Fire at sunset

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Warm shades of orange lit up the sky as these tires burned on Budaiya highway, blocking my way home and trapping me between rioting youths and riot police. Gave me time to think about my shopping list for dinner.

Bahrain Air Show

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After enjoying Farnborough a few years ago, the well publicised 2012 Bahrain Air Show caught my attention. I may have been overly enthusiastic about the event (regrettably access to the exhibitors and airplanes was restricted to VIPs, which didn’t include … Continue reading

Voting and protesting

Voting inprogress at the mall

Newly arrived in the country, the Bahrain City Center mall seemed to me like a popular venue for both voting and demonstrating. From the news coverage that followed, I understood it wasn’t a regular happening.

Driving

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Getting used to it all involved getting used to a lot of driving, and learning how to tackle some of the hazards once hopes never to encounter here.

In the Gulf

Seef skyline

First impressions as I had just arrived in Bahrain, my new base for the foreseeable future.  

Saigon

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Brief visit to Saigon, following a well-trodden path to visit the Củ Chi tunnels and doing the obligatory financial contribution to the army. A few random sights, scantily dressed girls outside Notre Dame Cathedral, and the whacky colourful Cao Đài … Continue reading

Stones in the jungle

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Cambodia has some mighty splendid temples, and the hordes of tourists trampling all over them still look tiny and insignificant in the face of such majesty. And the country gently reminds the curious visitor of how much sorrow it went … Continue reading

Laos

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Itinerary through Laos, starting in Vientiane, then on to Vang Vieng and then through the once trecherous mountains road ending up in Luang Prabang. Beautiful sights, a Laos is a true gem in South East Asia.

The durian

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I’d procrastinated for 2 years before my inevitable first taste of the durian fruit. Carefully selected as one would discuss a cheese with the fromager, the edible part of the fruit was unceremoniously plopped in a plastic container for my … Continue reading

Mobile blogging?

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I started my blog in late 2003 and was running it on the platform called Greymatter. The blog world has moved a lot since then and the development of Greymatter eventually stopped stopped. So I’ve been pushed to look for … Continue reading

Waterloo Street

Waterloo street

Chinese hawker drawing the crowds with his traditional medicines and wondrous devices to cure all ills. I love it.