Author: Leighton

Exploring Liverpool’s Historic Sefton Park.

Sefton Park, Liverpool. May 2019. It was another sunny day in Liverpool. Thus Steppers and I took full advantage with a visit to the city’s much-loved, history-laden Sefton Park. The park dates back to 1867 when The Liverpool Corporation purchased it from the wealthy Molyneux family, the Earls of Sefton. They had acquired the land […]

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The Award-winning Liverpool Waterfront.

The Liverpool Waterfront. May 2019. The sun had come out for my first afternoon in Liverpool. After our relaxing Ferry Cross the Mersey River Cruise, Steppers and I realised we were now in the perfect spot for some exploring across the waterfront itself. First though, it was time to kick back with some beers at Pan […]

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Taking the Ferry Cross the Mersey in Liverpool.

Ferry Cross the Mersey, Liverpool. “Life goes on day after day, hearts torn in every way. So ferry cross the Mersey, cause this land’s the place I love, and here I’ll stay”. May 2019.  And so goes the 1964 hit song Ferry Cross the Mersey by Gerry and the Pacemakers. I remember listening to this timeless […]

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Phetchaburi: Thailand’s Monkey Kingdom.

Phetchaburi: Thailand’s Monkey Kingdom. April 2015. “Welcome to monkey city!!!” cried the receptionist at White Monkey Guesthouse. “You wanna see old palace? Is here on map”, he explained, circling a huge, sprawling hilly area. “You wanna see cave temple, is here” he continued, adding another messy blue circle. “And old monastery…. here”. He then handed me […]

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A Stay in Sangkhlaburi, Thailand’s Wild West.

A Stay in Sangkhlaburi, Thailand’s Wild West. April, 2015. From the moment David and I stepped off the bus I knew that Sangkhlaburi was going to be different. Indeed I’d read that this isolated rural district, home to around forty thousand people, often gets championed as Thailand’s so-called Wild West. And it certainly felt like […]

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War & Waterfalls in Kanchanaburi.

War & Waterfalls in Kanchanaburi, Thailand. April 2015. The minibus from Ayutthaya to Kanchanaburi took just over two and a half hours. For the most part the journey played out on a featureless motorway, with little in the way of picturesque landscapes. Hence I opted to switch off for a while with back-to-back episodes of […]

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Ayutthaya Historical Park, Thailand.

Ayutthaya Historical Park. April 2015. I was so damn excited on the train from Bangkok to Ayutthaya! Following my ten day stay in the Thai capital, it was finally time for me to head north to discover some rural delights. Back in Beijing, where I’d planned my trip around Thailand, it was the prospect of […]

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A Superb Evening at the Strand Restaurant in Kep.

The Strand Restaurant, Kep, Cambodia. August 2020. Sometimes the most memorable travel experiences are the ones that come completely out of the blue. That place you didn’t even know existed. The one you ended up stumbling upon when your plan A didn’t work out. This is precisely what happened to Sladja and I one evening in […]

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A Short Cruise to Rabbit Island in Cambodia.

Rabbit Island, Cambodia. August 2020. It felt great to be finally taking our foot off the gas. While we had enjoyed all our field trips across Kep, for the most part each adventure had been quite the physical demand. From The Crab Market and the abandoned villas to Kep National Park and Samathi Pagoda, there’d […]

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A Friendly Welcome at Samathi Pagoda in Kep.

Samathi Pagoda, Kep, Cambodia. August 2020. After a somewhat disappointing afternoon hiking around Kep National Park, I found myself letting out a sigh of relief when our tuk tuk rumbled to a halt outside Samathi Pagoda. “Yes, we made it!” From the moment Sladja and I spotted its orange-gold roof sticking out of the hills, […]

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Kep National Park in Cambodia.

Kep National Park. August 2020. It was another Monday afternoon in Cambodia, which meant we were back in a tuk tuk for the forty minute drive into Kep from Kampot. After our adventures exploring Kep Beach, the abandoned colonial mansions and the Crab Market, our next project was an afternoon hike through Kep National Park. […]

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Contrasting Experiences at Kep Crab Market in Cambodia.

Kep Crab Market. December 2015 & August 2020. It was late afternoon and the weather was not improving. While the rain had finally died out, there was now a blustery wind cutting in from the sea as we approached Kep Crab Market from the road that winds around the cliffs. With our arch nemesis COVID-19 […]

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