The Journey(s) of Ian

My life long interest in astronomy resulted in a life long interest in some interesting people. One of those, very interesting people, was Patrick Moore. Moore spent his entire life as an amateur astronomer and a populariser of the subject. With a mildly eccentric demeanour he entertained generations of young people, and more than a few older. Having said that he never struck me as a particular helpful source of information. I found neither his books nor his long dialogues on the subject that useful, however, I always found him an interesting subject to observe, if never entirely sure just what he was up to. This, combined with his rather varied and equally eccentric political views, made him someone to occasionally pay attention to, but never take too seriously. With all that, however, Patrick Moore, you were a fun fellow, you lived a long life, doing what you wanted. RIP.

Larry Hagman, an actor, man who made people happy. I first saw you in "I Dream of Genie" (as many of us did). Then I occasionally watched you in "Dallas". A good actor, and a good man. You leave behind many good memories in the minds of many people. RIP.

I am not a dorm person by natural inclination. Normally, I prefer a private room, and in most sea countries a good private room can be had in the $15-$20 per night price range, however, not so in the City of the Merlion. Here a basic private room will start in the $50 plus price range. Not overly exorbitant, but a price to avoid if travelling for an extended periods of time, however, there is an alternative to the hotel scene. This is a backpacker hostel. Once, hostels were non-existent in Sing. It was high-class tourism or nothing, now, fortunately, this has changed. There are now a host of backpacker hostels in the city. Most of these cluster near the lower income areas. These areas include "Little India" and "China Town". As you walk through the streets of these locales you will see buildings dating back to colonial days, in a traditional design, two or three stories high, intermixed with the occasional 7-11, and the somewhat jarring appearance of a pub with t...

I remember it well, High School, the scratchy radio voice and the blurry black and white image. The long wait, and then Neil Armstrong spoke those globally famous words as he stepped onto the Lunar surface. July 20th 1969. A life that will be remembered as long as humans still value their past and their accomplishments. RIP.

Lots of signs along the way. tourist shop opposite the museum. reproduction pots on sale. Ban Chiang is an archeological site located in the Udon Thani Province of northern Thailand. The site is of importance as it contains the archaeological remains of the only known south east Asian culture to independently develop an agrarian culture. Prior to the discovery of Ban Chiang it was genuinely assumed that agricultural knowledge was transferred into south east Asia from India and China. This was not the case. Due to this unique role the site played in the region, Ban Chiang is considered to be the most important archaeological site in the Kingdom of Thailand. In 1992, in recognition of its importance in south east Asian cultural development, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The earliest evidence shows that the area was settled by a hunter-gatherer people in the fourth millennium BCE. These people possessed the rudiments of a settled, agricultural society: do...

Harry Harrison, an amusing name. I can remember the first time I saw the name on the shelves of my High School library, when I first came across the Deathworld series. This fascinating read began a long friendship, his books, my reading. I met Harrison when he came to Perth for a Swancon. An interesting and witty man, always ready with a story. Mr Harrison, you have left a long and lasting legacy, which will entertain many generations to come. RIP (1925-2012).

Behave ! Phonsavan is a city in northern Laos, ~170kms as the crow flies north from Vientiane, and the capital of the Laos province of Xieng Khouang. A land of rice, green hills, a very small quantity of local industry, and one major tourist attraction. The city can be reached by automobile or aircraft. From Vientiane a bus journey on the long, winding, hilly, and sometimes non-existent road will take ~12 hours. There are regular and low cost buses available for this trip.  You can take a bus from the official bus station, the "Northern Bus Station" on the western side of Vientiane, or from the informal bus station found next to the Lao National Museum in the town centre. Cost is around $10 for an aircon bus. If you are unsure any tuk tuk driver in town will set take you where you need to go. If you take the bus route I suggest a stop over in the town of Vang Vieng, unless you are in a big hurry. Time immemorial, growing rice. Older, wooden style house....