"Short stories and travel reports from my life adventures around the globe".
Tribe Art Gallery, Siem Reap. June 2020. I always enjoyed the flourishes of street art peppered around Siem Reap’s trendy Kandal Village. Each time we came here, usually for coffee at The Little Red Fox, sometimes for breakfast at Ivy Guesthouse, Sladja and I would notice something new. Eventually, an almost shameful six months into […]
Read MoreRoyal Independence Gardens, Siem Reap. May 2020. I’ve spent a great deal of time championing the city of Siem Reap on these pages of mine. Hopefully, at the very least, I’ve dispelled the misguided notion that there’s not much to do beyond the world famous temples. That said, it’s probably time to share one of the […]
Read MoreKulen Elephant Forest, Cambodia. April 2020. One of the great privileges of my life as a nomad has been the opportunity to spend time with wild animals. Bumping into a family of mischievous macaques on Gibraltar rock. Swimming with tropical fish off Malaysia’s Tioman Island. Coming face to face with the Siberian tigers of northeast […]
Read MoreKulen National Park, Cambodia. April 2020. Sladja and I had been largely self isolating for around a month when we began getting antsy. Don’t get me wrong, I was feeling beyond blessed to be stuck in a place as idyllic as Apsara Greenland Boutique. Nevertheless, a solid thirty days of writing in the same room can […]
Read MorePhare The Cambodian Circus. March 2020. Looking back on our time in Cambodia and the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, I can actually pinpoint the precise moment the world last felt normal. If I can even use such a word. It was the 3rd of March 2020 and Sladja and I were making our way inside the […]
Read MoreThe APOPO Hero Rats, Siem Reap. February 2020. I’ve always tried to seek out unique and quirky travel projects. After all, it would be boring if I was always posting about temples, churches, beaches and museums. Although I have indeed done plenty of that over the years. Moreover, these more unusual experiences are invariably the most […]
Read MorePsar Leu Market. March 2020. Another Asian city, another colourful, frantic market for the Leighton Travels archives. Siem Reap has a ripe market scene, with most people heading for the Old Market in the heart of town near Pub Street. But if you wanna strip back all the hassle from vendors and their overpriced goods, […]
Read MoreCambodia Landmine Museum. January 2020. Take even a rudimentary look into the history of Cambodia and before long you’ll find yourself entering the tragic world of the landmine. During decades of war, experts say at least six million landmines found their way into Cambodian soil. Moreover, these evil devices have been responsible for the deaths and […]
Read MoreWat Damnak Pagoda. January 2020. There are a number of fine temples and pagodas to enjoy in Siem Reap. My favourite of these is the pretty Wat Damnak Pagoda, SR’s largest Buddhist centre. It lies on the eastern side of The Siem Reap River jus a few minutes from the heart of downtown. Moreover, it was […]
Read MoreThe Lotus Farms, Siem Reap. January 2020. It was a burning hot afternoon in Siem Reap as Sladja and I jumped out of the tuk tuk. Wow, was pretty much all I could say, as I drank in the landscape. For the most part, Siem Reap is an uncompromisingly dusty place. Thus we were delighted […]
Read MoreArtisans 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 […]
Read MoreWat 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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Traveling the world, one country at a time.
