The unspoilt beauty of the Ang Thong marine park

Can it really be over two weeks since I got home from Thailand? Judging by my fast-fading t-shirt tan and increasingly infrequent bouts of beach-set, work-based day-dreaming, I guess it can.

While Thailand is one of the more ‘westernized’ of South East Asian countries, there was still so much that amazed and confounded. The frankly terrifying traffic in Bangkok, the view over miles of jungle from a hilltop tribe village, the lengths people go to charm gullible tourists out of their Baht, the luminescent colour of the water around the islands in the south, the abundance of ornate Buddhist shrines in front of every property, the teeming street-level life in every town and, when we were there, the fact that every telegraph pole in the country was adorned with an election poster of some stern-faced candidate.

Bangkok's Chinatown is a barrage of sights, sounds and smells

I spent just over two weeks there with friends, following the well-beaten tourist trail from Bangkok up to Chiang Mai for the outdoors experience, followed by the long journey south to the lazy island of Koh Pha Ngan for daytime relaxation and night-time recreation.

But far from any predictable, packaged trip, this was an eye-opening, dare-I-say epic journey that has really given me the jolt to explore more of the world beyond the comfortable, reigned in West.

The view from the Lahu hill tribe village we visited at dusk

It’s impossible to count the ways that a place like Thailand boggles the mind of a relatively inexperienced traveller. The overall impression I got was that, whereas life in Britain is rigidly segmented and regulated, life in Thailand seeps and smudges with few controls or barriers. Opening hours, health and safety, the licencing of designer brands, traffic hierarchies, the capacity of a scooter,  and, famously, gender, are all very grey areas in this part of the world.

While the Thai government has been known to be extremely tough when it wants to be, an unflustered, genial mood seems to define the national character, making life seem particularly sweet in a country that, despite recent political strife and ongoing economic hardship, is blessed with some of the finest scenery, nature, food and, of course, beaches in the world.

I’ll definitely be back.

Elephant trekking in the conservation camp near Chiang Mai

I have a few more Thailand photos over on my Flickr…

Lady North perform in Fleshmarket Close

One thing I’ve never done in my nine years as a resident of Edinburgh has been to take a guided tour of the grand old place. That’s because these tours are usually led by irritatingly boisterous am-dram types dressed badly in jester/wench costumes.

But I broke my duck on this front at the weekend, when I joined about 50-100 other music fans on Detour‘s Wee Jaunt. And there wasn’t a codpiece in sight.

The whole idea is that it’s a secret line-up, and so there was a level of uncertainty, nay, trepidation, beforehand. But it doesn’t take long to be swept along on the upbeat atmosphere – and that was without a drop of alcohol.

I saw some great mini-gigs – especially Conquering Animal Sound and Lady North – in some unlikely locations, and you can read my full review on Radar.

Ally McCrae and David Weaver carry off their Detour exploits with the kind of carefree tomfoolery that makes it all seem effortless. Staging an event like this is anything but.

Here are a few more of my photos from the day.

I’ve been playing football in this part of town for years without really venturing beyond the floodlit astroturf. While I’m sure I’ve been to the seafront as a child, today was the first time since I’ve lived in the city that I’ve bothered to check it out.

It gives my hometown, Leven, a run for its money in the faded seaside resort stakes. I particularly liked the wind-battered signs for the ‘Funpark’ and the lime green railings. While most of the entertainments of days gone by have long since closed or been demolished, the daft dogs yelping around provided much compensatory amusement. (In the picture above the tiny dog on the left was actually starting on the big, cowering boxer dog.)

There is something even bleaker about a past-its-prime promenade in February, when it’s getting dark at 5 o’clock. Still, it’s a good place to go for a walk, away from the traffic and shops of the centre, and those icy winds will blast away the heaviest hangover (not that I had one of course).

Anyway, this very ordinary Sunday afternoon out did remind me of this piece of comedy gold:

A solitary deer, staring back at the camera

This weekend past I went for a short break in the Highlands with Rebecca. A ‘staycation’, if you want to be all buzzwordy about it.

Sunset at Oban

We drove up to Oban first, the main harbour town on the Scottish West Coast, then carried on northwards to the more isolated fishing village of Ullapool, away up near the corner, so to speak.

Eilean Donan castle

I was expecting mountains, lochs and beaches, and although that’s pretty much what we got, it was the barren quality of this part of the country that took me by surprise, and the way the light pours down from the sky, and the continual succession of great vistas at every turn in the road.

The promenade at Ullapool

It was also a chance to try out my new camera (a Nikon D3000 for any nerds reading), and while I’ve yet to read the instructions, some of the pictures turned out not too badly…

View from Stac Pollaidh

Stac Pollaidh

I have no idea what kind of sheep this is

Evening sun on Wester Ross coast

I definitely recommend the north west of Scotland if you need to get away from it all without spending a fortune.

The Brandenburg Gate, focal point for most of Berlin's turbulent history

I’m currently bunged up with a cold, no doubt brought on by a combination of a few too many Berliner biers and the German capital’s even-chillier-than-Scotland autumn weather. But the trip was worth a few sniffles, because I had a great time exploring the place.

The few remaining scraps of the Berlin Wall, the site of Hitler’s bunker (now an anonymous car park) and the new Jewish memorial were all fascinating and humbling, but it was the nightlife that was the main attraction.

While we made a few wrong turns and bad choices, we also found some great bars, such as the graffiti-covered Zapata, the cool DJ bar named after Studio 54 and Silberfisch, a cellar bar that stayed open till 8am.

The quality of the pictures this time round isn’t too good as I was relying on my camera phone, but here are a few anyway, wonky panorama shots included.

My attempt at a panoramic shot of the Reichstag, Germany's parliament building

Another panorama attempt: The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, a newish site built with thousands of concrete slabs

Taken 'inside' the Jewish memorial. Looks like rows of skyscrapers to me.

The Fernsehturm, or TV tower, which is visible from practically everywhere in Berlin.

Currywurst, the local delicacy

I’ve been on holiday for the past week. We (me and my girlfriend Rebecca) went to Croatia for a week. It was a great trip: flawless weather, gorgeous scenery, friendly people, boats, islands and seafood, lots of seafood.

We flew to Zadar, a nice enough coastal town in Northern Dalmatia, before travelling down to Split, the region’s largest city.

Zadar's old and not-so-old churches

Split was home to the Roman emperor Diocletian’s holiday palace, which now serves as the city’s tattered but charming centre. It’s also a good base to explore some of Croatia’s many islands. We caught the ferry for a day trip to Brac, which boasts one of the country’s best beaches near the town of Bol.

Street market at dusk, Split

Finally we headed further south to Dubrovnik, which is a stunning, magical place, despite being heavily shelled during the Balkans war less than 20 years ago. Its massive walls have sustained centuries of attacks, so it’s fitting that it’s back to its former glory.

Dubrovnik old town from one of the wall forts

Stradun, the main street in Dubrovnik

Looking down on Dubrovnik from the towering city wall

Anyone stopping in Dubrovnik for more than a day or two should make the short boat trip to Lokrum island. Aside from the fact that it’s full of peacocks, it has rocky coves to explore and good swimming (as long as you stay clear of the sea urchins).

A resident peacock lords it over Lokrum

We had booked our plane tickets with no preconceptions about Croatia other than that it was an up and coming destination. The part of the country we saw would suggest that it’s already a worthy rival to the likes of Italy and Spain. It’s not particularly cheap, and the kuna currency takes a bit of getting used to (around 8 to the pound), but the Adriatic coast has to be seen to be believed.

Sunset from the Brac-Split ferry