When we think about the history of Vietnam, it’s often easy just to focus on the Vietnam War, which had changed the face of the country by the time it finished in 1975. But when it comes to the history of Vietnam, the war is just a tiny blip, and there was plenty before it that shaped it more significantly. For thousands of years, this land has been ruled by different cultures and, even in more recent centuries, different dynasties. It’s all of this that is explored at the History Museum of Ho Chi Minh City. Despite having the city’s name in its official title, this is actually a museum lookin ..read more

Even with all the time I have spent in Thailand over the past 20 or so years, it took me years until I made it to Pattaya. The problem was its reputation – as a hub for sex tourism and everything that brought with it. Of course, there are many more things to do in Pattaya that don’t involve the red light districts or the ‘companions’ that many foreign visitors pick up for their stay. But are they worth the visit? Well, I’m about to give you some suggestions for what to do in Pattaya, and some of them are interesting and fun. But I have to be honest right at the top here – I wouldn’t really rec ..read more

When it comes to maritime Europe, it seems the Mediterranean Sea gets most of the attention – its warm water and golden beaches attracting tourists, while its geography has made it an important trade route since ancient civilisations emerged on its shores. In comparison, the Baltic Sea in the north of Europe can often be a bit overlooked. Too cold for swimming much of the year (except for people braver than me) and without the beautiful sun-soaked islands, the Baltic Sea doesn’t have nearly the number of holidays resorts as the Med. And, without a thoroughfare like the Suez Canal, and borderin ..read more

From its founding in the 14th century, one of Riga’s landmarks, the House of the Blackheads, was a social club for unmarried merchants and foreigners in the city. Not surprisingly, things could get a little wild in the lavish reception areas that the organisation’s wealthy members gathered in. One December, in 1510 to be exact, the Brotherhood of Blackheads constructed a replica of a tree and paraded it through the streets of Riga before ‘planting’ it in front of their headquarters. Probably under the influence of quite a few mulled wines, they decorated the tree with flowers, fruits, and ligh ..read more

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been to Bangkok in my life. Maybe 20? 30? Possibly even more. Each time, I’ve had the opportunity to explore different neighbourhoods and discover new places to stay in Bangkok. And the wonderful thing I’ve realised after all these trips – there really is no bad area! Bangkok is a huge city with so much to see and do. But it’s also very tourist friendly and generally quite well connected by public transport (or cheap taxis). So regardless of where you stay in Bangkok, you’ll be able to get around the city. There’s also a fantastic range of styles and ..read more

Before I tell you about the things you’ll see in Putrajaya, let me tell you the thing you won’t see – traffic! On the wide boulevards that run through the centre of the city, down the side streets between modern buildings, along the arcing roads that connect the outer precincts, there is a smattering of cars but barely enough to make me wait for a green light when I’m crossing the road. While the streets in the centre of Kuala Lumpur are relatively calm compared to the mayhem of Bangkok, for example, Putrajaya could almost be post-apocalyptic in its emptiness. Is there anybody here? It’s a fa ..read more

From this part of the Croatian coast, the islands beckon. There’s the large island of Hvar, with its charming towns and ancient Stari Grad Plain; and there’s also a plethora of smaller ones easily accessible from Split, with gorgeous beaches and welcoming landscapes. But there’s only one island here that is covered entirely by a historic town, a town so significant that it has been designated as a World Heritage Site. I’m talking about Trogir: the best preserved medieval town on the east coast of the Adriatic! The historic part of Trogir that covers the island is small – just 500 metres long ..read more

These days, it seems so ludicrous that you would just split a country apart – especially along a fairly arbitrary line like the 38th parallel… but that’s exactly what they did to Korea at the end of the Second World War. To try to deal with the remaining tensions between the major powers at the end of the war, the US and the Soviet Union agreed to temporarily divide the Korean Peninsula in a straight east-west line while they worked out what to do. As we now know, though, they couldn’t work out what to do. This irrational hard border led to the Korean War. It led to the creation of two new cou ..read more

Malta’s position in the Mediterranean Sea has long made it an important centre for the growth and exchange of cultures. Relatively hot and dry, and with soil that doesn’t naturally lend itself to easy agriculture, it is not in itself a country that would’ve been popular for settlers. Except, that is, for its extremely strategic location between the continents of Europe, Africa, and Asia. It’s probably one of the reasons why humans found these islands so many millennia ago, and wanted to make their mark. Two of the World Heritage Sites in Malta show not just how early the country was inhabited ..read more

When I pop into the small visitor information booth near the Tomb of King Suro, the woman behind the counter looks shocked. She doesn’t see many foreign tourists here, she tells me. It’s perhaps no surprise that visiting the Gaya Tumuli in Gimhae is not at the top of the list for things to do in South Korea. I mean, a collection of ancient mounds that have tombs hidden inside them? To be honest, I probably wouldn’t have come if it wasn’t for my quest to visit World Heritage Sites. Yet I will turn out to be pleasantly surprised by my time here – in more ways than one. One pleasant surprise is ..read more