15 Books

As inspired by book bloggers, here are some of the best books I've read this year, plus a few I've picked up but haven't read yet. Fiction unless otherwise stated.

1. Naomi Klein - The Shock Doctrine (Non fiction). Something everyone should read. Klein offers a disconcerting perspective on disaster capitalism and how the shockwaves of neo-conservative free market economics affect us all. It offers interesting perspectives on the origins of the latest global financial tsunami.

2. Arvind Adiga - The White Tiger. Very much the book to accompany last years cinematic smash - Slumdog Millionaire. An aspiring Indian servant pens a letter to the Chinese premiere, hoping to enlighten him to perils of 21st century capitalism. Its a scathing attack on Indian politics, business and indeed society as a whole, its wonderfully amoral and even the anti hero himself fails to shine in a rat race where there are no winners.

3. Carlos Ruiz Zafon - Angel's Game. The follow up to the Shadow of the Wind from this exciting Barcelona author. He writes of a city lost in time during the earlier half of the twentieth century, of passions for writing, books and the other desires that elude us. There are echoes and recurring themes here that are a real pleasure to unravel. This is destined to be an abstract fiction classic - if you love Murakami, Thomson and Auster, you should be reading this.

4. Amitav Ghost - The Hungry Tide. Whilst not quite as strong as his masterwork, The Glass Palace, this is still a great Indian novel and a moving tale of unrecruited love.

5. John Le Carre - Absolute Friends. Skip his latest work and go direct to this tale of friendship, espionage and morality as it spans the transition from the cold war towards the current world order. His writing has a clarity here that few others get close to.

6. Milan Kundera - The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Its a classic existentialist work. I'll leave the summary to wikipedia as its a complicated affair...

Set in Prague in 1968, the novel details the circumstances of the lives of artists and intellectuals in Communist Czechoslovakia in the wake of the Prague Spring, and the subsequent invasion by the USSR. The major protagonists include: Tomáš, a well-known, successful surgeon; his wife Tereza, a photographer in anguish over her husband's many infidelities; Tomáš' lover Sabina; Sabina's lover, Franz; Simon, Tomáš' estranged son from a first marriage.

7. Lonely Planet - Borneo (non fiction). A fine companion and guide to the worlds third largest island.

8. Redmond O'Hanlon - Congo Journey (Non fiction, travel). A cautionary tale for would be jungle explorers. O'Hanlon journeys upriver along the Congo in search of wildlife, myths and legends. The expedition begins to unravel the deeper into the rainforest he ventures. Although O'Hanlon returns unscathed, its a sobering reminder of how we should learn when to draw the line when traveling outside the comfort zone.

9. Free Ham And Eggs - an online web blog by Banco De Gaia artist Toby Marks. Click here for a free read !

10. Mohammed Hanif - A Case Of Exploding Mangoes. The title alone should be enough to whet the appetite here. I shall reveal no more.

11. Colin Cotterill - The Coroner's Lunch. Having read Disco For The Departed, I'm looking forward to getting stuck into the first book in the series that follows Dr. Siri Paiboun, State Coroner for the Lao People's Democratic Republic. These novels are the work of an inspired genius ! Trust me, I'm a Doctor.

12. Roberto Bolaño - The Savage Detectives. The latest Latin American sensation begins this novel in 1970s Mexico, but it spans two decades and two continents. I can't reveal any more just yet as I haven't started the book yet.

13. Jonathan Coe - The Rain Before It Falls. Looking forward to getting to grips with the most recent novel from one of my favourite English authors.

14. Ma Jian - Beijing Coma - I haven't read this yet either but the reviews suggest another mind blowing read from the master of Chinese counter culture.

15. Joseph Stiglitz - Globalization and its Discontents (Non fiction). Very much a counterpart to number one. Stiglitz worked inside the system at the World Bank. He is particularly scathing towards the IMF in this illuminating work on how these two global institutions have failed developing countries.

Borneo

Borneo is the worlds third largest island (after Greenland and New Guinea). Its split into four states from three countries - Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia. Despite much deforestation in recent decades, there is still a lot to savour. But for how much longer ?

