The Reality of Siem Reap: The Megacity Behind Angkor
Almost everyone who flies into Siem Reap arrives specifically to see one building, but Angkor is not a building. It is the…
Author
Oliver Hartley
Oliver Hartley writes for PenguFly. This page collects every article by this author: trip reports, routes, practical travel tips and cheap flight ideas.
The Reality of Berlin: The City That Chose to Remember
Walk down an ordinary pavement in central Berlin, and you will eventually look down to find a double row of cobblestones running…
The Reality of Tunis: The Medina and the Ghost of Carthage
Stand in the Tunis medina in the middle of the morning, and the city hits you all at once. The vaulted, stone-roofed…
The Reality of Salvador: The First Capital Behind the Postcard
Salvador announces itself by ear long before it registers by eye. Walk through the centre, and you might hear a dozen drums…
The Reality of Yogyakarta: The Living Court Behind Borobudur
Stand on the Kedu Plain at dawn as the thick mist begins to thin in the palm canopy. In front of you,…
The Reality of Oaxaca: The Zapotec Heartland Behind the Cuisine
Walk into the pasillo de humo (smoke corridor) of the Mercado 20 de Noviembre on a busy morning. The narrow hall is…
The Reality of Kotor: The Venetian Bay Behind the Cruise Ships
Walk through the old town in the early morning, and the tight, triangular maze of streets belongs entirely to itself. The wet…
The Reality of Chiang Mai: The Lanna Capital Behind the Tourist Boom
Walk along the edge of the old-city moat in the early evening, and the geometry of the place becomes clear. The square…
The Reality of Sarajevo: The Crossroads City of Empires
Walk into the Baščaršija in the morning, and the air smells strongly of wood smoke from the ćevapi grills and the dark…
The Reality of Matera: From National Shame to Boutique Showcase
Stand on the edge of the plateau at first light and look down into the Sassi. The two great bowls of stacked…
The Reality of Samarkand: Timur’s Conqueror Capital
Stand in the centre of the Registan at first light, before the crowds arrive. Three vast, heavily tiled madrasahs frame the empty…
The Reality of Tbilisi: Empires, Sulphur Baths, and Ancient Wine
Walk through the Abanotubani district at dawn, and you will see the low, brick domes of the sulphur bathhouses steaming in the…