Author archive
25 January 2015
We checked in at the office of Pee Jay White Island Tours in the morning and paid for our trip before heading to the boat. The 90 minute journey to White Island started with us leaving the Whakatane River going past the sandbar (which can due to tidal conditions determine the departure time). As we […]
24 January 2015
We left Auckland late morning after my yoga class, for the 3.5h drive to Whakatane. It was necessary to overnight because the starting time tomorrow was unconfirmed till the evening due to tidal conditions. It has been quite a while since I travelled outside of Auckland and it’s nice to be reminded how beautiful New […]
11 January 2015
Despite being on standby, I got on the short flight to Auckland easily. I had accomplished what I had hoped to do for many years, ie. stopover in Norfolk Island en-route from Sydney to Auckland as the airfare was constructed as a single fare with a stopover (rather than two separate fares) and the hefty […]
10 January 2015
This morning, I got a rental car for AUD20 today from my hotel and drove to various points of interest on the island. There isn’t a ring road due to the topography so there was a little bit of backtracking. I soon noticed that everyone waves when you’re driving around! The scenery and buildings seemed […]
9 January 2015
Above: First thing I noticed when I stepped out of the airport were the short double digit number plates on some cars. I also saw a single digit one. Most were four digit though. Gabriel dropped me off at the airport around 0730 for my 0935 departure to Norfolk Island from Sydney Airport’s international terminal. […]
7 January 2015
I landed in Sydney feeling refreshed after an overnight flight because I managed to get decent sleep onboard. I had departed Kuching last night with a sobering start to the flight; we observed a 30 second silence before the safety demo in memory of those who perished in QZ8501. We arrived on a happier note […]
1 January 2015
I had called the state forestry office yesterday to enquire whether any rafflesias (world’s largest flower) were in bloom. Rather unexpectedly, they said “Yes, there is one on its last day” and encouraged me to go. So, it was a disappointment for me to wake up to a wet day. While the rain wasn’t torrential, […]
31 December 2014
A break from career and travelling life sees me making home-cooked food or a change rather than eating out most days…. Posted by Alex Chan on Thursday, May 15, 2014
31 December 2014
What makes Sibu food interesting is the mix of jungle produce and Foochow (people from a very specific region of China who are reputed to be even more hardworking than other Chinese). Posted by Alex Chan on Tuesday, February 3, 2015