Author archive
28 March 2018
Today’s the hot and sticky day of sightseeing I had planned with Jo. Hopefully it will be just half day. Our hotel included a good set breakfast. That placed us in good stead for the explorations ahead. The easiest way to the Royal Palace & Wat Phra Kaew (Emerald Buddha) area was by the […]
27 March 2018
Jo and I had separate rooms last night, the only night during our travels together. This cheap, well-located and highly-rated guesthouse only had double rooms and it didn’t break the bank for us to have two rooms. We woke early, had breakfast in my room. It was an easy day with a pick-up and […]
26 March 2018
We woke to some birdsong, more like chirping actually, even though we had a windowless room (there may have been a birdhouse for swifts to make nests nearby). We investigated breakfast options around the hotel and decided against walking to the market so that we wouldn’t get too hot and sweaty before the long […]
25 March 2018
We remained horizontal (due to lack of choice), had some pastries and canned coffee for breakfast. The scenery outside was pretty gorgeous living up to the line’s nickname “The Jungle Railway”. There was dense jungle and in sparser areas I could recognise breadfruit, rubber and coconut trees. As we headed further north, we saw some […]
24 March 2018
Our rail adventure begins today for we fly from Kuching to Singapore, train to Johor Bahru and then the overnight train to near the Thai border on Malaysia’s east coast and overnight at Kota Bharu. We woke at 0600 and had a light breakfast at home before using a Grab (like Uber) service to the […]
20 March 2018
I went to the Sarawak Cultural Village about 26 years ago. It is a living museum of Sarawak’s tribal cultures. With Jo visiting, I thought it was good to go and show her what makes Sarawak special. The traditional dwellings were interesting for her and we tried the sago pancake, tumpik which turned out to […]
19 March 2018
With Jo still on New Zealand time, it made sense to go to the Semenggoh Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre early in the morning. We got there a little before 0900 and were hurried along by staff as the two animals were already hanging around. We observed them for a while before being led to another […]
18 March 2018
Today Jo arrived from New Zealand after a nightstop in Singapore. With an afternoon arrival, it made sense to pick her up at the airport and continue to the Siniawan Night Market not too far away. It was an interesting introduction to Borneo for her. Old buildings there are a rarity as the wooden structures […]
14 March 2018
I’m flying to Singapore (connecting to my hometown Kuching to see family) with a departure of 0115. I had organised it so it would be within minutes of my brother and sister-in-law’s departure to Kuala Lumpur (and onwards to Kuching) at 0055. We headed to the airport together in one car with their luggage including […]
21 February 2018
If you didn't grow up in the tropics, chances are you don't know the "proper" way of cutting a pineapple. Or even how… Posted by Alex Chan on Tuesday, February 20, 2018