I began my tour in the modern capital of Kota Kinabalu (KK) and after a few days organising trips and a visa to Indonesia, moved on to the Sepilok orang utan sanctuary towards the islands east coast. The orang utans that are being rehabilitated here live in the forest and can be seen at feeding times. The numbers of apes who show up to each session varies depending on how much food they find in the forest and their level of rehabiliation. Thus you tend to see less apes if the rehabiliation programmes are working well. The amount of fruit available in the forest is seasonal and at this time of year, theres plenty of wild fruit nearby ! Thus you don't tend to see many apes. During the morning session, only two orang utans appeared, whilst the afternoon produced a total of five showing up (two mothers, with their babies and the dominant male). It seems the mothers like to show off their babies in the afternoons, so its worth trying to get to both sessions in the same day to maximize your chances. Pig tailed macaques join in the feeding frenzy and are certainly less shy than the orang utans. There are short trails leading into some intact rainforest where I was also lucky enough to see some red leaf monkeys. All things considered, a great days primate viewing and I headed back to Uncle Tan's place buzzing with exitement !

I had heard a lot about Uncle Tan's wildlife camp on the Kinabatangan river and was not disappointed with my three day safari. There is not much forest remaining alongside the river, just a thin corridor as its all been cut back to plant oil palm plantations. The unfortunate consequences of this are that its much easier to spot wildlife. From a boat on the river we saw wild orang utans, gibbons, proboscis monkeys, silver leaf monkeys, long tailed macaques as well as monitor lizards, saltwater crocodiles and birds such as hornbills, kingfisher and oriental darters. At night we also saw some civet cats and plenty of insects and frogs on the night walk. This place is probably the best way to see wildlife in Borneo but its sad to see so little rainforest remaining in this part of the island. Oil palms cover much of the island and are Borneo's biggest cash crop. Palm oil is used as a biofuel and in processed foods, as well as in soaps and detergents. Clearing the forest to plant oil palms is a profitable business. The hardwoods can be sold as timber and the oil palms grow quickly and fruit two to three times a year, making them more profitable than a typical fruit orchard. The rising price of palm oil (at least until its recent drop during the global economic crisis) has encouraged further plantations, creating a vast monoculture that seems to be taking over the island. Although the current fashion for biofuels is claimed to have its environmental benefits, the opposite is usually the case. More carbon is released following rainforest destruction, than is saved by replacing fossil fuels with palm oil. Luckily the islands many national parks protect large areas of primary forest.

Situated between KK and Sepilok, Mount Kinabalu national park houses South East Asia's highest mountain which rises to around 4100m. Its been the subject of some controversy of late. A private company have bought up all the accomodation within the park and hiked up the prices, making the trek much more expensive. In addition many people complain that places on the mountain are booked up for two weeks in advance. Luckily theres some cheaper accomodation outside the park and after a few days spent following the trails through montane forest around the park HQ, I joined a group to trek up the mountain. Its quite a challenge, beginning at 1800m, a steep 6km trail takes you through a variety of vegetative zones from mixed dipterocarp forest, through montane forest characterised by oak, laurel and myrtle and into mossy rhododendron forest to 3200m where you spend the night. The following morning you rise early around 2am and trek the final lung busting 3km to the summit, battling the altitude and the steep gradient as you traverse the steep rock face above the tree line. The spectacular sunrise comes just after 6am, lighting up a vast panorama over the Sabah landcape.

Moving onto the neighbouring state of Sarawak, I flew into Gunung Mulu national park. Set amongst lush primary tropical rainforest are limestone karst mountains and the worlds largest underground cave network by volume which houses some impressive show caves. The lowland rainforest here is dominated by giant dipterocarp trees which grow up to around 70m and make up the canopy layer. These are the tropical hardwoods prized by the timber industry and the best way to get amongst them is via the worlds longest canopy walkway. This takes you high up into the forest where wildlife such as tree squirrels and flying lizards are seen (both of which our group saw). Night walks around park HQ are another excellent way to see wildlife, especially an amazing diversity of creepy crawlies such as giant spiders and stick insects as well as tree lizards and frogs. A group of us trekked deeper into the park and up a steep limestone trail to the summit of the Pinnacles, a series of jagged limestone karst formations that rise out of the forest like giant daggers. I left the park via the headhunters trail, an old tribal warpath that takes you through more virgin dipterocarp rainforest and peat swamp. Its then an atmospheric four hour boat journey along the river back to civilisation. Well almost civilisation. The jetty we arrived at is actually a logging port - its shocking to see how much wood gets wasted here and the place is a real eyesore. Add to the fact, that the only place in Malaysian Borneo that you're likely to get malaria is if you work in a logging camp (most are poorly paid Indonesian migrants) and you're beginning to unravel the scale of the environmental disaster that is unfolding here. Not surprisingly the Sabah and Sarawak economies are booming but both the trees and the offshore oil are beginning to run out.

