It has been disturbing to witness what has happened to Angkor over the last few years. Even now with the rainy season in full swing visitor numbers are still high. As one hotelier said to me, ‘for the Chinese and Koreans there is no low season’. Nevertheless, the next month or two is without doubt the best time to go. Leave it until November and you won’t be able to turn sideways without hitting another tourist in the face with your 70-200 mm lens.

The highlight for many is Angkor Wat; dawn ‘til dusk it simply heaves. The temple complex covers an area of one square kilometre and comprises of three levels around a central tower. The entranceway is particularly impressive and is the site of the early morning pilgrimage for the obligatory sunrise photo shoot. Inside the confines of the temple the inner and outer walls are covered with exquisite bas reliefs. If you want to get a detailed explanation of what you are looking at, you can hire an official guide at the entrance to the site.

Due to the millions of visitors, the monks of Angkor are powerless to resist the lure of the dollar, and the monumental site which was once lost to the jungle now functions as a temple again. At its heart is a small shrine where a monk sits patiently waiting to extract money from the faithful (or gullible, depending on your perspective) in return for a splash of holy water and a blessing muttered in Sanskrit. If you are there early enough and sit quietly within the shaded cloisters you can almost imagine a time before Buddhism was corrupted by cash, egotism and self-interest, if indeed such a time ever existed.

While I was there, a nun approached a monk who had been quietly reading and presented his breakfast as an offering. As she handed over the food, he averted his eyes, recited his blessing and then tucked into his food while she moved on and prayed to an image of Buddha. It was a timeless scene played out at Angkor Wat for centuries.

Getting there:

Flying into Siem Reap from Thailand you are at the mercy of Bangkok Airways’ monopoly of the route and its grossly inflated price for the 50 minute flight. At this time of year, expect to pay around 11,000 baht.  Flights leave several times a day from Suvarnabhumi Airport. A visa on arrival is available at Siem Reap airport for $20. The entry procedure is quick and efficient. If you have arranged your accommodation in advance, ask for an airport pick-up. The ride into town takes around 20 minutes.  There is no longer a departure tax at the airport.

Asian nations are notorious for their disregard of architectural heritage. From Beijing to Bangkok, KL to Singapore, beautiful old buildings have never stood in the way of progress.

Until recently Penang was destined to make the same mistakes but commonsense prevailed and the island’s past is now proving to be its biggest tourist attraction.

Described by UNESCO as “a unique architectural and cultural townscape without parallel anywhere in East and Southeast Asia,” George Town was awarded the coveted World Heritage status in 2008. It was a moment when lovers of colonial-era architecture breathed a sigh of relief, optimistic for a future that would see a halt to the further deterioration or destruction of the island’s famous godowns, shophouses and mansions.

Although by no means the saviour of every old building, the new status put George Town and Penang firmly in the spotlight and was a huge boost for tourism. In Penang, the future is now history.

I’ve visited Penang on many occasions, exploring its many fine buildings. On a recent visit, however, I wandered the streets taking pictures of a few run down gems that ooze character. One of the best ways to discover George Town’s history is on foot. Most hotels and restaurants offer visitors a free map of the ‘Heritage Trail’, a leisurely stroll into the past that takes you down some of the town’s most historic streets with cafes and art galleries to enjoy.

I have just returned from a long weekend in the town of Ayutthaya, one of the most culturally and historically interesting towns within easy reach of Bangkok. Thailand’s former capital is a must on any travel itinerary.

Once praised by foreign emissaries as the finest town they had ever seen (at least according to Tourist Authority of Thailand it was), today many of the ancient ruins have now been encroached upon by the new town resulting in a typically ramshackle Thai approach to preservation. Indeed the site was given UNESCO World Heritage status but I heard that this may be at risk due to the over commercialization of areas within the park with souvenir stalls and so on. The town certainly does get overrun with foreign and local tourists eager to buy the tat on offer but I see no reason way it can’t be kept away from the temple sites. But this is Thailand after all – the land that never let heritage get in the way of making money…

Ayutthaya was founded in 1350 by King U-Thong. During the 14th and 15th centuries the Thai kings of Ayutthaya had built the town with three palaces and over 400 temples. By the mid-16th century Ayutthaya was sacked by an invading Burmese army and, along with Lanna in north Thailand, came under their control.

