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The month of April has been dominated by
the SARS epidemic. Judging from the amount of email I have received from
subscribers, this is causing large numbers of people to cancel their trips
to Asia and seek alternative holiday ideas. In response to the many requests
I have received, this issue of the newsletter will explore an alternative,
but I have also included a number of excellent photographic sites covering
our normal South East Asia destinations.
The alternative location I have chosen is the country where I live, Spain, and in particular the Andalucia region which I know very well. With one of the best climates in the world, exceptionally friendly people and beautiful scenery ranging from the beautiful Atlantic beaches to the impressive mountains and ski slopes of Sierra Nevada it has much to offer and I am very happy to present the area where I live and where I have been made so welcome.
On these pages you'll find a selection of the pictures taken by Alfred Molon in the past four years, while travelling across South East Asia between 1999 and 2002, in Nepal in December 1999, in Egypt in January 2001 and in Portugal in April 2002.
This web photo gallery has 2200 high quality images from Malaysia, Thailand, Egypt, Laos, Cambodia, Portugal, Nepal, Bangkok, Krabi, Kuala Lumpur, Langkawi, Sarawak and Sabah and also includes a number of well written travelogues. If you don't want to travel at the moment, this site is one of the best altrenatives to actually being there. Alfred Molon´s galleries are at: http://www.molon.de/Galleries.htm
In these pages, you'll find some scans of photographs taken by Raoul De Guchteneere during trips in South East Asia between August 1994 and January 2003. There are 534 pictures so far, with a special section on the Khmer temples in Cambodia, Thailand and Laos
The pictures are of excellent quality and the presentation and navigation system are very well done. The excellent maps show exactly where the various areas are and you can even choose the size you want the photos to be to suit your screen. Take a look at: http://www.rale.be/
"On this web site you will find a lot of photos about Myanmar (or Burma). No big story, only pictures" says Henk. Well I have to tell Henk that a picture is worth a thousand words and in the case of this web site, the "only pictures" are one of the best stories about Myanmar that I have ever seen. These are marvellous photos capturing the essence of a country seen through the eyes of someone who loves the place. In fact, in September 1997 Henk was one of the last foreigners who married a Myanmar girl in Myanmar, because soon after their wedding the Myanmar government prohibited Myanmar people from marrying a foreigner in their own country. Well I for one could fall in love with the country just by looking at the marvellous photos that Henk provides on this site.
On: http://www.xs4all.nl/~hsdejong/burma/index.html
Far from the problems of SARS and wars, in the peaceful sunny south of Europe lies Andalucia. Although probably best known for the jet-set image of Marbella, the real Andalucia is a fascinating region of beautiful scenery, impressive architecture and a way of life that values tolerance, unselfishness and happiness more than most other places in the West.
Here you will find four of UNESCO's world heritage sites (Historic Centre of Cordoba; The Alhambra, the Generalife and Albayzin, Granada; Cathedral, Alcazar and Archivo de Indias, in Seville; Doñana National Park) and the beautiful white villages hidden in the mountains. I have put together a collection of links to Andalucia and links to Marbella, so that you can get a flavour of what the place is like. It covers Andalucia:
Marbella with style
For useful books if you intend to travel to Andalucia, I would recommend thoroughly these two which are available from Amazon Books:
Hotel accommodation in Andalucia is plentiful and using a reputable agent can secure you substantial discounts. Holiday Club can usually find you a good deal and you can check their availability here:
Back issues of this newsletter are available. You can find them on:
http://www.connectedglobe.com/thaiairnews/ The countries covered in other issues are:
Far East Air Fare deals from ConnectedGlobe
There are some excellent prices to be found on flights via various ticket agencies. For flights originating anywhere in the world use
the ConnectedGlobe fare finder page.
Other Useful Links
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