Travel to Asia, Philippines, Cebu.

After our break in Hong Kong we head to Cebu, Philippines. The first thing I notice is the poverty in the city. It is under developed and dirty with lots of people loitering on the streets. It is however hot and sunny and the people are happy and friendly. Unfortunately for me the biggest attraction seems to be me! I have never been stared at so much in my life. I'm not quite sure what sparked the overwhelming interest in me but it kept the natives entertained. I was greeted by 'hello mam' at every corner. Michelle was lucky enough to blend in a little better than me.

Our first day was spent wondering the city where we visited a temple, a church, a native cross and tried to find some food. One thing that has to be said about the Philippines is that the food has to be the worst in the whole of Asia. I was looking forward to being back in Asia for the food alone but the Philippines did not meet my expectations. If you like your food fried and sweet tasting you will get by, otherwise be prepared for lots of fast food and plain boiled rice- yummy!

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Travel to Asia, Brunei, Bandar Seri Begawan.

Anyone who says Brunei is sterile and boring should spend three days in Manila before arriving in the tiny sultanate. It is the best place on earth for deManilafying. Bandar Seri Bagawan is the antithesis of Manila. The traffic is benign; it is spotless; there is no pee on the pavements; everything works; it is a small and wealthy city; and the food is great. No more pot noodles purchased from the 7eleven, YAY!! The hotel is quiet, and there is no construction site around the corner using angle grinders at midnight. Even the water is clean.

The only bad smell we come across during our stay is when walking through a cemetery past something which has been partly dug up and is in a horrible state of decay, but this is by no means the norm around here.

Unfortunately we only have time to stay for one full day so don't
Bruneiget any further than exploring the capital. Brunei has some incredible virgin rain forest which we would have loved to have inspected, but we were already booked on a flight to KK and so we will have to go back some time on a more in-depth expedition.

Bagawan is a compact little city, which is actually just a town. Two beautiful mosques and the Sultan's palace are worth a visit to oooh at the architecture; but the most interesting parts of town are the over water kampongs. They can be reached by bridge or boat and are wonderful to wander around. The faded colourful houses, often made out of up cycled bits and bobs, stand on stilts over the river and are joined to each other by wooden walkways. The communities are really friendly and everyone shouts a welcoming hello from their kitchens as we pass by. There is no shortage of opportunities to smile at people who are smiling at you and to wave enthusiastically at children. Even the boatmen are easy going, friendly and accommodating.

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Travel to Asia, Taiwan, Keelung.

We cruised into Huang Pu one smoggy morning. This is the port city for Canton which is now called Guangzhou. It is a huge industrial port and Huang Pu is all business. The Academy Awards were going to be broadcast on the ship that morning so we decided to stay on board to watch them instead of taking a tour into Canton. As it turned out the signal wasn’t very good…maybe we were being jammed by a certain government. So we went ashore for a walk about and to grab a bite to eat. Most of the restaurants were already closed for the afternoon but we found one Chinese restaurant which was located in a parking garage, of all places! The food wasn’t bad and we were the only gringos in the joint.

The local officials have a very strict immigration system with face to face inspection, passport scanning and photographing each passenger. It felt sort of like a scene from “Argo” when the U.S. Embassy staffers were trying to get out of Iran. This led to rather lengthy lines getting on and off the ship. But the ship’s staff had a nice little party pier-side with refreshments and music
HUANG PU IMMIGRATIONSto ease the wait for the guests. Even the Chinese officials were swaying to the music.

The next morning we arrived in Kowloon and got the premier docking space overlooking Hong Kong and the famous harbor. We didn’t have much free time for sightseeing since our computer had crashed several days prior to our arrival. We spent most of our time shopping for a new computer and then trying to rebuild all of our files, pictures and programs. It is always a bit dicey to buy electronic equipment overseas, if for no other reason than different electrical plugs and questionable international warranty, etc. We found it amazing that computers are cheaper in the U.S. than in China, where most of them are assembled! Alex, the ship’s computer manager, was a miracle worker in what he was able to salvage from our hard drive. We have an offsite backup system but we need about 12 hours on shore with a stable internet connection to download everything from our old computer again.

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Travel to Asia, Bhutan, Punakha.

I lost a day due to illness but finally back at it. Perfect weather in Bhutan. In Punakha, winter retreat for king & religious center due to lower altitude & more moderate temp. Came at ideal time. One time each year there are pilgrimages to the majestic Punakha Dzong (Palace of Great Happiness) which serves as a monastery and admin. headquarters. 15 days prior to the huge celebration they prepare with 24/15 days of round the clock praying and dancing (collecting demons and evil spirits). We felt like we were part of it --- dancers practicing for the celebration portion. Monks and the Chief Abbot in lotus position sit round the clock with breaks (about 15 - 16 hours total) each day. Younger monks, in praticular, were nodding off. The dzong is magnificent, built in 1637.

To get here traveled on the narrow road, all switch-back, NO guardrails and straight down. I saw little of the scenery due to trying to stay away from altitude & motion sickness. Picture cows, sheep, goats & sometimes old stupas in the middle of the road, not counting people walking.

