Bangkok Chinatown is one of the largest Chinatowns in the world, and it’s as old as the city itself. Chinatown is at the bottom of Rattanakosin Island, which is the historic part of the city by the Chao Phraya River. Even without the Chinese-themed stores there is a distinct feel to this area compared 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 […]
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 […]
Notes on Cox’s Bazar – the longest beach in the world
Cox’s Bazar is the pride and joy of Bangladeshis. Everywhere I went people would always say to visit their famous beach. I had already planned my Bangladesh trip to end at Cox’s Bazar, and after being in the big cities I was looking forward to filling my lungs with sea air for a few days. […]
Exploring the fading colonial remnants of Chittagong
From the chaos of Dhaka I made my way to Chittagong on an easy 6-hour train ride. Even though it’s much smaller than Dhaka, it has all the same traffic and pollution problems of the capital. Stepping out of the train station I was greeted with a scene similar to that of which I had […]
Notes on Dhaka – the chaotic capital of Bangladesh
Dhaka is one of the most densely populated cities in the world, and it’s famous for all the wrong reasons. It’s one of the most polluted, and it’s a regular on the lists of top 10 worst cities for traffic. It’s no surprise that it receives few visitors. I knew that there had to be […]
The train that will transform Nakhon Ratchasima
Nakhon Ratchasima (AKA Korat) is the gateway city to the Isaan region of Thailand. Depending on which list you read, Korat is either the biggest city in Thailand after greater Bangkok, or in the top 5. Either way, it’s about the same size as Chiang Mai. Seeing Korat on the map I couldn’t help but […]
