Culture & Religion Archives

Philippines

Pray the Gay Away (Philippines Diary #7)

It’s so great when you become a familiar face in a place and the locals recognise you and ask how your day is going. I spent a night near an old fishing village and went for a walk through it during the day with my friend Alina and her little

Vietnam

Tet in Danang, Pimps & The Bunker (Vietnam Diary #5)

I jumped wide awake thinking that Danang was being carpet-bombed! It was midnight on 29 January 2025. Tet in Danang (the Lunar New Year) had officially begun. I got a decent view of the show from my hotel window and didn’t feel the need to head towards it. Fireworks are

Vietnam

Hungry Ghosts (Vietnam Travel Diary #3)

I’m regretting not having done at least a little bit of research into the local area before booking a full week stay. My morning walk got blocked by a big construction gate. I was trying to get to a garden cafe but Google Maps wasn’t having any of that. It

Vietnam

Is Marriage On? (Vietnam Travel Diary #5)

It was my first chance to do an extra-long walkabout since arriving in Vietnam. It totaled 16km doing a circuit of the two major lakes in Ha Noi, with various pitstops at a few interesting-looking places. The gates to all the temples and pagodas were locked up tight though. I

Indonesia

The Land of the Mosques (Indonesia Travel Diary #4)

The Balinese cockerels were kind enough to give me a wakeup call, even though it was an hour earlier than intended, at 4am. I got to watch a Bali sunrise though – outside of a McDonalds while waiting to get fetched to go to the port. There, madness awaited. After

Indonesia

God Be With You (Indonesia Travel Diary #7)

I wouldn’t have time to visit the east-side of Lombok, so I headed north. Top Tip for anyone planning a visit, you want to stay on the north-west part of the island, around about here! I had finally found a beach I could do business with. There were HUGE corals

Vietnam

Marble and Stone (Vietnam Travel Diary #14)

I had planned to re-visit Thailand after my Vietnam visa expired. I missed my friend and associated company. It had been a hard month. However, getting a second, single-entry visa in such a short time, did not seem possible! I considered a short stint in Cambodia while waiting for a