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Travel to Cambodia, East, Senmonorom.

“You falangs, you love sunset, you can't wait to see it! – for Cambodians its different. We are scared of them....When its dark we can't see what is out there. What is coming, creeping out of the shadows. The Khmer Rouge - they hide in the jungle, and when the sun goes down, they come out...”

April and Laura – my Ausse friends from the Elephant santuary have joined me on a day trip to discover what else this hidden little gem of Eastern Cambodia has to offer. Our guide – the ebullient Mr Sam is looking all boy about town, in fashionable denims, jaunty white baseball cap, and cheeky dimples.

Originally from Kampot, he moved here seventeen years ago when the Khmer Rouge were still hiding in the hills – coming down after sunset to car jack, rob and terrorise the locals. It is only very recently that proper road infrastructure was built to connect this province to Phnom Penh and the rest of the country – Mondulkiri, is as a result, still relatively undiscovered. Its beautiful, off the beaten tourist trail and the sunsets are awesome.

After the obligaory waterfall visit – we head out to
Macheting a papayaa rural village to see how the locals live. There are rice fields on either side of us gradually growing golden under the huge cloudless sky. Amongst the long shafts stand a farmer with his wife and young daughter. They have bags wrapped around their waist and are gently gathering the purses of seed that drip down the stems. This is spirit rice. Each little grain must be lovingly picked by hand out of respect to the spirit that dwells within. Its a long and arduous task, but so revered is this different type of grain - that no sicle or blade must come near.

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Travel to Hong Kong, Hong Kong Island.

Saturday I decided to take advantage of the nice weather- it was about 72 degree F- so about 22 degrees C.. The sun was out and I needed a good workout. I walked from the JW Marriott hotel to Central (IFC building) where my work is located- this was about a 15-20 min walk.. It is normally a 1 stop train ride. From the IFC building, I decided to figure out if I could find my way to my new apartment - since I will need to know how to walk back and forth to work very soon. - Note on this- not as soon as i was hoping; with Chinese New Year starting at the end of this week; I won't be able to move in until After Feb 14th :(... It does give me more time to furniture shop and make more practical decisions on that side of it.



Amazingly, I remembered how to navigate thru the walkways to find the midlevel; pedestrian escalator. Basically to get to my place- you just ride the escalator up to almost the last stop. I thought San Fran was a work out with the hill; San Fran has nothing
heading up
pedestrian escalator on Hong Kong midlevels- 2 days later my calves are still on FIRE. What a workout. My legs should be amazing after 2 years of doing this walk every day.

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Travel to Asia, Laos, Don Det.

Our guesthouse in Champasak helped us get to Don Det and it was one of the easiest transports we had in a while. We love taking the local bus when we can but it's always a nice treat to have someone else do all the planning for you. A minibus, a boat, a “VIP” bus and another boat later we were on Don Det and it was smaller than we had expected.

We were dropped off at a small beach and as soon as we got to the road everything was right in our face: Guesthouses, bars, restaurants, tour companies. It seems rather cluttered until you find the bungalows. The reason the main part of town seems so cluttered is because all the bungalows and restaurants have the better riverside locations. The bungalows are all pretty much the same – small with a hammock, bug net and balcony. Some are newer or cleaner but unless you are paying extra to have a bathroom in your bungalow (which generally isn't possible right on the river due to plumbing complications) they are all the same and you won't be spending much time in them anyway. A lot of bungalows charge up to
Village on another island60,000 Kip but we walked a little further down the west side and found bungalows for 30,000 Kip. The island is so small that as long as you are in the north you are close enough to the action (unless of course you prefer to be in the south near or on Don Khon).

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Travel to Shanghai City

Shanghai City Review: Shanghai, China

Shanghai might not stack up to the site seeing mecca of Beijing, but if you find yourself stopping over in shanghai for a day or two, or even here for a little longer, there is still plenty to see and do. Here are a few favourites:

French concession – Wander down the tree lined streets among a mix of 1930s colonial and new Chinese architecture.  Browse through the boutique shops, stop and people watch from the cafes. If you are an earlier riser then head to the closest park and take in the sites of the strange morning exercise routines of the older generation.

Yongfu Road – A great little strip of cocktail bars and restaurants for the later on in the evening.

Anfu Road – An expat friendly street with good bakeries, cute shops, coffee and restaurants. Head here if you need an easy afternoon.

Taicang Road – Rabbit warren of old chinese homes that have been turned into shops and restaurants. A little bit pricey but an interesting place to walk around. This place can get packed out with tourists and visitors in the weekend, especially if it’s a nice day, so go during the week if you can.

Wukang Road, Sinan Road and Nanchang Road are a few others. The best thing to do is just get lost (with a taxi card for your hotel) and see what you find.

The Bund – Probably the most common of the site seeing areas in Shanghai but definitely a must. Stroll along the Huangpu and take in the contrast of the futuristic skyline of Pudong, while walking beside the old International concession buildings on the Bund. The view back toward the bund from the other side of the river is equally as good and also gives you the opportunity to head up one of the towers to a bar with a view. In the evening and into the night there is some great fine dining and glamorous bars.

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