"Even though it’s very Off West End, I still have the common London experience of going to the theatre and realising I’ve seen some of the actors on the telly or at the cinema. Outside on the wet streets, people are bustling through the rain toward Kilburn Tube station, or stepping into the welcoming pub opposite. There’s something both very British but very international about the scene."

Stepping outside London's theatrical mainstream to go 'Off West End'.
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"Bangkok is an exciting and vibrant city at all hours of the day, especially here in the commercial centre where gigantic shopping malls line busy roads, overshadowed by the Skytrain elevated railway. But is it possible to discover a more contemplative side to the Thai capital? Having set out on foot through the humid morning haze from my hotel, I’m determined to give it a try."

Exploring the quieter back streets of Bangkok, Thailand.
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"'Roman Polanski used to sit right there between classes.' Professor Andrzej Bednarek points to a stairwell within Poland’s National Film School. We gaze at the stairs together, he in fond reflection and I in moderate reverence. It’s not everyday you encounter a renowned director’s favourite spot for a smoko. And as Lodz is pronounced 'woodge' in Polish, there’s been no end of puns about 'Hollywoodge'."

"If a nerd like Lawrence Leung could revive the Rubik’s Cube in his TV series Choose Your Own Adventure, the time must be ripe for a geek-chic makeover of the 12-sided dice. Enter musical comedy trio Tripod, whose latest production is an exaltation of that epic pre-console time-waster: the role-playing game known as Dungeons and Dragons."

"As I listen to the music, the waitress returns to top up my jasmine tea with boiling water. Then, to my intense surprise, the duo begins playing a version of Click Go the Shears. I glance up, catch the erhu player’s eye, and we exchange discreet smiles. Like the decor of the tea house, which features a jumble of items from Shanghai’s 20th century past, it seems the music selection is drawn from a variety of sources across the years."

Tasting tea, dumplings and the historic past in Shanghai, China.
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"Then a miracle happens. The dense cloud starts to dissipate under the sunlight's morning warmth, splitting apart to reveal a stark rocky peak way above us. Set within it is the cable car station, an improbable construction wedged into the rock, like the lair of a James Bond villain. As we reach it, I suddenly remember that there's nothing beneath our feet for a very long way, and then we gently ease into place, 2634m above sea level."

Ascending the mighty High Tatra mountains in Slovakia.
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"Morgan takes us past landmarks illustrating his life in Freo: his primary school; the former Caledonian Hall where he learned to play the bagpipes; and the old Fremantle Prison which he once passed through en route to a juvenile correctional institution. So he was a bit of a bad boy, and he famously liked the ladies. 'His Mum still lives in a nearby suburb,' says Morgan. 'She was the only woman in Perth that he didn't sleep with.'"

"'We've got some live ones on this flight. What are you, British?' When it comes to the sprawling American state of Montana, the fun starts on the flight in. There’s not much space in our snug 50-seater from Denver to Missoula, so the sassy blonde flight attendant is a disciplinarian by necessity. However, the request for tea has thrown her routine into a loop. But you don’t visit Montana for the tea..."

"To visit America for the first time is to encounter the strangely familiar. Like every Australian, I’ve spent a lifetime immersed in the television and film output of the USA, absorbing the nuances of its culture. I even understand why it’s upsetting to have been cast as Benedict Arnold in the school play (thanks, Brady Bunch). Which is why it’s mildly disconcerting to find that America is, in fact, much as it appears on screen."

"What would Christmas be without nuts? Or indeed, without The Nutcracker? This fairytale ballet by Tchaikovsky is the perfect way to introduce kids to dance, though adults will also be enchanted by the adventures of our heroine, Marie, and the toys she encounters along the way. 'Is there a magical transformation and a handsome prince?' I hear you ask. How could there not be? Sugar plum fairies included."

My writing has appeared in newspapers, magazines and websites around the world. I'm also an author for Lonely Planet Publications' travel books.

I'm available to write on any subject, and also undertake business writing jobs such as proofreading, editing and copywriting.

Learn more about my published work and writing services.

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Tim Richards
507/225 Elizabeth St
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tim@iwriter.com.au

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