South East Asia Archives

Waiting For Sunrise Atop The Largest Buddhist Temple In The World

Posted on October 14, 2021February 4, 2022 by Darrell Chaddock

Arriving At The Temple

It was at least an hour before sunrise when I arrived at the base of the spectacular temple of Borobudor. I had traveled there from the city of Yogyakarta in the center of the Indonesian island of Java along with a few other tourists. Dozens of other travelers were mingling around a staircase that led up to the top of the temple complex.

All of us had paid several times more than the standard ticket price for the privilege of entering this UNESCO World Heritage site hours before the official opening time. This gave us the opportunity to both watch the sunrise over the monument and skip the throngs that would soon crowd into the site.

Few people spoke as we began to ascend to the top of the temple and those that did murmured in hushed tones. We all seemed to sense the same air of majesty and veneration that places such as Borobudor can inspire in us. The enveloping darkness of night contributed an extra element of mystery to the scene. There was just enough electric lighting along the stairway to guide our way.

It’s interesting to note that Indonesia, the largest Muslim country on the planet, is home to Borobudor, the largest Buddhist temple on Earth.

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A Blustery Day In Tondo, Manila’s Biggest Slum

Posted on October 11, 2021February 26, 2022 by Darrell Chaddock

It was raining very hard and the wind was picking up as my taxi approached Tondo, the largest and most populated of Manila’s 16 districts. It was September 18, 2018 and Typhoon Mangkhut was ravaging the northern tip of Luzon hundreds of kilometers from Manila. Despite the distance, Mangkhut was having an impact in the Philippine capital.

My first sight of Tondo was of scores of children playing in the rain on a main avenue. They were relishing the downpour in the ankle-deep water that covered the street. Each child was smiling, laughing, and squealing with joy as they ran and splashed about.

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Myanmar, 2016

Posted on May 29, 2016February 2, 2022 by Darrell Chaddock

Myanmar Is A Travel Photographer’s Dream

Until quite recently Myanmar was a difficult country to visit. The country was ruled for many decades by a military junta that was deeply suspicious of foreigners and that sought to keep international businesses out of the country. The paranoid isolationism of the governing generals stunted economic and social progress and kept Myanmar poor and under developed. Tourism was not encouraged. It took some effort to get a visa to visit there.

So suspicious of outsiders was the military government that it refused admittance to international aid groups for a whole month after Cyclone Nargis swept through the Irrawaddy Delta in 2008 and killed an estimated 130,000 people outright. The government’s hesitance to accept outside help for survivors of the cyclone cost hundreds of thousands of more deaths from starvation, disease, and dehydration.

With democratic elections in 2015 that saw Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi leading a new civilian government, Myanmar’s days of self imposed solitude seem to be coming to an end. Tourist visas are considerably easier to get now and foreign visitors, eager to get there before an inevitable tidal wave of touristic commercialism descends on Myanmar, are streaming into the country.

That Myanmar is currently undergoing development at a breakneck pace was quite obvious to me when I was there. Without exception, in every part of the country I visited I saw evidence of such development. Hotels were under construction, roads were being improved, Yangon’s airport was being expanded, and various commercial properties were being built.

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Singapore, 2012

Posted on May 2, 2016February 1, 2022 by Darrell Chaddock

Singapore: The Very Model Of An Asian Tiger Economy

When Singapore gained its independence from Britain in 1959 it was a poor country with an uncertain future. Unease over whether the government of the newly independent country would continue with business-friendly policies led many companies to close down their operations in the city. In fact the number one priority of the new leader, Lee Kuan Yew, was to promote prosperity and political stability. Under Yew’s leadership the economy grew rapidly and his policies became a model for other Asian economies to emulate.

Singapore is far wealthier on a per capita basis than any other country in the region. It’s is not a budget travel destination like Thailand. The cheapest room I could find to book online was in the Little India neighbourhood and it cost $50. There was scarcely room for the bed, which was a single. It was clean though and provided a safe spot for my gear. That’s all I cared about.

Most Singaporeans are of Chinese heritage but there are significant numbers of Indians and Malays. All three of these cultures have their own scrumptious cuisines to boast about. On top of that there is Singaporean food which is an amalgamation of all 3 of these. As to be expected, the food in Singapore is delectable, especially for those with an appetite for savoury cooking. Probably the best place to tuck into this delectable nourishment is in one of the food markets called “Hawker Centres”. It’s taste bud heaven.

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Laos, 2011

Posted on May 1, 2016February 1, 2022 by Darrell Chaddock

Laos: South East Asia Without The Beach

It’s likely that Laos will never become as much of a tourist hub as neighbouring countries like Thailand or Vietnam. For starters, it’s a landlocked country completely lacking in palm-fringed beaches upon which to build all-inclusive seaside resorts. There are also no hugely famous tourist sites in the country. The traveler scene in Laos is mostly centered around the backpacking set.

There’s plenty of reasons for the independent traveler on a budget to make time for a visit to Laos. Prices are low, the food is as delicious as anywhere else in South East Asia, and travelers never have to deal with the crush of tourist throngs. Even in Luang Prabang the country’s number one draw for visitors, there are no lineups to get into any of the many temples.

With fewer than 7 million people, Laos is far less populated than other countries in the region. For this reason most of its forests are still intact and its natural beauty remains abundant.

Ostensibly a Communist country since 1975, the Laotian government has embraced pro-capitalist market reforms since the 1980’s. Once you arrive in the country there are almost no reminders of its recent revolutionary past.

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