Accomodation on Christmas Island always looked like it was going to be a bit of an issue, and is something I have been trying to resolve for quite a while. From what I could find out on the internet, there is no form of cheap hostel or backpacker-type accomodation, and the only options on offer […]
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It’s been another long day of travel and waiting today. I managed to get a few hours of sleep last night on the airport floor in a quiet corner tucked away behind the closed restaurants. There were a few other vagabonds bedding down there too. I got up at around 5.30am, and went to check […]
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After my overnight stop at Butterworth I was up early to stock up for the day on the train. However, things didn’t start too well as the restaurant that the night before had told me that they were open 24 hours a day, was now closed. “Holiday!” explained the guy cleaning the place. I finally […]
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I have been on so many flights over the last sixteen months of travel, that when an alternative is presented, it is usually very appealing. While searching for flights from Bangkok to either Kuala Lumpur or Singapore, I stumbled upon a website about rail travel in Thailand and Malaysia, where it was suggested that it […]
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The main elephant show at the Surin Elephant Round Up takes place on both the Saturday and Sunday mornings. I had gone shopping for a ticket on Friday, and had bought a ticket for the second show on the Sunday, as Saturday was selling out fast. This morning I wandered to the stadium, buying a […]
Continue readingWell, here’s another example of achieving a goal in a manner way beyond what I could have hoped for or expected. I had heard rumours that tourists could ride the elephants (for a fee, of course!) in the Elephant Parade, as the elephants make their way from the start of the route, which is right […]
Continue readingA speedy and exhilarating, but quite nerve-wracking ride on the back of a moped taxi through the Bangkok morning rush hour traffic got me to the train station in about twenty minutes flat, a journey that may have taken around an hour in a taxi cab. The 2-car train rattled slowly eastwards for around seven […]
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Well, three nights in Bangkok, actually. My ex-brother-in-law Tony has lived in Bangkok on and off for around six years now, and I haven’t seen him for over four years. So I thought that as I passed through Bangkok on my way to see the Elephant Round Up, it might be a good chance to […]
Continue readingI took a few video clips on the snowy, misty Badaling section of the Great Wall. There was a loud speaker system all the way along the wall, which played the same message over and over again, which spoiled the atmosphere a little, particularly when I had walked past the tourist hoards, and found a […]
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Lancy and I had discussed a trip to a much older section of the Great Wall, which she referred to as the “Wild Great Wall”, but in the early part of the week the weather was deteriorating, eventually ending in Thursdays’s big snowstorm, which ironically was the day I decided to go to Badaling to […]
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“He who has not climbed the Great Wall is not a true man.” Mao Zedong. Well, I guess finally I can truly call myself a man now, as today I got to climb and walk along the Great Wall of China at last. I was hoping that Lancy was going to be able to join […]
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I had another touristy day today, first catching the bus to visit The Temple of Heaven. It was pretty nice, although perhaps not as spectacular as The Summer Palace was yesterday. Just as interesting, and much more amusing, was the wide variety of karaoke singing, and impromptu dancing that was going on in the park, […]
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When I got up this morning I discovered that there had been at least 6 inches of snow overnight. I wrapped up warm and headed out to find some breakfast, settling for fruit as an easy option, and then made my way to the subway, heading for the Summer Palace, on the outskirts of the […]
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My first port of call yesterday was Jingshan Park, which is only a short walk from my hostel. There is a large hill with several temple buildings on top, which overlook the North Gate of the huge Forbidden City below, was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing […]
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I have just woken up from one of the longest sleeps I think I have ever had. I slept a wonderfully rejuvinating 14 hours last night!! My last day in Kuala Lumpur was pretty long. After going to see the KL Tower in the morning I had to check out of my room at midday. […]
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I love Kuala Lumpur. It is a wonderful mixture of spectacular modern splendour and manic Asian chaos. I haven’t been here since I first started travelling between England and Australia fairly regularly towards the end of the nineties. I think the last time I spent some time here would be heading back home to England […]
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I think perhaps I could have organised all of these flights a little more efficiently, but because of those inconsiderate Christmas Island crabs, which can’t decide quite when they are going to migrate, I have had to maintain some flexibility in my schedule. A month or so ago, when I booked my flight out of […]
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After the previous night out in Xoxocotlan cemetery I had another relaxing start to the day, sitting in the sunny courtyard of the hostel writing my blog, and trying to figure out some transport options for my forthcoming trip to China. It was pretty quiet at the hostel, and I shared cookong duties with one […]
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After my trip to Monte Alban on Friday I took a wander around the city and enjoyed the festive atmosphere. The sand paintings and decorations are very eye-catching. Later in the evening I had a couple of beers and quite a few shots of mezcal, the local drink somewhat similar to tequila, with a group […]
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