Flight: AirAsia FD 1030 From: Bangkok (DMK) To: Luang Prabang (LPQ) I flew with AirAsia from Bangkok to Luang Prabang. I booked it after comparing flights with Skyscanner, and AirAsia was the cheapest option. For this trip I was going to Luang Prabang to see the construction of the China-Laos railway as part of the […]
La Locanda review – A budget guesthouse in the Bangkok Chinatown area
Guesthouse Name: La Locanda Address: Soi Phantha Chit 2 40/42, Chinatown, Bangkok, Thailand. I stayed at La Locanda in Bangkok. I booked online and selected the guesthouse for its location near Hua Lamphong Station and Chinatown. It took me seven minutes to walk to the guesthouse from the Hua Lamphong MRT, and it’s close to […]
Flight 1 – The most prestigious airline flight number
Flight 1 is the most prestigious flight number assigned by airlines. It’s used to denote a historic route, or one that an airline regards as their flagship service. For example Qantas designate QF1 on the historic Kangaroo Route from Sydney to London. This service began in 1947, where it would hop (like a proverbial kangaroo) […]
Notes on Quy Nhon – the pleasant provincial city by the sea
Quy Nhon is a coastal city in central Vietnam, roughly halfway between Nha Trang and Da Nang. It’s not big on the international travel radar, but it’s starting to get more attention. There is a burgeoning backpacker scene south of the city, but the main city area remains off the radar to international travel For […]
Buu Long Pagoda – A beautiful Buddhist temple hidden away in Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City has a wide variety of monuments representing different religions spread out across the city. Most visitors will be content to see those around District 1 and District 5. If you have a bit more time on your hand then a visit to the Buu Long Pagoda (Chùa Bửu Long) will take […]
Ngoc Anh Hotel review – a budget hotel near the beach in Quy Nhon – Vietnam
Hotel Name: Ngoc Anh Hotel Address: 11 Tran Van On, Quy Nhon, Vietnam I stayed at the Ngoc Anh Hotel in Quy Nhon (a coastal city in central Vietnam). I booked online and picked the hotel for its location and budget price. I wasn’t familiar with Quy Nhon but I figured that if it’s near […]
Castlemaine – the gold-rush era city in the goldfields region of Victoria
Visitors to Melbourne marvel at the remains of “Marvellous Melbourne” – the Victorian-era architecture that is a legacy of the great Victorian gold rush. The gold was is in the regions surrounding Melbourne, and Ballarat and Bendigo became the two biggest regional cities as a result of the gold rush. Before Ballarat and Bendigo became […]
Notes on Melbourne: Things I noticed on my annual visit – 2018 Edition
Every year I return to my home city of Melbourne to see my family and attend to general business and personal duties. I still by default call Melbourne home, even if I haven’t lived here since 2010. I returned last year after an unintended two year absence, and like last year the city continues to […]
Flight Review: Jetstar – Melbourne to Ho Chi Minh City
Flight: Jetstar JQ 63 From: Melbourne (MEL) To: Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) I flew with Jetstar from Melbourne to Ho Chi Minh City. As I am based in Saigon and Melbourne is my Australian home city I was happy to see this service when it began in May, 2017. Previously the only direct service […]
Flight Review: AirAsiaX – Kuala Lumpur to Melbourne
Flight: AirAsia X D7 212 From: Kuala Lumpur (KUL) To: Melbourne (MEL) I flew with AirAsia X from Kuala Lumpur to Melbourne. When I’m flying back to Melbourne from Southeast Asia I usually compare flights on Skyscanner from different starting points. I was flying from Saigon initially but I also looked at other hub cities, […]
