Archive

World Heritage in Kyoto, Japan In some ways, Kyoto is the cultural archives of Japan. The city, about an hour from Osaka, was central to Japanese history for well over a thousand years and the marks of that millennium are in every little corner you could possibly explore. If you come to Japan looking for ...

Kew Gardens, London, England In the world of conservation, there’s a lot of emphasis put on the survival of endangered animals. The idea of an entire species being wiped off the planet forever because of the actions of humans makes most people feel an impotent meld of despair and anger. But, of course, animals are ...

Horyuji, Japan Have you ever wondered where the oldest wooden building in the world is? I know it’s a question that has kept me awake many a night. But don’t fear, today I have the answer. Not from the Japanese city of Nara, in the Kansai region, is a temple complex called Horyuji. In some ...

Koyasan, Japan To appreciate the beauty, you must endure the hardships of the journey. That seems to have been the ethos of the ancient Japanese who built the shrines and temples in the south of the Kansai region. These old strongholds of religion were the destinations for pilgrims of the time but there was much ...

The three wise monkeys The three wise monkeys look a little worse for wear. I would have thought that being shielded from evil would have had some kind of rejuvenating effect. But apparently not. Still, for more than three hundred years these apes have been seeing no evil, hearing no evil and speaking no evil. ...

Angkor, Siem Reap, Cambodia There is no doubt that the region of Angkor is one of the most important archaeological sites in the world. For more than 500 years it was the centre of the Khmer empire and still today it is the spiritual heart of Cambodia. That the national flag has the main temple ...

Preah Vihear temple, Cambodia A temple should be a sanctuary of peace and harmony. It should not be a weapon of war. But for the temple of Preah Vihear, it seems inescapable. It is surrounded by soldiers. Built on top of a cliff more than 500 metres high, the best way to reach it is ...

Ayutthaya, Thailand It’s weird to stand in the middle of what was once the largest city in the world and be surrounded by rubble. Ayutthaya, the former capital of Siam, was home to more than a million people in the 1700s. It was a huge trading centre in the middle of the world that brought ...

Belem Tower, Lisbon During a recent trip to Portugal, I passed through Lisbon. Unfortunately I was only there for a few waking hours and only slightly more sleeping hours. In many ways, it was disappointing. I had never been to Lisbon before and didn’t know much about the city but in the short time I ...

Oporto, Portugal Blue and white tiles. Each, meaningless. But together, a grand image taking people off the street and inside the creation for a minute. All through the streets of Porto, Portugal’s second-largest city, these tiled mosaics bring life to the roads, the pathways, and the squares. But behind the colourful and active displays is ...