Two days bus ride took me to Kuching, Sarawak's laidback capital at the western end of Malaysian Borneo. A pleasant riverside walkway joins an interesting chinatown to its more modern shopping district. Its a great base for journeys into the surrounding national parks and the Semengohh orang utan centre. Bako national park protects a range of habitats: mixed lowland rainforest, mangroves, peat swamps and kerangas - a type of heath forest which grows on nutrient poor sandstone. Some excellent trails connect the various vegetative zones and some also lead to beaches. Amongst the plant life are numerous types of carnivorous pitcher plants which feed on insects. Wildlife, most of which can be seen around park HQ foraging for food includes proboscis monkeys, bearded pigs (a type of wild boar) and some very bold long tailed macaques which are quick enough to steal the food from the table right in front of you - much to the surprise of my Swedish room mate, who had a few frankfuter sausages stolen from his plate ! I was also lucky enough to observe a venomous Wagler's pit viper from a safe distance on a nearby tree. I highly recommend an overnight stay here to enjoy the best this marvellous park has to offer.

Borneo has been a real adventure but its time to move on. Tonights flight takes me onto the Big Durian - Jakarta, Indonesia.

Luzon and Palawan

The volcanic spine of Southern Luzon is certainly a beautiful part of the country. The near perfect cone of Mount Mayon is the highest of the volcanic peaks at around the 2500m mark. It last erupted in 2006 and continues to pose a threat. You can trek up the lava flows and get within a few hundred metres of the summit, if conditions permit. My guided trek up through the mossy forest took me as far as camp one, around 800m up, where you get a magnificent view both of the cone itself and the surrounding coastline.

My main reason for travelling through this part of the country was to pay the whale sharks of Donsol bay a visit. Sightings are virtually guaranteed from February to May (assuming the sun is shining as it helps spot the shadows of the worlds largest fish as they swim just under the surface). It was a cloudy morning and it took almost 3 hours for the sun to break through and the first whale shark was spotted. We swam four times with this amazing creature. I must admit, the experience was initially overwhelming yet ultimately exhilarating and once I'd got used to his presence, was able to snorkel alongside the eight metre male for about 10 minutes. The sharks can grow up to around 16 metres and live for 80 years or more, the one we followed was perhaps 30 to 40 years old. It was quite a unique experience and something I will never forget. WWF estimate there are around 130 sharks in the bay, although new ones are arriving each year (each whale shark has unique markings which allows their numbers to be estimated with some accuracy). Three of the creatures have been tagged and they have been shown to swim as far as Australia before returning the following season. The Philippines is one of three areas of the planet, where this activity is currently possible (the others being Ningaloo reef off Western Australia) and the Mesoamerican reef off the coast of Mexico and Belize. I would strongly recommend you give it a go, if you find yourself in the right part of the world at the right time of year.

Moving northwards by bus and directly through Manila, I reached Baguio, a cool mountain retreat where forested suburbs fringe one of the countries nicer towns. From here, the epic Haselema highway runs along a high mountain ridge, peaking above 2200m connecting the smaller towns and villages of the cordillera which are famous for their incredible rice terraces, carved out of the steep wooded hillsides. I spent a few nights in the quiet hillside retreat of Sagada, where the pace of life moves slowly, trekking around the nearby peaks and rice growing villages. Moving onto Bontoc, I visited the impressive Malingcong terraces which were yet to be planted and had a stark translucent beauty in the blazing sun. But most of the real action centres around the town of Banaue. The 2000 year old mud walled terraces here have often been called the eighth wonder of the world. However, the reality these days does not compare to the black and white photos taken decades ago. As the terraces are not reinforced by stonework like those at many of the surrounding villages, erosion has made them particularly difficult to maintain, they are overgrown in places and not looking their best. It seems the locals who have turned to woodcraft to make their money, have a real dilemma on their hands. If word gets out the terraces are no longer world class, will the visitors still come to buy their wood carvings ? Admittedly its not the best time of year to view them (they look at their best 1-2 months after planting, which takes place in March) but its also hard to believe they will ever look as good as they once did. UNESCO now list this site as endangered.

