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Chiang Mai is small town in northern Thailand, famous for the many activities one can do. From elephant riding, trekking, rafting, visiting the tiger zoo to enjoying the many markets and strolling the old town.

And of course you cannot skip the many temples in the old town. When I left for Asia I was thinking that all the temples will look mostly similar. Yet I couldn’t be further away from the truth! It’s such an amazing variety, that I never suffered from “temple fatigue”.

The days I spent in Chiang Mai were split between a short trek to an elephant camp – were I enjoyed riding the huge beasts (great fun), visiting the main city and going to Doi Suthep (one of the larger temples in Thailand and definitely a sight to behold). Today’s photos are from the Chiang Mai proper, with elephant pictures and Doi Suthep coming the next days.

This is the last photo gallery from Laos – images from Luang Prabang street life, temples and life on the river. The last pictures are taken from the airplane, leaving for  Siem Reap. Previous galleries from laos can be found here and here.

Enjoy the photos. Laos is an amazing destination, with friendly people, beautiful places and a certain French air. Also some of the best coffee I ever drank (second only to Vietnam’s finest).

Laos is one of the smaller countries in the region, yet it managed to really amaze me. Luang Prabang has a relaxed rhythm and the best night market I found. A real pleasure to stroll around stalls with handicrafts, even if not buying. The old colonial French buildings, and the large number of French signs, give an air of unassuming sophistication. I have never seen so many beautiful guesthouses, cafes and restaurants in such a small town. It’s no wonder that Luang Prabang is on the UNESCO heritage list. Last but not least, walking on unpaved roads, exchanging ‘goodmornings’ with young monks and schoolchildren, and enjoying fruit juice in a plastic bag (delicious by the way) has a certain charm, lacking in the larger cities of the region.

For a holiday away from holiday place, Laos is a wonderful choice.

For some Laos is the “real” Asia. Of course, every country is very real. From the BTS in Bangkok to the hill tribes to relaxed Laos to  crazy traffic in Hanoi. Looking for the “real” Asia (re: rice fields, fastest vehicles being bicycles and a very slow life) means ignoring the places and people in-front of you. And enjoying the differences between the countries and peoples is a whole part of my (great) experience I had In Asia.

Having said that, once you step out of the plane in Luang Prabang you feel that time slows down a bit. Life gets a bit more sluggish, the traffic IS made up mostly of bicycles and life seems more relaxed (at least for the tourists).

At one point I got scared by a car horn. One gets used to quietness, and starts to appreciate it (more-so in retrospect as after Laos I went to Cambodia with crazy Phnom Penh).

Enjoy some of the photos I took in Luang Prabang.

Following the last post – and as a sign of my re-found travel itch – here are some photos took last year in Vietnam. I spent only about 5 days in Vietnam, of which 3 were in Halong Bay (I put some pictures on my blog). The remaining 2 days were spent in Hanoi – a big yet beautiful city. With a crazy traffic (a bit more crazy than the rest of SE Asia).

I was lucky to spend the weekend there, so all the parks were full with people enjoying the late autumn. Lots of photo opportunities!

Here are some of the photos, and as I process more I will continue to upload. Enjoy!

Bangkok is a very interesting city for a tourist. It is the gateway to Asia, so sooner or later everyone arrives here. Some will leave the city as quickly as possible, and some will stay longer. Besides the heat, air pollution, traffic and the annoying distances between the interesting places, Bangkok has a lot to offer.

From the amazing Royal Palace, which can take the better part of a day to fully visit to the beautiful temples, and from a cruise on the river to people watching from a bar on Sukhumvit there is something for everyone. And of course, there are the famous places like Khao San Rd or Nana Plaza, and shopping opportunities for every taste.

