Author: Leighton

The Artisans Angkor Workshops in Siem Reap.

Artisans Angkor, Siem Reap. January 2020. A common misconception about Siem Reap is the idea that, aside from The Angkor Temples, “there’s nothing much to see”. I hear this time and time again. Moreover, I remember reading several blogs that claimed 2-3 days is enough to “do Siem Reap”. Mm. We spent seven months in Siem Reap and […]

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Wat Thmey Pagoda: Siem Reap’s Killing Fields.

Wat Thmey Pagoda, Siem Reap. January 2020. Back in 2015 my old travel buddy Wonderboy and I spent a day in Phnom Penh learning about Cambodia’s harrowing genocide years. First, we spent a few grim hours visiting Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, a Khmer Rouge detention and torture centre. Then we headed out to the equally awful […]

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The Neglected War Remnant Museum in Siem Reap.

War Remnant Museum, Siem Reap. January 2020. I’m unlikely to ever forget our visit to Siem Reap’s so-called War Remnant Museum. Not, I should point out, for the right reasons. It had all sounded so promising on paper. Come, said the online blurb, to “a place of healing for bodies, hearts and minds”. To an […]

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The Legend of Wat Preah Prom Rath.

Wat Preah Prom Rath, Siem Reap, Cambodia. January 2020. I remember feeling surprised by how just incredibly clean and colourful Wat Preah Prom Rath Temple is. In fact, both Sladja and I were literally blinded by columns of kaleidoscopic light as we entered the complex. These competing streams danced around us in all directions under the […]

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The Miniature Replicas of Angkor in Siem Reap.

Miniature Replicas of Angkor, Siem Reap. Following our life-changing adventures in Belgrade, Sladja and I drew up plans for a future together. With her living in China and myself based in The UK, it was all a bit complicated. Nevertheless, we managed to book up what we thought was going to be a 1-month stay in […]

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The Church of St Sava, Belgrade.

Church of St Sava, Belgrade. August 2019. Belgrade is a city that’s positively blessed with picturesque churches. Among the finest of these structures, I’ve already blogged about the stunning St Mark’s Church. And the exceptionally pretty St Petka’s Chapel and Ruzica Church nestled within Belgrade Fortress. However, if I had to choose the Serbian capital’s […]

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Finding Tito in the Museum of Yugoslavia.

Museum of Yugoslavia, Belgrade. August 2019. I hadn’t been aware of it before my visit to the Serbian capital. But actually my general knowledge of modern history and its key world leaders had a large Yugoslavia shaped hole in it. Churchill? Sure, I have a solid overview. Stalin? Yup, I could certainly give you a […]

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An Afternoon Exploring Zemun, Belgrade.

An Afternoon Exploring Zemun, Belgrade. August 2019. It was yet another sweltering sunny day in Belgrade as Sladja and I rumbled through the city in a bus destined for the neighbourhood of Zemun. For the first time we were leaving downtown behind for a change of scenery and pace. Nestled on and around the right […]

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Bad Vibes at the Nikola Tesla Museum in Belgrade.

Nikola Tesla Museum, Belgrade. August 2019. I like to think of myself as a broadly positive traveller. The sort who looks, instinctively, for what a place offers rather than what it lacks. That doesn’t mean ignoring the negatives, just meeting them with a degree of balance and a willingness to understand before judging. But every […]

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Exploring Belgrade Fortress.

Exploring Belgrade Fortress, Serbia. August 2019. When I look back on my first visit to the Serbian capital, it doesn’t get any more nostalgic than Belgrade Fortress. This is one of the country’s most iconic and historic sites. A majestic beast of a cultural monument with a killer location perched above the confluence of the […]

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St Mark’s Church, Belgrade.

St Mark’s Church, Belgrade. August 2019. Sladja and I had had a fantastic few hours exploring the sights of Tasmajdan Park. Now, at last, it was time to head inside its most dominant landmark, St Mark’s Church. This handsome Serbo-Byzantine structure opened in 1940 upon the designs of the Krstić brothers, two of Serbia’s most acclaimed […]

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Tasmajdan Park, Belgrade.

Tasmajdan Park, Belgrade. August 2019. I’ll never forget my first summer in Belgrade. It was the early days of my relationship with Sladja and there was a palpable sense of excitement and expectancy between us. In fact, I had come to the Serbian capital so that… at long last… we could finally hang out. An […]

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