Phnom Penh has a special place in my heart as it was the first city in Southeast Asia I visited, back in 2005. I remember paying $2USD for a motorbike taxi from the airport, which may have been a dollar more than I was supposed to pay (I’m sure some wiseass backpacker pointed that out […]
Devouring durians in Davao
Durians and I I’m not a fan of durians. Every time I have tried a piece it has grossed me out and had me wishing for a bottle of mouth wash and a tongue scraper. And the taste lingers for ages; durians – it seems – cannot be untasted. Despite this I have still been […]
Notes on Shanghai: revisiting an old favourite
I was last in Shanghai three years ago and I spent about a month in the city. When I came here in 2010 I was actually considering moving to Shanghai – that is how much I liked it. As it turned out I could only get a tourist visa that required leaving the country every […]
Notes on Chongqing: the megacity of Southwest China
I first visited Chongqing in 2010 where I made a stopover on my way from Xi’an to Chengdu, and I recall having to look it up to see where it was. Turns out that Chongqing is technically the largest city in China (if ranked by administrative area). [Chongqing – one enormous city!] Is Chongqing the […]
Notes on Jaipur: forts and palaces
I came to Jaipur in 2011 and I had Delhi belly (I had just come from Delhi and got sick when I arrived, so I’m calling it Delhi). As a result, I didn’t see much of Jaipur the first time around, so now I had the chance to see what I missed. Forts and Palaces […]
Notes on Mamallapuram
My first time to India was in 2007 where I visited Mumbai and some of the southern states. I was told that the south is so more relaxed than the north, but having never been to the north I had no way of comparing. I came back to India again in 2011, this time flying […]
Notes on Davao: business and beaches in the south of the Philippines
Where is Davao anyway? I don’t recall knowing of Davao until a couple of years ago. I think I knew it was in the Philippines but I definitely had to look on the map. For me, Davao was put on the map by Justin and Joe from the Empire Flippers (then known as Adsense Flippers); […]
Best cafes in Hanoi
Following up on my guide to cafes in Ho Chi Minh City I now present my guide to cafes in Hanoi. In my previous cafe reports I have usually had at least a month to try out the cafes of each city. My trip to Hanoi was for one week, so this meant I had […]
Notes on Caye Caulker
Escape from Belize City Belize was my first foray in Central America, and after a month of travel in North America, it was good to be back in the tropics and visiting a new country. To get to Caye Caulker I had to go via Belize City. Everyone I’ve met who has ever been to […]
In Pictures: Beautiful buildings of Detroit
Detroit?! You’re going to Detroit?! Why? This was the most common reaction I heard when detailing my US travel plans to Americans. Occasionally I would meet someone more curious who thought it was a good idea, but they were few and far between. They wanted to go for the same reason I did: ruin porn […]










