I set up shop in Tuk-Tuk, which is a little town on the island of Samosir in Lake Toba. Tuk Tuk is the main tourist area of Samosir, reached by ferries from Parapat. Tuk Tuk is on a small peninsula on the island and it’s not over developed. If you have been in the cities […]
Notes on Tokyo: Godzilla, hi-tech toilets, packed subways, fugu fish
Notes from my visit to Tokyo in April, 2007. Godzilla and I On my city map of Tokyo I noticed a dot marked “Godzilla Statue”. In my mind’s eye I pictured a statue at least one storey high of the lizard, perhaps eating a car, with life size people statues fleeing the scene in terror. […]
Singapore Airport Budget Terminal
[Edit: This is a review from my visit in February, 2008. The Budget Terminal has now closed to make way for Terminal 4.] Singapore Changi Airport is world renown for its award-winning facilities. It is the home of Singapore Airlines and it’s a major air travel hub in Asia. Budget airlines though are not interested […]
Orangutans of Sumatra – Gunung Leuser National Park
Orangutans are the worlds largest living arboreal animal and can only be found in the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra, Indonesia. These two islands have been logged extensively which has endangered the orangutan population. The North of Sumatra has seen less logging and palm oil/rubber plantation development thus has a the largest orangutan population in […]
A self guided tour of Banksy in London
Banksy pieces can be found in several places around London. I used a Banksy Locations Map put together by Art Of The State to track down many of these. They pin the works on google maps and are quick to mark any that have been removed. [Cherub with a bullet proof vest] [One nation under […]
Long Neck Women – Chiang Mai
The long neck women are from Burma/Myanmar, and many live as refugees in Thailand. The long neck women are known as Padaung, a sub-group of the Karen tribe. The Karen tribe villages are near the Thai-Myanmar border, but there are also “villages” near Chiang Mai. I say “villages” as they are really just market stalls […]
Notes on Goa: Matt Damon, hippies, and Portuguese ruins
[Palolem – Goa] Goa is a small state on the west coast of India. It is often referred to as if it’s a town. This former Portuguese colony was once one of the happening places on the overland hippy trail in the 1970’s, and ever since then every hippy worth their salt will tell you […]
A tour of the slums of Mumbai
At every book stall on the streets of Mumbai there are always the same travel books on sale. The one you see the most here is Shantaram, by Gregory David Roberts. The book is a fictionalised retelling of the authors true-life escape from an Australian prison and flight to India, where he ends up living […]
Notes on Mumbai: Bollywood, World Cup Cricket, Shantaram
Welcome to Bombay, Sir Arriving at Mumbai International the terminal looked like it hadn’t changed since the 1950’s. I love it. It’s like a glimpse back in time which you are not afforded in todays modern hub airports of Southeast Asia. I turned on my mobile phone and I received a welcome message from a […]
Notes on Dubai – old and new
Notes from my trip to Dubai in October 2007. Dubai Weather… …is hot. Damn hot! At the end of September the forecast maximum is 40 deg C and a minimum of 29 deg C. Step out of the air conditioned comfort of the airport and it hits you in the face and fills your lungs. […]
