On my first visit to Athens I of course went to the Acropolis. How could you not. This ancient monument is so well known that there was the danger of it not living up to a lifetime of expectations. Fortunately I was more impressed than I thought I would be. After my Athens visit I […]
Notes on Athens – Acropolis views for everyone, golden passports, graffiti, Greek coffee, and street cats
June 27, 2019 By 1 Comment
I knew I was going to like Athens even before I went. Apart from being one of the most culturally significant cities in Europe, Athens has a reputation of being a bit rough around the edges. That sounds like my kind of place, and after arriving I was asking myself why I hadn’t visited sooner. […]
Notes on Malta – old knights, planned cities, and EU passports
June 19, 2019 By 4 Comments
Malta is the 10th smallest country in the world, and it also qualifies as a microstate. When looking at a full map of Europe, Malta barely registers as a biscuit crumb under the Island of Sicily. This was my first time in Malta, and for this trip I just stayed on the island of Malta. […]
Taman Negara – the ancient rainforest in the heart of Peninsula Malaysia
June 13, 2019 By 1 Comment
Taman Negara is the largest national park in Peninsular Malaysia and one the most famous nature reserves in Southeast Asia. Taman Negara is Malay for “national park”, so there’s no need to say Taman Negara National Park when referring to it. As one of the world’s most ancient rainforests and being the green heart of […]
Jungle Railway in Malaysia – The best train times and most scenic sections
June 6, 2019 By 2 Comments
The Jungle Railway The Jungle Railway is one of the great train journeys of Southeast Asia, spanning the length of Peninsula Malaysia through its rugged interior. Officially known as the East Coast Railway Line (ECRL), the Jungle Railway travels from Johor Bahru near the Singapore-Malaysia border in the south, to Tumpat near the Thailand border […]
A day in Hong Kong is better than no day in Hong Kong
June 4, 2019 By 3 Comments
Taking a stopover between flights is a good way to get a bonus trip within a trip. Hong kong is one of those places where I’ll build in a stop if I have the time. I figure that a day in Hong Kong is better than no day in Hong Kong. I first used this […]
Notes on Nha Trang – stopover edition
May 28, 2019 By Leave a Comment
Nha Trang is a provincial coastal city of Vietnam that feels like a resort. Like Danang in central Vietnam, the city is right on the beach. While Danang has been grabbing international headlines with it’s Golden Bridge and listing of top places to visit by the NY Times, Nha Trang has been quietly getting on […]
Getting the train in the troubled deep south of Thailand
April 25, 2019 By 1 Comment
As a frequent traveller to Thailand I’m familiar with the troubles of the deep south of Thailand, where many countries have advisories to not travel there. As part of my Southeast Asia railway project I took a train through the southern provinces. This is my trip report and what to expect. What this isn’t is […]
Koh Kradan – The tropical island paradise in Thailand you’ve been dreaming of
April 24, 2019 By 6 Comments
Koh Kradan is an island in the Andaman Sea off the coast of southern Thailand. Out of all the islands I’ve visited in Thailand, Kradan might be the most idyllic. Of course there is no such thing as the perfect island, but Kradan ticks a lot of boxes for what would make a tropical island […]
Bangkok to Trang by train, and onward connections to the Trang Islands
April 22, 2019 By Leave a Comment
Getting the train from Bangkok to Trang in Southern Thailand is a great way to get the Trang Islands. Sleeper trains depart Bangkok every evening, arriving in Trang at a reasonable hour in the morning. From the train station you can then get minivans to the pier for boats to the islands. There are two […]
