An especially enjoyable Labour Weekend in Auckland inspired me to share my recent experience with you. Auckland offers lots of “getaway” options, and because many locals head either South or North for their long weekend break, Auckland becomes a haven…
To complete my special birthday odyssey in Malaysia, we chose Penang. Why? Penang, a tropical island off the Northwest coast of the Malaysian Peninsula, offers all the ingredients for an indulgent R&R stint—and it was my birthday, after all. My…
Of course, this ancient Hindu-Buddhist temple complex is a “must-see” – it’s a world-famous UNESCO attraction outside Siem Reap in Cambodia. But more than that, it is just plain magnificent, gob-smacking, and humbling. When planning our trip, visiting Angkor Wat…
Once a booming tin mining town until the 1970s. Todays Ipoh has morphed into a busy, vibrant, cultural, culinary, and architectural hub. With a ton of charm. We visited Ipoh in December 2023. The word “Ipoh” has been a part…
A small city of approximately, 250,000 people, Siem Reap is split into two halves by the Siem Reap River travelling through the middle of the delightful town. The river was created by the ancient kings of the Khmer empire to…
I am writing this having recently returned from a “full immersion” South East Asian trip. Malaysia was the impetus for this extended sojourn. I hankered to revisit because I was born in Malaysia, in a small inland township called Kamunting,…
Phnom Penh-Siem Reap Having recently travelled the length and breadth of Southeast Asia on various transport; including an overnight sleeper train, a long-haul bus, and a river ferry, the choice to travel our next leg, the length of Cambodia, by…
Locally known as Koch Dach (Before you read this story, for context, I suggest you read Phnom Penh-City Tour ). Early the following day, Sorya picked us up in his Tuk Tuk. We traveled for 10 minutes across the Mekong…
Six hours after leaving Vietnam, we docked at Phnom Penh. Excited. Anticipating our first experience of Cambodia. Disembarking from our ferry into a hot sticky day onto a very steep and crowded bridge, chaos reigned. Where was our stowed luggage?…
I just got back from a weekend in “The Central Plateau” in the North Island of New Zealand. Namely a small, remote “desert” town called Turangi. Fifty kilometres southwest of Taupo and skirted by volcanic mountains; Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro,…
The daily high-speed ferry departs from South Vietnam (Chau Doc) at 7.30a.m. Picked up from the hotel we were very politely and rather tentatively shown where to embark. We walked down a broken concrete stairway that circumvented another hotel, The…
The Capital of Vietnam Hanoi is one of the most exciting and absorbing cities I have ever visited. The best way I can describe its appeal is to divide our experiences into headings named “Streets.” It is a city very…
