Podworld - Exploring interesting places

Grand Palace, Bangkok Originally uploaded by Simonhul The Grand Palace stands at the heart of Bangkok in wonderful splendour. Nominally a royal palace these days it serves as the mojor tourist attraction of the city and for good reason. Its temples, courtyards and state rooms are all preserved to the very highest standard.

Red Flag Originally uploaded by Simonhul This is somewhere I never expected to be, the Great Wall of China. This was the highlight of a week's working trip to Beijing. This image was taken fairly early in the day and although we were nearly an hour out of Beijing the whole place was packed. The smog for which Beijing is famed was still evident here in the rural China. The red flag was the only colour in the image but the Great Wall was a wonder to behold. 

l This was an incomplete early blog entry I discovered about a stunning trip to Cambodia. It remains one of my favourite places in the world. I look forward, one day, to returning to Siem Reap. Having started the blog, today I decided to give it a little more depth. In the main I have added images from that journey. I took a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Siem Reap. From it took about two hours. I already had a visa. Despite the un-industrial nature of the country, I was able to obtain an electronic visa before I left. It made admission into Cambodia straightforward. The temples of Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom are easily accessible from Siem Reap. I travelled, in turn, by taxi, tuk-tuk and bicycle. The tuk-tuks, which are covered trailers fastened to Honda or Suzuki 50ccs, can be hired by prior arrangement with the individual operator. I found them to be inexpensive and convenient. I hope some of these tips tempt you. This part of Cambodia should be par...

Mazarron Mines Originally uploaded by Simonhul This sensational piece of earth is in the town (pueblo) of Mazarron in South East Spain. It is the site of a former silver and lead mine which is now disused but when fully operational, provided the area with its wealth. The local authority in Mazarron has laid out a public walk through the works. At certain times of the week guided toursa are organised in Spanish and English. The local tourist information centres in Mazarron and Puerto de Mazarron will have more details.

Hebrides - Scotland's Western Isles This is the story of how a week's holiday was enjoyed in the mysterious world of Scotland's Outer Hebrides. We left Newcastle facing an eight hour drive to Skye. Took A1 via Edinburgh and after skirting the north of the city happened upon Leith. The area is undergoing massive redevelopment and we found a splendid sandwich shop, not cheap. We made our way to Dalmeny to catch to train to North Queensferry to take us over the Forth Bridge. A life time ambition fulfilled thanks to a visit there aged six and the film The 39 Steps. Then it as pedal to the metal for Skye, Just a slight problem though. The room wasn’t booked. We phoned ahead to warn the hotel we would be a few minutes late and they suddenly realised we were not booked in. We settled down to eat some fifteen miles from our destination. The call came through, we were booked in  –  next door. We may have been lucky or the good fortune smiled upon us but next do...