These days, the attention seems to be focused on the stone walled amphitheatre of rice fields found in the village of Batad to the east of Banaue. The village is not connected to the outside world by road, so you have to trek in, which for me, adds to the appeal. Its a pleasant 3 hour trek in via the scenic route around the steep sided valleys. A quite staggering sight greeted me as the sun reached its midday zenith. I shall aim to do this some justice by uploading a photo but recommend you try and see them for yourselves one day. Traversing the fields by the stone walled edges of the fields is a great way to best appreciate the geometry and feats of engineering here. I trekked back to Banaue along the trails that connect Batad with Cambulo and Pula. It was great to be out in the mountains, breathing the fresh air and enjoying the simple pleasures of life in these parts. A few hours tricycle ride from Banaue takes you to the Hapao spider web rice terraces, which are also very impressive and well worth a side trip. But I was beginning to experience rice terrace overload and the conservative nature of the locals made the place seem quite unlike the rest of the country. Indeed the cordillera seems caught in some kind of time trap. It seems odd to me that country music is all the rage here, (anyone for country music videoke?) Its how the locals pass the cold evenings here, although things do wind down by 9pm and most towns and villages have an informal curfew at 9 or 10pm. Anyway, it was time to head way out west to the remote thin island strip called Palawan, which seemed to be getting rave reviews from other travellers. Had I saved the best til last ?

I flew into Puerto Princesa a bustling mini-metropolis located halfway along the islands east coast and got an air con van share direct to El Nido without further ado. The road north goes through bamboo scrub, past roadside vendors and coconut groves, where virgin rainforest once dominated. Its not until the surfaced road turns to dirt and stone, north of Roxas, that you begin to appreciate the true beauty of the place as it cuts its way through a pristine wilderness. Our van bumped along, slowly counting down the kilometres to TayTay. Some five and a half hours after leaving Puerto and as the sun began to set, a wonderful coastal archipelago came into view. I had arrived in El Nido.

One hour later, I was feeling mildly rankled. The accomodation options along the beach, are overpriced and mostly of a poor standard. 800 pesos here gets you a run down hut with cold shower (when its working), mosquito net (thankfully) and fan (when the sporadic electricity operates). This is normally sufficient for me, I find air con is indeed a con and who needs luxury when you have paradise on your doorstep. However, in Thailand, this kind of accomodation would cost a fraction of the price, elsewhere in the Philippines it can be obtained for half that price and one can usually trade up to get something very decent for around this price. Here your twelve hard earned pounds feel somewhat squandered. Its a real shame, most operators here can't be bothered to maintain their beach huts and the pricing strategy feels like its being controlled by a local cartel.

However, this anger soon faded as I sat on the balcony reading John le Carre as Cadlao island (which dominates the bay here) faded to a silohette. The beach is nice here but the real attractions lay out to sea in and around the many islands that make up the bacuit archipelago, a series of limestone karsts and large jungle covered offshore islands. The following three days were to reveal many stunning vistas, white sand beaches, hidden lagoons, coral reefs to snorkel around, the odd token cave and a lovely sandbar joining two mangrove lined islands. These islands offer an amazing natural beauty that is difficult to beat. It certainly tops Halong Bay in Vietnam, its closest rival might well be the Whitsunday islands of Australia. Met some fun, interesting people on these boat trips and the evenings were almost as good, sampling the fine food at Squidos restaurant, washed down with a San Miguel or three. For me, the real backpacker vibe in the Philippines is split between Palawan and the Southern Visayas. Almost every day it seems, you meet an interesting character or two ! South of El Nido on the main land lies Corong Corong beach, set in a potentially nicer bay than El Nido, with better sunset opportunities. However, I'm sad to report, the best mainland beach appears to be set on a private resort that would price most people out of the market. There are similar resorts out on the archipelago that remain the preserve of those who prefer quiet, secluded exclusivity. I remain indifferent to these kind of places and would refuse to frequent them even if I could afford them.

Palawan is definitely gonna feel like paradise to most. Despite substantial logging of the central regions, there remain large tracts of untouched tropical rainforest which harbour some unique wildlife. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get directly into the forest here but suffice to say, many of the insects I encountered appear quite unique, from giant blue, black butterflies, to bright red dragonflies and unusual beetles. Its certainly something if you like creepy crawlies. Luckily the mosquitos were few and far between (its well into the dry season here), which was reassuring as the island remains malarial, unlike most of the rest of the country. Come prepared, especially if you visit in the monsoon season when malaria and dengue fever outbreaks are more likely. Both Port Barton and El Nido also have a bit of a sandfly problem and feeding time seems to start around mid afternoon. There is nothing more annoying than a persistent sandfly who refuses to leave you alone until its taken a bite.

