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Mathew Robertson

@mrobertson3891

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Chiang Mai

I need to write something about this place. Here we are in the year 2026, the modern world is spreading rapidly to every corner of the planet and humanity seems to be hurtling ourselves toward an idea of progress only related to material enrichment and getting robots to do the hard stuff for us so we can all live in some kind of cyber-utopia.

Still, the old world doesn’t die that easily. When it’s remnants have either been replaced by shopping malls and condo buildings, or fenced off with ticket booths installed outside we can only look to the traditions and culture of the people who are an unbroken link to when life was very different.

Some people might call it a vibe, or the atmosphere, but Chiang Mai is one of those places that pulls you in and offers a feeling of refuge, a home. It’s hard to feel under pressure to do anything here, it’s not a city like New York where you might feel compelled to see something every 5 minutes. There’s plenty on offer but it can be taken or left and the local people don’t sweat it either. Chiang Mai seems to want to bring out the best versions of people who come here though. There’s Muay Thai gyms on every corner, yoga studios, working spaces, saunas & ice bath places that offer the opportunity to meet others and talk about life. Rather than their bank balances, people bring their philosophies or knowledge into conversations. Among westerners it feels like a level playing field, especially being that the majority of people I’ve met here from other countries have called Chiang Mai home for years. The economic factor is always a big draw, but it takes more than an affordable place for so many to want to call somewhere home. Thai culture has absorbed a lot of western ways but is still vastly different to Christian countries.

When you’re a tourist coming to visit Thailand you see how much of the country adjusted itself to accommodate tourism. I can also see though that the ones who stay here long term have experienced the reverse, they’ve adjusted their outlook and pace to match north Thailand, where even the smallest exchange with another person can feel meaningful. I was told by someone who’s lived here for by @mrobertson3891

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4 days ago

Kinabatangan river, Borneo Malaysia.

Great spot to spend a few days amongst wild animals and a few domesticated cats living their best lives. Makes me never want to go to a zoo again. by @mrobertson3891

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4 months ago

Pictures from a short stopover in the oil rich country of Brunei, tucked away on the island of Borneo sharing it's border and it's language with Malaysia, run by King Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah who lives in a palace with 1700 rooms and is known for public meet and greets with the locals.

After going through all the usual discomforts of travel required to enter a new country, a small seat on a budget flight, navigating through the airport trying to avoid being scammed by taxi drivers, potential language barriers, I realised on coming here that each distinctly different part of the world is a living human experiment that's usually tilted either towards what the government/wealthy wants or what the regular people want. Sometimes those regular people are lucky enough to live in a place that has a balance and so far as I can tell Brunei has achieved that. It's citizens live without having to pay income tax with free medical care and education that is also mostly free all the way through University, low crime rates and an amazing infrastructure including a 30km bridge that's the longest in ASEAN and connects two regions. It makes for a feeling when travelling through that everyone is at peace. The citizens are expected to work hard and there's no nightlife whatsoever due to alcohol being banned, they can however take a short boat trip to the Malaysian owned island of Labuan (the equivalent of Bahrain for Saudi) and drink to their hearts content.

The lady pictured named Hasma with her nephew Imam met me on the plane ride over, she works as a teacher for students with learning disabilities and believes that the people of Brunei have it too good and have become selfish, leaving the welfare of everyone up to the state. I agree that there is something to be said about people who have never had to struggle. Whatever her life has been like however, she drove me around the country for 6 hours, showing me the best places with the insight only a local could give. She didn't want anything but for me to see Brunei.

Overall I rate Brunei, it's refreshing to come into a country with no big ticket things to see and just being open to what happens. taken in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei by @mrobertson3891

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4 months ago

taken in Zero Point, Yumthang, Sikkim by @mrobertson3891

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7 months ago

Beautiful Sikkim, India.

This secluded area of the world has offered the most wild roads accompanied with the best views I've seen from the seat of a motorbike.

Permits are required for foreigners and locals also, however for some sections that are more sensitive a guide is required to follow you in a car and help you through the military checkpoints. At one point we got stopped while exiting one of these areas by an army officer, he was going to seize our bikes for what he called speeding. I'd call it surviving India's roads. We pleaded with him, defensively thinking he might have wanted money from us in the form of a fine or a bribe. He gave it consideration and let us go, making us promise to ride safely. He was only doing it to make sure we didn't die, so a pretty good bloke all in all.

