8 March 2015
24 January 2015
Down to the Bay of Plenty
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
Home sweet home
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 […]
7 January 2015
Back Downunder
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 […]
28 December 2014
Back to Kuching
I woke early to go out to the riverbank areas as the light was terrible yesterday for photos. The sun was in the wrong direction! I captured the scenes I wanted, got a breakfast of timingu (or tiamiso, or rice-flour batter cooked in a pan then pushed into soup, making it resemble freshly made noodles). […]
23 December 2014
Flying Sardine Jet
Above: My cheap but pleasant flight from Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur. I had bought my AirAsia X ticket some 13 months before flying MEL-KUL-KCH-KUL-SYD for about NZD500, which is actually about NZD350 plus airport taxes (largely Australian). At that price, I had psyched myself up for the cramped conditions (width rather than legroom which is […]
19 December 2014
Visiting my aunt
I arrived in Melbourne after a rather squashy flight stuck in the window seat. Having been here several times, I made my way quickly to my aunt’s place where I’d stay for four nights before continuing my journey to KL and Kuching for Christmas with my parents and brothers. The AirAsia X ticket from Melbourne […]
19 December 2014
Leaving home
Today I begin my journey back to my hometown in Borneo for Christmas, but not without stopping along the way (and back). I fly to Melbourne today, stopping for several days before continuing my journey.