Five hours boat ride to the south, Port Barton has a fine beach, in a protected lagoon like bay, which is great for swimming. There are also island hopping opportunities further afield, for those still keen to explore. Sunsets here have the potential to veer towards those explosive reds, oranges and purples that some places seem lucky to get under the right atmospheric conditions. I was content to pass a few lazy days here, reading my book and soon the time on my two month visa had run me down. I flew back to Manila and back into the urban anarchy.

Next stop Malaysian Borneo.

The Visayas Loop

Welcome to the Philippines, its an amazing country, that seduces you slowly and definitely leaves you with the impression that you'd like to return again soon. The friendly, curious, engaging people are rumoured to be amongst the happiest on the planet. This seems to me to be the case, even problems are shrugged off with laughter and as many people speak good English, its an easier country to navigate your way around than you might expect.

The Philippines is an archipelago of over 7,000 islands that spans most of the tropical range north of the equator. The main draws are the countries natural beauty, its fine beaches, diving and snorkelling around its tropical reefs, lush islands with tracts of pristine rainforest, glimpses of unique pockets of wildlife and biodiversity, picture postcard volcanos (many alarmingly active) and of course the famous man-made rice terraces of the north.

Firstly I will try to put a few things into perspective. Despite what you may have heard, it is a safe country to travel in, safer than in recent years when the occaisional tourist kidnapping shamed its reputation as a tropical paradise. Aside from the troubled southern island of Mindanao, off limits for most travellers, the main dangers seem to be the travelling around itself. Ferries are known to sink more often than they probably should and the beat up fleet of buses and jeepneys that ply the countries poorly maintained roads rarely reassure. Also, I might add, few of the cities and regional capitals are worth more than a nights stay, most are traffic clogged and lack attractions that capture the attention of the passing tourist and once you've realised that, you quickly travel through them and onto the real attractions.

The country has a terrible reputation for corruption and its daily newspapers are full of the latest scandals in the closely linked worlds of business and politics. The Philippines is currently ranked 141st of 180 on the latest transparency international index, alongside Iran, Cameroon and Yemen. The perception is that this problem is at its worst within government and in the larger cities. However, the phenomenon does often spill over into the transport sector and I have a catalogue of such stories, which I will not relate here right now. Much of it blatant dishonesty on the part of bus / jeepney conductors trying to make a quick buck.

My journey began in Manila, a chaotic, brash, often overwhelming metropolis of around 12 million people or more. Who knows for sure how many people live here ? Its crowded, noisy, polluted, fringed by shanty towns and there aren't many interesting must do sites for the would be visitor. The old Spanish colonial district of Intramuros was once the cities heart and soul but it was the target of heavy American bombing when occupied by the Japanese during world war two and it has never really recovered. The districts of Makati, Ermita and Malate are the main draws, Makati is the modern shopping and business district whilst Ermita and Malate offer up a plenty of places to stay alongside fine dining, tacky girlie bars and homeless beggars, as well as pleasant strolls along the wide palm lined Roxas Boulevard, where the famous Manila sunsets can be witnessed.

Most visitors move swiftly on and I was no exception, heading south into the visayas region by road and ferry. The many tropical islands here, offer plenty of fine beaches to discover. White beach on Boracay island, is the countries most popular beach. Indeed it must rank as one of the worlds finest and has so far been spared the overdevelopment that has ruined fine beaches in other countries. Overall, the island feels well engineered, a beautiful 3km strip of white sand beach is lined by coconut palms, a walking path and the restaurants and shops that face the beach. Behind this lies most of the accomodation options. Despite attracting the international jet set, theres still room for the backpackers who make their homes in the reasonably priced nipa huts in amongst the commercial mele. I thoroughly enjoyed my five days here and it was only the temptation of getting deeper into the fabric of the real Philippines that made me want to leave.

