Category Archives: diary

My MA Dissertation – The full, unexpurgated version

Posted on 18/11/2009 by haonowshaokao

In the interests of posting everything I do on a single blog, here’s something which will be unreadable for most people; my MA dissertation, finished a month-and-a-half ago, and now handed in, marked and returned (I passed, by the way). … Continue reading →

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V away. Made dinner. Doesn’t look very nice.

Posted on 11/11/2009 by haonowshaokao
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Beard Disguises

Posted on 02/11/2009 by haonowshaokao
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Beijing: househunting, housetrapping, housebaiting

Posted on 15/10/2009 by haonowshaokao

The plan, as much as it existed, had been to find a job with a flat. The two were supposed to arrive together. In all the hassle of getting here, though, both were indefinitely delayed, and after a couple of … Continue reading →

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Northern Thailand

Posted on 29/06/2008 by haonowshaokao

It was the opposite of a shock to return to Thailand after my time in Laos – not pleasant familiarity, but an easiness that doesn’t fit in that well with my idea of travel, whatever that is. Not that anything … Continue reading →

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Up the Mekong

Posted on 26/06/2008 by haonowshaokao

Like much of the other travel advice I’d been offered, the description of the Mekong boat trip as ‘not worth the bother’ turned out to be completely untrue. The three cities had been great, but much of the time something … Continue reading →

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Laos Part 2 – Luang Prabang

Posted on 15/06/2008 by haonowshaokao

The bus journey from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang was in some ways worse than the one from Siem Reap. In its favour it was at least half full, or half empty, so I had a double seat to myself, … Continue reading →

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Laos pt 1 – Vientiane and Vang Vieng

Posted on 11/06/2008 by haonowshaokao

After a night in Bangkok (which I’ll write about a bit later) I took a “sleeper bus” to the Thai-Lao border. It didn’t have beds, but the reclining chairs went back far enough for the journey to be bearable. As … Continue reading →

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Siem Reap, Angkor and a few buses

Posted on 01/06/2008 by haonowshaokao

It would’ve been nice to have stayed on in Phnom Penh a couple more days at least, but time was starting to run out and I was eager to see Cambodia’s biggest draw, Angkor Wat. Tyler was off back to … Continue reading →

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Phnom Penh

Posted on 30/05/2008 by haonowshaokao

For every disappointment like Saigon there’s at least a few pleasant surprises, like Phnom Penh for example. What makes it so different from the former is hard to say, though. If Saigon is a red light safari then Phnom Penh … Continue reading →

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