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“…[a]n agreeable life, luncheon at this club or that, drives along trim, wide roads, bridge at this club or that, gin pahits…then back through the night to dress for dinner and out again to dine with this hospitable host or … Continue reading
This gallery contains 32 photos.
Despite being the smallest capital city in Southeast Asia, Vientiane is no less diverse ethnically and religiously. Its commercial and religious architecture is consequently, one of the most interestingly diverse as well so far on the Grand Tour. It’s almost … Continue reading
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Where colonial and institutional architecture is concerned, Vientiane resembles its cousin Phnom Penh, with many colonial villas now housing government institutions, and many civic institutions occupying modernist and art deco buildings from the ‘50s and ‘60s. There are two main … Continue reading
This gallery contains 12 photos.
The Remains of the Day The Settha Palace Hotel is one of two legendary hotels in Vientiane, the other being the Lane Xang Hotel, built in the 1960s by the Russians, and famous for having played host to Beat author … Continue reading
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“Laos is as different from Vietnam as Big Sur is from Long Island.” Hunter S. Thompson, Checking Into the Lane Xang In Its Own Time Ten years is a long time between visits. But then, I never expected to revisit … Continue reading
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Unfortunately, when I arrived in Phnom Penh that weekend, King Sihanouk had just passed away, and his body been ceremonially laid in state in the Royal Palace. As such, most of the Palace compound – about three quarters of it, … Continue reading
This gallery contains 40 photos.
Forget what the guidebooks and online advisories say. Phnom Penh’s architecture and cityscape is breathtaking, particularly in and around the city centre, huddled along the banks of the Ton Le Sap River. Phnom Penh is also immensely walkable. In fact, … Continue reading
This gallery contains 12 photos.
While in Phnom Penh, stay at the Hotel Le Royal, so goes conventional wisdom. And so I did. Situated in the heart of the city’s colonial quarter to the north, Le Royal has led a charmed life. Opened in 1929 … Continue reading
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“[A]lready all we have built in Phnom Penh appears old under the effects of the burning sun; the fine, straight streets we have constructed are devoid of any human presence and overgrown with grass; one could believe that this is … Continue reading
This gallery contains 20 photos.
While Bangkok was never colonised, it was the seat of a colonial empire that encompassed most of what we now know as Indochina, and parts of present-day Malaysia and Burma. Up until the early 20th century, the Kings of Siam … Continue reading
Dream Of A City 