[Pangandaran Beach, Java – Indonesia] Up until a few days before I arrived I had never heard of Pangandaran. This fishing village on the south coast of West Java is a popular beach resort (if you can describe it as that) for domestic visitors, but like much of Indonesia beyond Bali, it is not on […]
Notes on Kota (Old Jakarta)
Kota (Old Jakarta) is the area around the old port area of Jakarta. [Remnants of Old Jakarta] The remaining heritage buildings here are remnants from the Dutch colonial era when the city was known as Batavia. [Jakarta History Museum] Like seemingly every big colonial city in the region Batavia was an “x of the east” […]
In Pictures: Wadi Rum – Jordan
I am very much a city person but there is something about desert landscapes that appeals to me. It wasn’t always that way. I grew up on the edge of the Australian Outback so I thought I had my quota of the desert for one lifetime. Having travelled overseas and returned as an adult I […]
Iconic Saigon war photo locations revisited
There are some cities in the world where I can’t help but think about its troubled past. I lived in London for two years where its ugly post-war buildings are a constant reminder of the blitz. I have spent several months in Budapest where you see plaques everywhere inscribed with 1956. Ho Chi Minh City […]
Ridiculously skinny buildings of Vietnam
[A tall and skinny building in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.] Spend any amount of time in Vietnam and you will soon notice that there are skinny buildings everywhere. Some are so slender that they barely look like they could fit a double bed across. Don’t ask me how they would get a double bed […]
A day as an extra on the tsunami film, The Impossible
I have been self employed for close to 10 years now, but there have been occasions that I have taken up the odd day job. There was that time in Mumbai where I was a Bollywood voice over extra. Recently in Melbourne I got back on the factory floor for a day to help pack […]
Cafes in Bangkok to work from
Last updated 16 October, 2015 Bangkok Cafes Map Bangkok Cafes Map Cafe Locations Sukhumvit – Along Sukhumvit Rd from Ploen Chit Siam/Chit Lom – Sound Siam, Chit Lom, Ratchadamri, National Stadium, and Ratchathewi. Phaya Thai – Along Sukhumvit line from Phaya Thai to Ari. Silom/Sathorn Chinatown Old Town – Khao San Rd Other Places Sukhumvit […]
Cost of living Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh City for $724 a month
[Ho Chi Minh City Hall] Here at nomadicnotes.com I keep a cost of living tally for when I spend a month at a time in one location. I had heard from some online business friends that Ho Chi Minh City (AKA Saigon) is the new hotspot for online entrepreneurs, so naturally I had to go […]
Royal Barge Procession – Bangkok 2012
The Royal Barge Procession on the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok is one of the great spectacles of Thai royalty. This event has only been held 16 times since 1959, and the 2012 procession was meant to be in 2011 but it was was postponed due to the flooding. The official event is on the […]
The best cafes in Saigon
Vietnam is one of the world’s biggest coffee exporters, and socialising in cafes is a way of life here. The cafe scene in Saigon is one of the best in Asia, and cafe hopping is an activity in itself. There are hundreds of cafes across the city, from street vendors with little plastic seats on […]
