a lot to do, and if you can handle the humidity and heat you could easily spend months here and still be exploring the city.
I caught an overnight train from Chiang Mai to Bangkok with a few people that I had met on my way to the north of Thailand. The trains from the north are quite big, I'm a reasonably sized guy and didn't have much trouble in the beds located in the carriages. There were about 9 of us who headed down together, most were around my age or a little bit older and the journey was a lot of fun (probably not for those around us though). We spent most of the journey enjoying the scenery of the Thai countryside. We played a few games and spoke about our home countries. An attendant on the train came round late in the evening to convert the seating into beds. We decided we weren't ready to sleep just yet and decided to have some competitions. The girls thought it would be fun to have a tricep dip competition. As a guy that likes to work out, I had a lot of fun doing it but it was hilarious, One Swiss girl in particular spent the best part of 20 minutes trying to do one tricep dip. Everytime she would get close, everyone would burst out laughing. I felt bad for her, but when you start laughing, pretty much anything is funny. By 3am most people were asleep so instead of disturbing everyone if someone wanted to talk they would just come over to your bed or you would go to theirs. It was funny watching people trying to jump from bed to bed then disappearing behind curtains. After an hour or so I felt ready to close my eyes and just then I saw a head poke through the curtain. There was no way anyone was getting any sleep. SummaryAirport Rating N/A Reception of locals ***** Cost: £
Whenever I get asked what my favourite city that I visited is, the answer is always the same - Chiang Mai.
There is a buzz about this city that isn't easily explained and must be experienced. I travelled to Chiang Mai via coach after spending a few days in Lampang. Surrounded on all sides by hills and mountains, Chiang Mai is built in the valley and naturally very beautiful, although the fact it is built in a valley could explain the humidity. I thought Bangkok was humid, this wasn't far off. After getting some food, I headed off to Doi Suthep, a temple on the edge of the city. The temple is about a 45 minute drive from the city centre along a beautiful ,scenic winding road up the side of a very steep hill. As I reached the end of the road for cars, I stepped outside into a busy market place set up at the base of the temple, as with most other tourist attractions in Thailand, stalls ranged from Doi Suthep themed souvenirs, to strange objects, clothes and quite uniquely, swords. As I walked through the markets I reached the end of the paved road and was greeted by a 300 step naga guarded staircase. SummaryAirport Rating N/A Reception of locals *****
The drive from Sukhothai to Lampang was a pleasant 3/4 hours. The roads weren't particularly bumpy and greenery of the central Thai countryside was slowly transformed into more mountainous terrain as we moved north.
Lampang is one of Thailand's relatively untouched cities. Locals refer to it as the 'last paradise' in their country. Tourism has brought a significant amount of benefits for the north of the country, but with tourist money has come new developments. The traditional cities of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai have been transformed into cities with skyscrapers, catering to the tourism industry. Lampang stands out in this development. The cityscape has remained broadly the same, and tourism is still in its infancy. Those tourists that do stay, tend only to stop off for a lunch break. I fell into a third category, staying slightly longer to explore the surrounding area. SummaryAirport Rating ***** Reception of locals *****
There's a few ways to get to these islands, you can either catch a ferry from Surat Thani or fly in from Bangkok. I decided to catch an overnight train from Bangkok to Surat Thani and then a ferry to the islands. Unlike the overnight train from the north to Bangkok, this train was much small, and significantly less comfortable. On the train I met a group who were travelling to Singapore and Malaysia and got chatting to a few of them to kill some time. They were at the beginning of their 6 month adventure and seemed very excited, it helped me a second wind as I was about halfway through my summer and getting quite exhausted.
The three islands are very different, but the one thing that connects them all is the feeling you are in paradise. Koh Samui is the largest of the islands, and also the busiest. Whilst not quite as noisy or humid as the north, there was definitely a feeling of a busy island in certain places. I had met a few people in the north of Thailand including one who lived in Koh Samui so she showed me around some of the main sights which I was thankful for. First stop was the lookout point, a part of the island where you can look out across the island also the sea surrounding the island. Stopping off the side of a main road, I managed to take a few pictures. Its strange, as soon as you step away from the road and look out over the side, you forget you are on a pretty busy island. The Golden Buddha is possibly the main attraction in Koh Samui and its an imposing sight. A large, golden statue of Buddha on the side of a large cliff is impressive and definitely a unique sight. Surrounded by busy markets, you walk up a fair few steps before reaching the temple where the statue sits. You walk around ringing every bell in a clockwise direction before coming back to face the statue. I visited quite a few temples in SE Asia, but this did stand out. SummaryAirport Rating ***** Reception of locals *** Cost: £££££
You can read my new updated 2022 article on Dubai here.
After spending a summer in Thailand, and some time in Singapore, I was exhausted by the time I reached Dubai, and that may have had an impact on my enjoyment of the city, but nevertheless, I tried to see as much as I could in the few days that I spent there. I have always been fascinated by large, imposing architecture and I followed the development of the Burj Khalifa complex closely. It was one of the special sights on my 'to-do list' and I had been looking forward to seeing it for a number of years. I didn't realise just how early into my journey I actually would see it. As the plane taxied on the runaway, in the distance I could see the Burj Khalifa, towering on the horizon. I was astounded that I could see it from such a distance and you cant be anything but amazed by its sheer size. I got a reasonably priced taxi to my hotel which was close to the Gold Souk market, just outside the main city. I'd managed to get a last minute deal online, giving me a 5* hotel for less than GBP 80 per night, I figured, after a summer of hostels, huts and local houses, a few nights in a nice hotel at a good price would be a welcome change. Booking sites usually have offers on different hotels on different days of the week, I would always recommend checking these offers as I've managed to get some nice hotels on a number of occasions for the fraction of their 'true' price. I decided to venture into the city on the first day and head toward the Burj Khalifa. I left the hotel at about 2pm. As I was leaving the receptionist asked where I was going so I told him I'd be walking to the subway station and heading into the city. He recommended that I wait a few hours until it cools and I told him not to worry. "Okay Sir, but dont say I didnt warn you" he replied with a smile on his face. I didnt think too much about it. I stepped outside and almost instantly felt a burning, searing dry heat on my head. I thought after a summer in Thailand I'd be used to the heat, but this was different, this was an angry, raging, dry heat. I thought about heading back, but then the pride kicked in, there was no way I was walking past the same receptionist only minutes later. I'll never forget that walk to the subway station.. I knew I had done something stupid when the streets were deserted; locals and tourists were all indoors. I walked through the streets, zig -zagging into any shade I could find. After about 30 minutes that felt like 2 hours, I finally found the subway stop and ran indoors into the air conditioned building. It felt like a journey to Mordor, but I was finally there. The subway system stretches across the spine of the city, and buying tickets is relatively simple. I headed toward the financial district for about 30 minutes where I got off and took a short walk to the Burj Khalifa. |
AuthorBritish Sikh, born in the Midlands, based in London, travelling the world seeing new cultures. Categories
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