The Most Beautiful Walk in the World - a pedestrian in Paris, by John Baxter, Harper Perennial Reviewed by Ceridwyn Parr What is the most beautiful walk in the world? For ex-pat American John Baxter who has chosen to live in Paris- sigh- the most beautiful walk is down his street. His street happens to be Rue de l’Odean, in St Germain –des-Pres. This is where Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby, where Gertrude Stein lived with Alice B … [Read more...]
Sleeping our way through Spain’s Ancient Monasteries
Two book reviews by Ceridwyn Parr of Watershed Words Lodging in Spain’s Monasteries Eileen Barish Anacapa Press 2002 A Room with a Pew Richard Starks and Miriam Murcutt 2012 Teresa of Avila’s finger used to lie under the pillow of Franco, and now it was stretched out in front of our horrified yet fascinated eyes. Avila may be the most beautiful walled city in the western world, but it was snowing and we needed to be inside. The … [Read more...]
Portugal – 14 reasons to go
Why visit Portugal? Before I went to Portugal, the reasons were: 1. To listen to fado. I had fallen in love with Mariza, famous and beautiful singer of the plaintive Portuguese folk song called fado 2. To live cheaply. Portugal in 2009 was one of the cheapest places in Western Europe-important when you travel with Kiwi dollars 3.To see what is next door to Spain. I was walking the Camino to Santiago de … [Read more...]
Betel Nut- red lips, bad teeth, but is it really beautiful?
She got on the back of the truck with us. I looked at her red lips- was it betel nut?I looked at other women we passed on the road. The signs were definitely there. To Western eyes, the habit of betel nut chewing seems very unpleasant The red lips can seem attractive, from a distance, but closer observation will reveal the stained tongue and decayed teeth. Then there is the spitting and hoicking on to the ground. … [Read more...]
Vientiane, capital city of Laos
We enter Laos. The medals on the uniform of the immigration officer gleamed, as he stamped our passports. Thump! Thump! Thump! A small bow from us, a slight inclination of the head, from him.We walked out of the airpot, and into the sunshine of Vientiane, the capital of Laos. It was National Day in Laos, when they were marking 37 years of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. The streets were very quiet, shops and some restaurants were closed- … [Read more...]
Luang Prabang – lovely and langourous
Langourous Luang Prabang - we love you. I stole the ‘langourous’ bit from a poet, Oliver Bandmann, who writes here, but it is such an apt adjective- especially on these ‘mid winter’ days of misty mornings and golden afternoons in Luang Prabang. A town of temples Quiet, shady streets Heightened with saffron The golden stupas glow even brighter, the smoke from small restaurant barbecues twists up through the palms and banana plants, and … [Read more...]
Cambodia, land of awesome temples, waterways and fabulous food
My last blog focussed on the worst of Cambodia, so this time I will keep to the title of the Intrepid tour, The Best of Cambodia, and talk about variety, excitement and delight - the Temples and the waterways. how to get your ex backTemples to die for Like Machu Pichu, Mecca and Jerusalem, Angkor Wat in Cambodia is high on any bucket list. It is high in beauty and mystery, it is high in cultural value and it is high in terms of the steps you … [Read more...]
The Killing Schools and Killing Fields of Cambodia
Imagine your local school being suddenly surrounded with razor wire, its classrooms turned into rooms for torture and interrogation, its playground a place to string up victims, its back yard a place of hasty execution. Tuol Sleng was a pleasant neighbourhood school, in a residential area in Phnom Penh. During the Pol Pot reign of terror from 1975 to 1979, it was the main detention and interrogation centre. 14000 Cambodian citizens were … [Read more...]
Thailand – Long Neck Karen people
To see or not to see the Long Neck Karen - that is the tourist's dilemma. ‘Go and see if you want,’ said our local hosts. ‘We don’t support the Long Neck Village. It is just a tourist venture, which exploits these people.’. … [Read more...]
Thailand Trekking in Karen Villages
Thailand: trekking through Karen villages in the mountains of Northern Thailand was wonderful, exhausting, eye-opening and horrifying. It was quite hard work physically and certainly a cultural shock. Even the deep knee bends, and Qi Gong every morning had not really prepared us. … [Read more...]