 Although Thais regained control of both areas by the end of the century, the Burmese invaded Ayutthaya again in 1767, fighting and winning a fierce two-year battle. Many of the temples were destroyed.

Situated approximately 86 kilometres from Bangkok, Ayutthaya can be reached by car in little over an hour, by train in 90 minutes (in theory at least. My trip on the way there took three hours), and by river.

You can see a few more images from Ayutthaya in the Thailand gallery.

I’ve recently returned from the last of my biannual blasts around Laos on dirt bikes with my brother and a friend – ten days of hardcore off-road adventure in the far north of this stunningly beautiful land-locked country.

The trip began with a night in Luang Prabang, planning the route over plenty of iced Beer Laos and local delicacies such as sin savan jao bong – dried beef with a roasted chillie paste – and or lam, a great vegetable and pork curry thickened with broken sticky rice.

Luang Prabang is a jewel encrusted ring slipped over a slender finger of land at the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers. Circled by mountains, the beautiful town retains some of the most outstanding examples of regional architecture; a unique blend of local and European style buildings built by the colonial powers during the 19th and 20th centuries. With its ancient temples and continued adherence to local tradition Luang Prabang is recognised as the seat of Lao culture. Acknowledging its importance to mankind the town was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1995. Parts of the old town have since benefited from a considerable amount of restoration work.

The town has over 30 splendid old temples, the most magnificent of which is Wat Xieng Tong. The oldest structure in the temple compound dates from the 1560’s and the temple displays stunning mosaics, elaborate décor and beautiful gold stenciled designs. Many of the temples in Luang Prabang share a similarity in design with northern Thai structures, a consequence of the two regions being part of the same kingdom for centuries. The low sweeping roofs and outstanding craftsmanship set Luang Prabang temples apart from many others across Southeast Asia.

The World Heritage label has worked for and against Luang Prabang. It is no longer the sleepy Laotian town I first visited in 1997. Back then there were only a handful of westerners, each one enjoying alien pleasures and being cast adrift in foreign land. Yet despite its changes, the huge influx of tourists, dozens of restaurants and bars, internet cafes and five star hotels, Luang Prabang has managed to retain considerable charm. This, however, may be soon to come to an end as plans have just been approved to expand the airport and runaway to allow more frequent and larger planes to land in town. As with all popular destinations in Asia the authorities simply do not know when to say ‘enough’. I must admit for the first time in many visits to Luang Prabang, on this occasion one night and a day was ample.

One of the great attractions of the old town is that it is easy to explore on foot or by bicycle. During the cooler months from November to February the climate is pleasant and mornings crisp and fresh.

Rise early and witness the tradition of lines of monks, resplendent in their orange robes collecting alms from the faithful – although happy holiday snappers now seem to outnumber the monks.

 Over the coming days I’ll be posting about hill tribes in the far north of Laos, Buddhist imagery, and my old favourite, local markets.

You can see more images in the Laos gallery.

I have just returned from a much needed long weekend in Penang, a large island off the west coast of Malaysia. The population of almost a million is predominantly Chinese with a scattering of Malay and Indians making for a vibrant and colourful mix of cultures and cuisine. Although Penang has seen a considerable amount of careless development in recent years, the old district within the capital, Georgetown, is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and hopefully safe for future generations to enjoy.

If this status had not been given to the area the magnificent old buildings would have undoubtedly been razed to the ground to make way for more high-rise. For a cultural traveller and self-confessed foodie such as myself, the pleasures of Penang are its heritage and its cuisine. The old colonial-era shophouses are superb – although many are in desperate need of repair – and the choice of Hainanese, Hokkien, southern Indian, and Malay food is a culinary adventure.

The visual landscape of Penang is defined by decaying period architecture, temples and shrines, and bustling food stalls, all of which offer the chance to get some lovely shots of details.

During my stay I was fortunate enough to experience the luxury of the Eastern & Oriental Hotel, and the wonderful Straits Collection at Stewart Lane, a block of carefully restored shophouses in the heart of the old town.