Jetting into Australia’s red centre

With the advantage of 2h time difference, I woke up easily at 0640 to train to Sydney’s domestic airport for my flight to Alice Springs, with a connection to Ayers Rock. It was meant to be a direct flight with Qantas but they had moved that route to subsidiary Jetstar which didn’t fly on a […]

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The stopover that wasn’t

Arrival formalities at Sydney were quick and in no time, I was at my hostel on George St dropping off my bag so I could head out to the Sydney Harbour Bridge’s Pylon Lookout. This had been something I had wanted to do on previous visits but had always been sidetracked. The Sydney stopover isn’t […]

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Leaving home

This trip was meant to be a third visit to hospitable Iran on AirAsia X’s ridiculously cheap fare.  But with the Iranian currency crisis, the flight got cancelled and I eventually settled on a trip to Kashmir (via Australia’s Red Centre and Timor), continuing to the Cacasus and Scotland (plus a few detours). I had […]

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Carrot cake, but not as you know it

  Tonight’s dinner is a favourite on streets in Malaysia. It is called Chai Thau Kueh (Hokkien), Cha Kueh Kak (Penang… Posted by Alex Chan on Sunday, May 26, 2013

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Eating in Kota Bharu during Ramadhan

  Kota Bharu is famous for Kelantanese cuisine and we struck it lucky with the Ramadhan markets. Along with a few restaurant meals, it was a great showcase of the local delights. Posted by Alex Chan on Wednesday, April 10, 2013

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Arrive home

I arrived back in Auckland having missed two-plus months of summer.  The best part of the year is nearly gone.  But I had an awesome time abroad.  I can’t have it all!

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Picking up a bargain

I toyed with the idea of replacing my phone.  I have a Sony Ericsson Android which was getting badly scratched on the screen; it does everything but in slow motion as it has a slow single-core processor.  I felt no urgency in replacing it though; I like its more compact form compared to most smartphones. But on […]

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Bye bye Philippines!

Above:  Mt Mayon from Legazpi. Today I leave Philippines after more than two weeks. Because the hotel breakfast was stodgy and unappealing, I went to the supermarket and bought some mini-muffins, mangoes and milk. It was a much better choice. After lunch, I flew to Manila with a self-connect to Hong Kong where I met […]

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Moving on to Legazpi

Above:  Mt Mayon from the Embarcadero waterfront. Following the successful sightings of the whaleshark, I was happy to leave Donsol.  After a wash, I took a tricycle, van and another tricycle to the Ellis Ecotel in Legaspi for my last night in the Philippines. It was intended to be a change in scenery, located next to […]

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Whalesharks, Take Three!

I had been of two minds as to whether to do the whale-sharks for a third time in Donsol today. On one hand, chances of a sighting are pretty slim. But on the other hand, I do have the time and it isn’t very much money for something that I could possibly never do again. […]

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