Articles from this Category
5 January 2026
Upon arrival, I dropped some frozen Malaysian meals to a friend’s before checking in at the Classique Lodge for some rest. We have stayed in this motel before. It is Chinese-owned and rather old but very cheap. It appears to be kept alive as a land-banking measure, pending redevelopment of the site. My cousin and […]
22 November 2025
Getting started Today, I have a day at sea on the surface, rather than underwater which was yesterday. I was picked up by a lovely Japanese guide at 0845 and dropped at their waterside office to pay, collect our snorkel gear and check my permit for being at sea in the area (which was obtained […]
21 November 2025
My dive operator “83 Palau Dive Center”, picked me up at 0810. The staff were largely mainland Chinese even thought the boss appeared Taiwanese. We picked up a few more guests before going out to the boat. Our first site Ulong Wall was a longish ride out. Here the coral was gorgeous. We saw giant […]
21 November 2025
My dive operator “83 Palau Dive Center”, picked me up at 0810. The staff were largely mainland Chinese even thought the boss appeared Taiwanese. We picked up a few more guests before going out to the boat. Our first site Ulong Wall was a longish ride out. Here the coral was gorgeous. We saw giant […]
20 November 2025
Getting started I slept for 12h, on and off, from 2100 till 0900. My sore throat seemed to have gone but I was still a little feverish, sweaty and had slight shivers. It is very fortunate that I have the day free from any activities at sea. In fact, I have nothing booked for the […]
19 November 2025
Leaving Taipei Today I will head to a new country, Palau, not that I’m on a quest to count countries. I woke a few times through the night before the 0615 alarm. Not a bad thing, as often I struggle to adapt flying from west to east and oversleep. Perhaps the fear of missing my […]
18 November 2025
Breakfast hype Even though I woke at 0630, my tummy wasn’t ready for the highly-recommended breakfast that’s nearby. I waited till about 0800 before joining the queue which snaked up the stairs into a food hall. No other stall in that food hall appeared to be open at that time, so perhaps they are all […]
14 November 2025
Dubai Marina I had set the alarm for 0640 so I could go explore before it got too hot. Yes, it’s November but the temperatures are still on the warm side in the sun. I felt groggy upon waking even though I wake at 0400 in Beirut. After the hotel buffet breakfast, I took the […]
13 November 2025
Leaving Beirut I woke a little later today at 0500 instead of 0300, which is still good as I have a long day ahead, flying to Dubai at 1155 with the intention of exploring there till late at night. Checking out of the hotel at 0730, I ordered a car which got me to the […]
