Podworld - Exploring interesting places

2011 draws to a close after a fantastic year of travel including a splendid time in Malaysia. Thoughts now turn to destinations for 2012, Olympic year. Contenders include a return to marvellous Malaysia, another journey to the United States after a five year absence and a road trip from France to Southern Spain. So much of the world to see, so little time to see it.

Seville Cathedral An abiding memory of Seville is walking past its splendid cathedral at night feeling the warmth radiated after the daylight sun. Seville is a fine city with many worthy attractions and yet does not oversell itself. The Alcazar, a moorish palace, is one of Seville's must see places and a number of excellent restaurants including a superb Italian on the south bank of the River in Betis called San Marco. A tram runs through the centre of the city taking you from the market area and past the cathedral. All the usual Spanish delights such as Tapas and great ice cream can be found in abundance in this very welcoming city.

I took a trip into the Murcia heartlands to check out the spa baths of Balneario de Archena. This was midweek in autumn and the baths were not quiet but neither were they over crowded. There are two main thermal baths, one largely outdoor with an indoor extension under a conservatory, and the other mainly indoor with an outside area. You can use either at anytime and it is just about 25 metres between the two. Massages are also available at a reasonable cost (10-15€ today) but we simply swam and enjoyed the whirlpools and jacuzzis of the two pools. Very enjoyable and a place to recommend.

It is a place much visited and Murcia has called again. I find it hard to credit that in a nation which welcomes so many Britons this corner of Spain is left for the Spanish and those of us who have discovered its unheralded charms. Summer  or winter, this is the place to be for me.

This North Eastern corner of England is a land of contrasts. These cliffs at Flamborough in Yorkshire can be often windswept and attacked in no uncertain measure by the elements. One in a while though the wind ceases, the sun emerges and a glorious paradise emerges. This was one such day this late summer. The towering white chalk cliffs stood proudly over the benign crystal clear sea. At times like this it is possible to explore the rocky foreshore and the normally hidden rock pool teeming with life and the tide recedes and that was evident on this particular day. On top of the cliffs that day it was possible to see the coast stretch out her mighty arms north towards Scarborough and south beyond Hornsea and Mappleton. Yorkshire has countless breathtaking vistas but on this day Flamborough was unsurpassed in the county for its drama and awe-inspiring beauty. Yet despite this Flamborough and it's complementary beauty spots in the East Riding of Yorkshire remain largely unvisi...

Source material for the magnificent Bigger Trees near Warter. As painted by David Hockney, RA.

Twenty minutes drive from the over built traffic strewn eyesore of Benidorm in Spain is a tiny little paradise. It is called Fonts d'Agar. Here it is possible to swim in the flowing waters of a river which rises in the mountains around Valencia, even at the height of the summer. There is a charge as the local authority has created walkways and bridges to take you along the banks of the river safely. It is worth it and although the falls are popular it never seems to be over crowded despite its proximity to Spain's over-blown resort.

Such a sweet monkey, or so we thought. Moments after she gazed into the lens this little blighter dived into our bag and made off with a packet of biscuits. Then halfway up a tree she and her family chomped them before our very eyes. Wild monkeys? They seemed perfectly happily to interact with human contact or at least their biscuits.

Sky High , a photo by Simonhul on Flickr. Enjoying an elevated sunset flight. I caught this moment from a beach on the tropical Malay island of Langkawi. This is where beautiful blue seas and white sands meet tropical rain forest and mango swamps. It is a splendid island which is not over developed for tourism and has many many breathtaking sights like the seven wells waterfalls, known locally as Telaga Tujuh. Langkawi is about the size of the Spanish island Mallorca but you won't find wild monkey's and water buffalo having a casual stroll along the highway in the Balearics.

I took this photograph on the narrow road which runs from the tourist centre of Siem Reap to Tonle Sap, the giant Cambodian lake, It struck me that this was a place at peace with itself. Many years before it had become known as The Killing Fields . I would recommend Siem Reap and Angkor as a place to visit and will certainly make a return trip. Even though I describe Siem Reap as a tourist centre, it has to be one of the quietest and relaxed places one can find.

The Alhambra Palace in Andalusia's hillside city of Granada evokes thoughts of nobility and chivalry. It is a cornerstone of Spain's sometimes turbulent yet dynamic past. For all this, two previous visits had left me a little underwhelmed and I did not know why. It was then with some trepidation I embarked on a third visit, 15 years after last which was by some coincidence 15 years from my first. The travelling public courtesy of the many helpful websites had suggested a nearby one star hotel as one to consider. Plain, simple, clean and comfortable. So it was that the Hotel Albero was booked. http://www.hotelalbero.com/ It delivered on all the qualities described and was inexpensive too. Not only that but a neighbouring restaurant provided a fabulous meal even if it was about the cost of the hotel room. Once at the Palace I recalled why it might not have been the enchanting place I expected those 15 years ago. I had a toddler in tow and the need to use a buggy restricted m...

In an unplanned move this latest journey took me to the Dutch town of Arnhem. This neat little town, close to the German border,  was the scene of one of the most bitter battles on World War Two in 1944. It was later immortalised by the film, A Bridge Too Far by Richard Attenborough. The modern day Arnhem bears little resemblance to the war torn town as a small but tidy visitor centre on the north bank of the bridge explains. It explains how 188 civilians and countless members of German and Allied soldiers lost their lives fighting over the bridge. If it had fallen into the hands of the Allies, the belief was that their forces could push forward towards Germany and Berlin in particular to bring the war to an early conclusion. In the end the Allies could not get their ground forces to support the airbourne divisions as they had planned and so the Germans held the bridge. In response the Americans bombed and destroyed the bridge creating a stalemate between the two armies. The f...

Beijing Taxi Tricycle - Tuk Tuk Originally uploaded by Simonhul This curious machine serves as a taxi in Beijing. This is by means the only taxi you can hail. Regular vehicles can be hailed inexpensively. The traffic is Beijing is awful. Journeys of not many miles can take far longer than you would expect from looking at the map. The metro is an efficient way of moving about although it is not as comprehensive as counterparts in New York or London.