The first night in Siliguri I woke up to someone on a work vehicle doing construction right outside the hotel at 330am. We got going that morning to try and get everything sorted asap, Sim cards, bike gear, currency exchange, permits. It took forever. I had to swap my first rental bike out that was broken so by the time we got going we had an hour of daylight for a 4 hour ride to Gangtok, 1500 metres up. The bike I was given had a switch for the headlight, I just thought it was broken so I rode it in the dark using Ed's light or the light from other cars to navigate the endless corners while fighting the onset of food poisoning, I arrived to Gangtok exhausted with an empty stomach, wondering if I'd made a huge mistake coming for this trip.

The next morning I woke up feeling washed out, we took a gentle ride around the town and my fears disappeared. The place was unique to anywhere I'd been before, a mix of Tibetan, Nepalese and Indian culture with the ethnicities of the people reflecting that. It's worth coming here just to see someone who looks Asian do the famous Indian head wobble while smiling at you warmly. The vistas on the days riding that followed had me stopping in awe at the beauty, seeing some of the largest mountains of the Himalayas slowly come into view, while trying not to go under the wheel of an army truck. Can recommend coming here. by @mrobertson3891

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9 months ago

What an awesome trip in Peru can't believe we finally made it happen buddy @jus_rob201

Could be just a getting a bit older thing but the first few days of the salkantay hike were quite tough, getting up at 4am on day 1 and starting the hike around 8, ascending 500-600 metres to 4150m, being too cold in the campsite to get barely more than a wink of sleep. Second day going up another 500 to the pass then down 1400 metres. I've had some tough days hiking but these were up there.

We managed to score an extra ticket on top of the one we already had so we got to climb up Huayna Picchu (the big mountain in the background) as well. Perfect weather couldn't have been happier to do this with my only sibling. taken in Cusco, Peru by @mrobertson3891

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a year ago

Couple pics from Taiwan.

Impressions:

Beautiful country (if you're lucky to have good weather)

Friendly, considerate people with a very trusting society

Too many rules especially traffic ones (speed cameras everywhere)

Awesome food

Cool concept style hotels that aren't afraid to do things a little differently.

Bit expensive for a long trip but worth a visit, can't wait to go back. taken in Taiwan by @mrobertson3891

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2 years ago

Lagoon swimming outside Vang Vieng, Laos. taken in Blue Lagoon 3, vang vieng by @mrobertson3891

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2 years ago

Tangkoko national Park, North Sulawesi Indonesia.

Has these extremely cute little guys the Tarsius monkey which are one of the smallest primates in the world and a bunch of other cool wildlife including the hornbill and tarantulas that I didn't get to see this time. taken in Tangkoko National Park by @mrobertson3891

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2 years ago

In our first day at Sulawesi island Indonesia we met a cool guide who took us out into this area with rice fields and unique rock formations, one cave having hand prints from tens of thousands of years ago.

Of the many different groups living on this island, some in the south have a connection with the Aboriginals of Australia due to the landmass likely sharing a connection many tens of thousands of years ago. taken in Rammang Rammang - Maros, South Sulawesi by @mrobertson3891

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2 years ago

I made the trek yesterday to this festival 3 hours from Cusco Peru called Qoyllur Rit'i that combines Catholic celebrations with older traditions of gathering together to bring in the appearance of the Pleiades star system which indicates the beginning of harvesting season and usually goes for around 3 days. Also they believe there's a God living in the glacier near the sanctuary, however it's slowly melting away.

It's considered a pilgrimage and the path itself is not hard, however it finishes at around 5200m and people carry very heavy packs.

It's also the largest Andes indigenous gathering in South America, with people coming from many places, with their own unique traditions. It involves the sacrifice of a lot of baby Llamas as seen with people wearing them in the videos. Overall it felt like a real privilege to see as there were very few tourists here.

Leaving the area after the walk back involved trying to find a pre arranged driver with no phone reception, ten of thousands of people all leaving at once and finally taking another ride back to Cusco only to have the driver nearly fall asleep at the wheel and drift into an oncoming car. taken in Santuario Sr. De Coyllorrity by @mrobertson3891

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2 years ago

Catch up post number two, the beautiful Buddhist temples of Yogyakarta Indonesia.

#Java #Indonesia #temples #buddhism by @mrobertson3891

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2 years ago