Time to lace the boots and get some dirt on them. Heading out of the old town I followed the familiar track up the hills, past the Spanish mosque and onwards into steeper terrain. Coming my way were a couple of older women, heading for the market in town to sell their goods. The path […]
Music and Dance
It’s the last day of Bisket Jatra today. Or second to last, I lost track. In comparison to huge chariots, even bigger poles and pools of chicken blood, today was almost mundane. Devotees of the various gods and goddesses walked through the streets, visiting their favourite temples. Many of them were wearing traditional Newari dresses […]
Cockfight
According to common folklore, baby Jesus was born some 2000 years ago. Considering how Christianity has brought two millennia of terror and suffering onto the world, why not celebrate the anniversary with a little bloodshed. Stage free for cock-fighting in the village down the road. Just as on the Philippines, the cocks have a single […]
Noodle Soup on familiar Turf
It’s 7:20 when we take off from Colombo, en route for the short 3h hop over to Bangkok. Once arrived, it takes a while to clear the long queue at immigration but finally I’m on the train into the centre. Seeing the city approach brings back memories. I’ve only visited Bangkok properly twice (I think) […]
Around the City
Southeast Asia is a dangerous place. Lots of people, including visitors, get killed in traffic accidents. That’s not really on peoples’ minds though and when westerners are going to any country in the region, they are usually more afraid of Malaria. Palestine is probably a much safer place, especially for visitors. The Israeli occupation kills […]
Walking and Whisky
Most tourists come to Islay either by car or with their bicycles which is not the worst idea as public transportation is rather scarce. I don’t have either and using a bicycle on a windy island for hours wouldn’t be to my taste anyway. For Sunday I planned a visit to the Bowmore distillery which […]