In August Bangkok’s Big Chilli magazine opened with the short article – ‘Shocking Fate of Queen Victoria’s Statue’. They reported that the statue formerly in the British Embassy grounds had been relegated to the banks of a dirty klong (canal) along Soi Somkid in Central Bangkok: ‘a forlorn and thoroughly undignified sight for such a historically important figure.’ In 1947 the British Mission in...
Millets and Army & Navy Stores were the main suppliers of camping equipment in 70s Britain. Rucksacks were either army surplus, canvas with metal A frame or the popular Cobmaster brand in primary colours and distinctive external frame. Both had limited storage capacity designed for bedrolls and sleeping bags to be tied to the frame or under the flap. Water bottles, shoes and even pots and...
Thanks to Simon Ostheimer for posting one of my stories on his blog - Tales of the Orient under the heading 'Bottoms Up'. Simon is a travel writer and blogger who grew up in Hong Kong and is now based in Cambodia. James Bond 007 was arrested outside the Bottoms Up club by British agents posing as Royal Hong Kong Police officers in 'The Man with the Golden Gun'. The Bottoms Up club was a Hong...
Wanchai neon Remembering Harold Stephens Long Read “What the Marines taught me was that you can do anything. If it’s there, you can do it. You can do everything you want to. Once you get rid of this idea that you need money, you can do anything.” Harold Stephens 1926-2021 In January 2021 Harold ‘Steve’ Stephens a Bangkok based travel writer died at the age of 94. He was described as ‘a modern...
In March 2020, after 28 years in Hong Kong, I moved to Penang as a base to travel in the region. The Covid 19 pandemic ended that plan and I spent much of the time re-reading books I had collected over the years. The only new book I bought was ...