A few bus and ferry journeys later, took me to the remote town of Sipalay on the west coast of Negros island. Just north of town, and cut off from the mainland by a river crossing lies the unspoilt Sugar beach. Whilst, not quite rivalling White beach on Boracay for sheer dazzling beauty, the golden strip of sand here has a more relaxed vibe and is a perfect swimmers beach. From the moment I pitched up at the collection of beach huts that make up the Driftwood Village resort (as usual with no advance reservation), I knew I was in for a pleasant stay. I was greeted with a warm welcome by both the staff and other travellers. The ambience here is just perfect and its easy to slot into the daily groove of laid back days chilling on the beach, socialising in the open air restaurant whilst sampling some fine filipino food with evenings spent drinking and playing pool, table football or even darts in the bar. I could have easily spent another week or so recharging my batteries but the lure of the other islands and the thought of a hotel room with tv for the 6 nations rugby opening weekend got me back on the road to Dumaguete on the other side of the island.

If ever you are in Dumaguete, I can highly recommend staying with Harold in his mansion. Its one of the best value hotels in the country. Harold (a filipino despite the English name) is a blast, a great host and is pretty knowledgeable about the attractions that surround this port / university city. Nearby Apo island offers up some of the best snorkelling you are likely to experience anywhere. A biodiverse coral garden of hard and soft coral is populated by a collection of colourful reef fish that had me mesmerized for hours. Of course, the divers also rave about the bigger fish you find underwater here too but I'm gonna have to take their word for it this time around. In addition, the seafood on offer in Dumaguete's restaurants here is a real treat for the tastebuds. Feast on grilled lapu lapu in soy sauce, tuna steak coconut soup or sample the excellent sashimi.

The ferry took me east to Bohol, another island paradise where tarsiers, white sand beaches, pristine rainforest and the famous Chocolate Hills top the billing. Tarsiers were until recently thought to be the worlds smallest primate. They are certainly an unusual animal. Large bug like eyes give out a curious stare and they are able to rotate their heads almost 180 degrees in each direction like an owl. The best way to get to see these creatures is by visiting the tarsier sanctuary near the small town of Corella. Its as good an ecotourism experience as you are gonna get anywhere, a guide leads you into a small enclosure pointing out the tarsiers who are nocturnal and spend their days resting in the trees. Your only allowed around 5-10 minutes and no cameras, which scare them. I saw four tarsiers and left feeling quite priviledged. Due to logging and hunting they have no remaining natural predators in the surrounding forest and their numbers here are thriving. Further inland lies the Rajah Sikatuna National Park, which although poorly maintained offers the chance to trek into some primary rainforest. Its a shame, the park seems unprepared for visitors and the only way to see the forest was to go it alone and keep to the trails. I had a closer encounter with a one metre grey / black snake than I had perhaps hoped for and although it probably wasn't poisonous you can never been too sure. Tropical rainforest continues to enchant me and its often the sounds of what you don't see that are as alluring as what you do.

My fave place to stay here is called Nuts Huts, set alongside the Loboc river looking out over more pristine rainforest. Its run by a charming Belgian couple who have the prime location for viewing the islands many sights. At night, the sound of cicadas lulls you off to sleep. Its one of the most atmospheric places I have ever stayed in. Its a shame the weather was not quite on my side during my stay here as the nearby Chocolate Hills really need the right season and weather conditions to be fully appreciated. Luckliy I got brief glimpse at the viewpoint, before the heavens opened, the clouds came in and a monsoonal downpour washed away the afternoons tourists.

Theres a definite buzz about this part of the Philippines. Cebu, the countries second city, acts as the hub for journeys onwards to Negros, Bohol and further afield to the volcanic islands of Siquijor and Camaguin, both of which have been earmarked for a future trip.

Pressing onwards, northwards and counter clockwise around my loop around the visayas, I caught another ferry and then the road overland across the islands of Leyte and Samar, taking me to the southern tip of Luzon, the countries largest island.

Burma

The trucks thundered in from The Empire down the State's poorly maintained winding mountain roads, bringing in cheap badly manufactured Chinese goods. Trucks going in the other direction were much rarer, who knows what their contents were ? Teak, gemstones, opium, it was impossible to tell....

The full story from last years trip to Burma to follow soon....

