Articles from this Category
18 December 2010
We opted for a yum char (dim sum) breakfast … it seems wrong to do anything else in Hong Kong, seeing that it’s the home of this wonderful breakfast/ brunch grazing tradition. Interestingly, some of the accompanying traditions don’t make it out of here. I watched as diners poured their hot tea from the pot […]
17 December 2010
With a 0615 arrival in to Hong Kong, it made sense for us to recharge with a couple of hours sleep … followed by a rejuvenating cheap massage, before hitting the markets to do some Xmas shopping in the afternoon. We had dinner with my old schoolfriend Rosalind, and finally got to meet her husband […]
28 July 2010
I departed Banda Aceh for Kuala Lumpur at 1245. On the way to Banda Aceh airport I noticed a woman with a very short skirt on her motorbike. I queried the taxi driver if she would get in trouble … he replied to the negative, as she was Chinese and not a Muslim. While the extreme […]
27 July 2010
The Tsunami of 26 December 2004 This morning I took the ferry from Pulau Weh to the mainland and checked into a hotel for the night. I chose to take in some of the reminders of the tsunami which killed 170000 people in Aceh but, not the mass graves which are available for visits. The tsunami […]
26 July 2010
My Two Dives I did two dives today with Lumba Lumba Dive Resort, as planned … but not quite. The manager suggested that I do a refresher dive as I wasn’t highly experienced (15 dives) and it had been about 9 months since my last dive. Of course I suspected this was at an extra cost […]
26 July 2010
My Two Dives I did two dives today with Lumba Lumba Dive Resort, as planned … but not quite. The manager suggested that I do a refresher dive as I wasn’t highly experienced (15 dives) and it had been about 9 months since my last dive. Of course I suspected this was at an extra cost […]
25 July 2010
Fashion Crisis Takes a New Meaning I checked out from the airport Tune Hotel and walked to the nearby terminal for my 1155 departure from Kuala Lumpur to Banda Aceh, I had time for a leisurely curry breakfast (rendang, tempeh, cucumber and pineapples) after dropping off my bag at the baggage drop, then taking the […]
18 July 2010
I landed at Dubai at 0100 for a short 1h45 transit to Colombo at 0245. I arrived into Colombo airport at 0845 and after clearing the immigration queue from hell, I took a taxi to Mt Lavinia on the other side of the city where the Tropic Inn was located. The ride was expensive but […]
17 July 2010
Grotto Excursion and More This is my last day in Beirut before I fly out at 2045 tonight to Dubai then Colombo. There’s a whole day to fill. I invited Claire (also staying at the hostel) to join me in going to the Jeita Grottoes. We made a brief stop at Nahr al-Kalb (Dog River […]
16 July 2010
Thoughts on Leaving Syria Leaving Syria, I felt the country was more open than before. There were more international travellers, especially backpackers, but that’s perhaps I stayed in a dormitory. Also, the Syrian army wasn’t active in maintaining security in Lebanon. Things were looking brighter. [Edit: Little did I know that the Arab Spring would […]