End of Hong Kong cross-border trains
‘End of an era’ for Hong Kong MTR’s cross-border through-train services with Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai The first journey to a destination, how we got there, the sights, sounds and smells – they are all important parts of collective memory. Nostalgic thoughts have come flooding back for many people in Hong Kong and on the mainland China side of the border with reports that the through train to Guangzhou, Shanghai and [...]
The Story of the Hejaz Railway
The Hejaz railway was a narrow-gauge railway, opened in 1908, that ran from Damascus to Medina, through the Hejaz region of modern day Saudi Arabia, with a branch line to Haifa on the Mediterranean Sea. hicaz rail The Ottoman Empire was very sensitive about the adaptation of modern technology to the country. For example, it is seen that communication technology such as the telegraph was transferred to the Ottoman country [...]
Steaming off to Ayutthaya
Steaming off to Ayutthaya to celebrating 125 years of rail travel in Thailand A special steam train pulled out of Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong railway station for Ayutthaya on Saturday morning March 26th to mark the State Railway of Thailand (SRT)’s 125th anniversary. The Transport Ministry is considering such special train trips from the iconic Hua Lamphong station after Bangkokians protested against plans to shut it down late last year. The [...]
The Best Beach in Bali
THE BEST BEACH IN BALI The best beaches in Bali are found in the south : around Kuta, Jimbaran and the Bukit Peninsula. Some of these are also very busy (particularly the coast from Kuta to Seminyak). Hop in a taxi or rent a car and it’s easy to find some great stretches of sand with few other tourists around. Bali is a year around destination so concern about weather [...]
Christmas in Pyongyang: How devout tourists can worship in North Korea
Visitors are not banned from attending church services or carrying a Bible, but proselytizing is strictly off-limits Gareth Johnson December 27, 2021 Image: NK News (file) | Inside Pyongyang's Bongsu Church, May 21, 2019 The following article is the sixteenth in a multipart series by Gareth Johnson of Young Pioneer Tours about being a North Korea tour guide. Views expressed in columns are exclusively the author’s own and do not represent those of [...]
Orient Express to debut La Dolce Vita in 2023
Accor-owned Orient Express will launch a new train service in Italy in 2023. In partnership with Arsenale, Orient Express La Dolce Vita will launch more than 150 years after Georges Nagelmackers debuted the luxury express. Six trains will embark through several iconic itineraries across 14 regions and beyond, including three international destinations from Rome to Paris, Istanbul and Split. A magical stopover in Rome will feature the very first Orient Express [...]
Bangkok’s historic Hua Lamphong train station is closing
Bangkok's historic Hua Lamphong train station is to take on new life under the SRT development plans. The Government is adamant the best of Hua Lamphong will remain, but locals are demanding more (Bangkok Post 28 November 2021) The sound of a station bell faded while a train was about to leave its platform at Bangkok's Hua Lamphong station. Soon the bell will not be used while [...]
Meet the Kung Fu Nuns of Kathmandu
October 19, 2021 - Fearless by name, ferociously kind by nature. In the Himalayas, Buddhist nuns aged 8 to 88 use kung fu to empower girls and inspire the world. Living by the message of “Be Your Own Hero”, their story (and moves) are too powerful not to share. It takes poise, and practice, for a 100-pound girl to topple a 200-pound assailant. Once you have become your own hero, [...]
Neeleshwar Hermitage, North Kerala – A Little Local History around Tellicherry.
Neeleshwar Hermitage is a serene and stylish retreat set in the dappled shade of a sleepy coconut grove on the pristine shores of the Arabian sea; the blissfully unspoilt Malabar coastline of Northern Kerala. Tellicherry, formerly known as Thalassery, is a little town with a big history about 80 kms down the coast from The Hermitage. The British first established their presence here in 1682, obtaining permission to settle from [...]