Madrid

My time in the capital turned out to be a weekend feast of fine art, plazas and parks on this final weekend of the rugby world cup. It was a difficult navigational exercise driving into central Madrid and by the time I had found my way to Atocha station, where the hire car needed to be dropped off, the game had begun. I found an Irish bar showing the rugby and settled down for the second half of the France v Argentina third place play off match. Argentina turned on the style and were again too strong for France, who walked off the pitch looking decidedly disappointed with fourth place in a tournament they had hosted. The following morning, I decided to start with the wealth of modern art on offer at the Reina Sofia. It does free entry on Saturdays, so it seemed the natural choice.

Picasso's Guernica is the galleries most famous painting, a huge 3.5m x 7.8m piece which dominates one room. Much has been written about this thought provoking piece on the horror of modern warfare. It depicts the Nazi bombing of Guernica during the Spanish civil war in 1937. It certainly draws the attention more than the smaller, more colourful pieces on display nearby. The sense of dislocation which is often Picasso's cubist trademark is fully realised here. The Reina Sofia concentrates mainly on Spanish art from the last century or so and as you would expect, Dali, Picasso, Miró and Gris all get plenty of space, alongside others who were influenced by the movements they inspired. Its one of the worlds modern art treasures, with colour and ambition permeating every corner of the building. Definitely somewhere to lose yourself for a afternoon of contemplation.

I took a leisurely evening meal, very early by Spanish standards and then returned to a bar, I had earlier earmarked near the Plaza Mayor as a good candidate for watching the World Cup final. Despite arriving some 30 minutes or so before the game was due to start, the place was packed to the rafters and there was an animated debate taking place outside on the street, in both Spanish and English, as to where the game could be seen. I fell in with an English trio, who seemed to know where they were going but when their venue turned out to be closed, I led them back to the Irish bar of the previous evening as it seemed certain it would be showing the final. As luck would have it, the bar wasn't too busy and some pleasant conversation was had, while the powerhouse packs of England and South Africa ground out an edgy but un-captivating performance. The Springbok's always had the upper hand and although England put up a much better show than they had against South Africa in the group stages, the outcome never seemed in doubt.

Sunday offered up what would be to most a tough choice between the Prado and the Thyssen-Bornemisza galleries. However, as I'm not really a huge fan of old masters, religious or renaissance art, the Thyssen got the nod. It did not disappoint, the galleries host one of the worlds finest private collections, principally spanning the major art movements of the last few centuries - impressionism, expressionism, cubism and pop art all get a look in. Most of the major art figures of the these movements all have a painting or three on display, its a richly rewarding experience.

In between visiting the galleries, there were the cities monuments and plazas to explore, the rather gaudy, over the top, royal palace and the beautiful Buen Retiro park. People seemed to be making the most of the fine autumn weather and there were still three more Spanish cities to look forward to as I made my way south and into Andalusia.

Castilla y Leon

Leon's principal attraction is its grand 13th century cathedral, a gothic masterpiece. It was beautifully lit that evening as I explored the town, looking for somewhere to eat. I wandered past Gaudi's Casa de Bontines and into the Barrio Humedo, the cities gothic quarter, eventually settling for a quiet place on a narrow street just off the picturesque Plaza Mayor. Inside the cathedral, the following morning, light was beginning to permeate its stained glass windows to reveal an equally impressive interior.

I continued south deeper into Castilla y Leon province, stopping for lunch at the ancient town of Zamora. Its cobbled streets contain some beautifully preserved Romanesque churches dating back as the 12th and 13th centuries. The remains of its castle and city walls delineate its western edge overlooking the Rio Duero. Another hours drive south took to me Salamanca, a city rich in artistic and academic history.

Sophisticated Salamanca revealed itself to be a real treasure and I regretted not allowing at least a full day to enjoy its charms. The elegant Plaza Mayor, with its splendid 18th century baroque facades, is very much the cities heart and an enjoyable place to pass the time. The beautiful old town is dominated by the hybrid of the old and new cathedrals, a fusion of romanesque, gothic, churrigueresque baroque and byzantine styles. There was just about enough time to appreciate its interior before being told it was closing, denying me the chance to climb the tower of the old cathedral. The sandstone facade to the universities entrance is another architectural delight, a tapestry of Renaissance scenes and mythical creatures.

My route to Madrid, the next morning, took me via Avila, which proved to be a lovely place to break the journey and enjoy a leisurely lunch. The old city is enclosed by a well preserved medieval wall and its a delight to wander its cobbled streets and quiet plazas. Highlights inside the city, include the gothic cathedral, the convent of Santa Teresa and the monastery of Santo Tomas.