I write The Mango Road because I got tired of travel blogs and magazines that seem more interested in telling me about the ten or fifteen things I must buy/eat/do. I travel because I'm fascinated by the places I visit, their history, landscapes and the people I meet there. |

Darjeeling: Mantra for the morning
“Good morning,” they sang like a group of school children welcoming Sir into the classroom. Good morning I replied with more geniality than I ever thought I could muster at 5.00am on a rather chilly morning.

A model business woman
I’d arrived at Ta Prohm early to try and beat the crowds. It opens at 07.30, I had 15 minutes to wait. Of course this left me at the mercy of the souvenir vendors.

The Jungle Line: A train ride into Malaysia’s interior
The Jungle Line: A train ride into Malaysia’s interior In 1938 a new passenger service named The Golden Blowpipe was

What future for Asia’s old Railways?
What future for Asia’s old Railways? Early morning at Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong station is always a busy time. Overnight trains

Kebun Raya, Bogor: Gardens in the city
He who plants a garden, plants happiness, says the old proverb. When Casper Reinwardt established his botanical gardens at Buitenzorg in 1817 he did just that.

Watching the river flow – Luang Prabang 25 years ago
It was a bit of a white knuckle descent but all that whirling land out of the port side window was an impressive sight.
Simon Winchester, struck by a sudden need to discover what was left of the British Empire, set out to visit the far-flung islands that are all that remain of what once made Britain great. He traveled 100,000 miles, from Antarctica to the Caribbean, the Mediterranean to the Far East, to capture a last glint of imperial glory.
His adventures in these distant and forgotten ends of the earth make compelling, often funny reading and tell a story most of us had thought was over: a tale of the last outposts in Britain’s imperial career and those who keep the flag flying.
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