alex waring

Dear All Greetings once more from Burma. I am writing this one in the lobby of my Rangoon hotel whilst waiting for my taxi to whisk me away to the airport for a midnight flight to Singapore, and then on to London from there. By the time you read this, I will already have arrived safely back in Hammersmith (where I will be uploading this onto the internet), after what has turned out to be one fantastic, fantastic trip indeed – it’s been just great! And these last few days have finished off this amazing trip with style, enjoyment, and thanks be to God, a huge lift in my spiritual life which I definitely needed and am so very grateful for. I will relate all below. So last I wrote I was in the wonderful, but ... read more

Dear All Greetings from Burma (aka Myanmar), country number 71, and as in the words of Rudyard Kipling, as quoted in the Lonely Planet, a country “quite unlike any place you know about”. Whilst still being in the geographical region of South-East Asia, it feels completely different, and with 50 years of military dictatorship and almost complete closure to the outside world, this is not surprising at all. Whilst western brands are completely absent here, with no Coca-Cola or McDonald’s to speak of (good or bad…?), the people also seem strikingly different. Western clothes are not so popular as the local fashion, with men mostly wearing traditional wrap-around cloths called “lunghi” instead of trousers, and women using a very strange flesh-coloured make-up which is applied on the cheeks and sometimes the forehead in the fashion of ... read more

Dear All Greetings from Laos, country number 70, and what a stunningly beautiful country to be writing from. Right now I am just slap bang in the lap of luxury, writing this one from the balcony of my stilted wooden bungalow overlooking the Nam Khang River, Mekong tributary, with nothing but the sound of birds and jungle insects, and the sight of the occasional local dugout canoe silently paddling by – tropical bliss! I believe the last one I wrote came from the middle of nowhere on an island in Halong Bay – this place is even further into the depths of rural wilderness, and off the tourist-beaten track – just perfect, and as Mr McDonald would say, I’m lovin’ it! Since my last update I spent one more night in Hanoi, having taken to the ... read more

Dear All Hello from Central Vietnam, second update of my trip so far, and having (as usual!) the most amazing time! What a country, and what lovely people! They really make you feel welcome here, and smiles abound wherever you go – and not those which are given to make a tourist dollar or two. These are genuine, heartfelt smiles and I have been initiating and reciprocating them wherever I go – they’re contagious! I must admit it’s rather noisy and hectic with the traffic in general (if you’ve seen my video uploaded onto my Facebook page, you’ll know what I mean!), but aside from this minor detraction, this really is an amazing, welcoming and lovely country, and I’m certainly having a great time of it. Writing this entry from my most comfortable room so far. ... read more

Dear All Here I am again, whiling away the last few hours before a big trip, and trying to control the nerves and channel the excitement at the same time – not easy. It is usually at this point that I ask myself why on earth do I do this – board a flight to the other side of the world with just me, myself and I (and my backpack) - but hindsight reminds me that it leads to an amazing time, and a fantastic learning experience of the world around me, the peoples, societies and cultures that make it up, which is far beyond my day to day (but far from unenjoyable) life here in London. I guess I am also just thinking too much before the huge unknown of the next few weeks, so ... read more