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This is not going to be a cheerful post. S21 – for those who do not know – is the codename for one of the most brutal prisons, where thousands of people were tortured. It all happened when the Khmers Rouges rulled Cambodia, between 1974 – 1979. In the name of creating a better society – a perfect agrarian utopia – the Pol Pot regime managed to  kill more than 3 millions Cambodians. From the moment the Khmers came to power and Phnom Penh fell, a giant program of extermination started. Until the Vietnamese army invaded in 1979 and put a stop to the madness, Pol Pot regime hunted its own people. Mass exodus from the cities (the city symbolized corruption), imprisonment, torture and ultimately death were what Khmers Rouges did. Even though that 30 years have passed, only now one of the last chapters of the nightmare ends. Deuch – the chief of the best known prison S21 – faces the tribunal for genocide. Some of the leaders of that regime already escaped justice – Pol Pot died.

Visiting S21, an old high school located in central Phnom Penh is an eerie experience. The countless photos of the killed (men, women, children) are haunting.

This Sunday I returned from the oh-too-short trip to Paris, and now I can post the last pictures from the “City of Lights”. I found it very unpleasant that the weather was great while I was in a meeting room and got bad when I started to roam the city.

However – wind, cold and occasional rains didn’t stop me from using the camera to try to capture Paris in autumn. This being my third time in Paris I was more looking to roam the streets and just enjoy a stroll. Enjoy the photo gallery!

Some of the highlights of the trip:

• taking a walk in Quartier Latin, and people-watching while sitting at a cafe
• browsing 3 art galleries (from the countless present) in St Germain quarter
• visiting St Denis basilica, the burial place of French monarchy
• Chateau de Vincennes, with it’s interesting fortress – which was used to “house” (read: imprison) the Marquis de Sade amongst others (this was before the Bastille became the lodging place for important prisoners)
• a short visit to the Quai de Branly museum, which houses current art from Africa or Asia and also temporary exhibitions ( I went to a ‘photography from Iran’)

Today was the first free day spent in Paris. After the beautiful Wednesday and Thursday, today the weather proved…uncooperative. It was extremely cold, it rained a bit, and the wind was freezing cold. This however didn’t stop me from visiting a bit.

I started with the basilique St. Denis – the burial place of the French kings. Very nice place to see, and the fact that I joined a group with a French guide (a professional one, nonetheless!) helped me to understand a lot. Very interesting information – how the cathedral was built, why did the kings of France start getting buried there, how the French Revolution made a mess of eveything, and so on. I even got to stay at a mess for Marie Antoinette!

After freezing the whole morning, I decided to continue the day with some walking around Montmartre and the the rest of Paris. From this second part of the day I attach some photos, while the ones from St Denis will come later.

It was very pleasant to see again Montmartre, Pigalle, the Moulin Rouge, Vendome, The Louvre, and other places from the spring trip. Only the biting cold put an early end to my trip – not only was I shivering but my camera batteries were dying.

Now I am planning tomorrow’s visiting, while enjoying the warmth in the hostel.

Well, it seems that the common element between my latest mountain trips is fog. Whether it was merely a distant mysterious curtain or an enveloping mass, it never dissipated.

in a very ethereal world, some people continued their climbing

While for admiring the landscapes it proved an annoyance, for photographic opportunities it was great. Some of the photos I took in my last trip are below. There are more than usual close-up shots, as sometime these were the only photographic possibilities.

me doing my first-ever rappel

I have returned from a very active weekend in Piatra Craiului, and I am still nursing my wounds. I went there with Serban and Andreea – the only people left from a larger group which slowly dissolved. The plan was to do 2 days of mountain climbing with a guide. The weekend proved to be immensely fun, scary, painful and pleasant…

Highlights include:

• me being the lunch and dinner for a colony of flies – I have on average 15 bites per leg or arm. And they itch like crazy!!!
• laughing to tears when Serban was scared by a dog sneezing
• getting terrorized after falling 20cm while climbing a nasty rock formation (I was safely secured…)
• finally managed to descend a cliff in rappel

A very nice weekend which got me thinking about trying a basic course of mountain-climbing. Enjoy the pictures!