This a quick post to describe what it’s like not being able to speak Japanese, and how difficult it is getting around only being able to speak English. The answer is: it hasn’t been as hard as I thought I thought it might. Everyone seems to have at least a few words of English, so I can generally make myself…
April 17, 2014
I arrived in Tokyo exhausted after 21 hours travelling – 7(ish) hours from Adelaide to Singapore, 7 hours stopover, then 6(ish) hours from Singapore to Tokyo. The flight was uneventful apart from some slight turbulence. I can’t speak highly enough of Singapore Airlines – they make long haul flying bearable with their fabulous service, food and entertainment. Now if the…
April 14, 2014
Let’s get something out of the way up front: my phone doesn’t work! Thank God for wifi! I was warned that this might happen, so I’m not too disconcerted. I use WhatsApp over wifi to text my daughter, which beats the telcos at their own game. Friends stay in touch via Facebook, Twitter, this blog or email. Tokyo is clean,…
This trip to Japan has come at a good time. I feel like I’m running away, but in a positive sense, because I need to reconnect with myself. I need to sort out my head space, do a man detox and recalibrate my dating filter, because it’s been really skewed, and I’ve let men through who really shouldn’t have gotten…
March 28, 2014
I wanted to embed my custom Google map of where I am going in Japan and where I’ll be staying, but WordPress (unfortunately) doesn’t allow this functionality and it’s an ongoing issue. So. Into problem-solving mode I go. You can access my map two ways: by clicking on the link above, or clicking on the picture. Either way, you’ll be taken straight…
Have just started the research for my #EuroDisey2015 trip. I’ll start off with three weeks in the north of Italy in March, which coincides with the Stresa Half Marathon. I plan on running this event, and will begin training for it in the New Year. Then I’d like to walk the Camiño de Santiago, which will be an awesome way…
December 11, 2013
After this year’s (marathon) seven week trip to Eastern Europe and my (enjoyable) five day stopover in Singapore, I wanted to keep next year’s trip shorter and closer to home. While I’ve fallen in love with Europe (who hasn’t?), I’d forgotten how much I also loved Asia. I wanted to go somewhere where it’s not to hard too travel around…
The last time I was an independent traveller was in Hong Kong in 2011. I didn’t enjoy it. I wandered around aimlessly between a couple of organised tours, not knowing what to do with myself. Argh, I thought. I need to be on a schedule and have someone take care of all the organisation. I henceforth declared myself a terrible…
October 15, 2013
I woke late today, and that stymied my plans somewhat. I was going to head to Orchard Road in the morning, then over to Marina Bay Sands and the Gardens by the Bay in the afternoon. Instead, I just did Orchard Road. As a photographer, I have to say I was not stuck for material. The architecture and people made…
When I first started travelling, I didn’t mind taking a few minutes out of my travel time to help someone – usually a complete stranger – document their travel experience via a photo*. I thought it was the least I could do. A community service, if you will. Good karma, even. The I started noticing something. Not one of these…
It has dawned on me that travel makes you pretty good at connecting. And disconnecting, too, if necessary. Apart from the obvious (flights, transfers, tours etc.) there are the connections you make with other people while you travel. It could be a chat to someone while waiting for a flight, or while taking photos in a mosque, or when walking…
Having only ever transitted through Singapore on my way to somewhere else, I am delighted to be stopping for a number of days. And on my own. No tours or schedules, other than those I book or put myself on. Just me and my Singapore guide books, maps and apps. The first thing I notice about Singapore – apart from…
I arrived in Singapore around eight hours ago, after an early flight from Athens to Istanbul (with a few hours waiting around either side) before a gruelling 12 hour flight from Istanbul. Atatürk Airport is crazy busy for those readers who have never been through there. There are people everywhere, there are not enough seats, and you have to wait…
Why me? As if being harassed on my tour of Greece wasn’t enough, I unfortunately had to share my airport transfer with an Older Idiotic American Who Should Never Have Been Issued A Passport (OIAWSNHBIAP). He was was sooooooo annoying I had to say to him: DO NOT TALK TO ME! First: he said he didn’t recognise me (ah… that’s…
My final day in Athens and I took the bus (i.e. public transport) to Sounio and the Temple of Poseidon. It was almost a four hour round trip, but worth it because it was a wonderful way to spend the afternoon/evening. The sun setting over the Aegean during the drive back to Athens was just breath-taking. A big thank you…
One of the highlights of my cruise last year was visiting the island of Santorini, or Thera, as it’s formally known. I was excited to have the opportunity to stop there again this year and visit Oia, which I didn’t get to last year. Late in the afternoon, I was up on the top deck to watch the approach to…
I was only in Crete for a few short hours, but in that time was enchanted by the city of Heraklion. I thought it was a fabulous place. I walked from the port into the city – about a 10 minute stroll, so around a kilometre. I was rewarded with a view over the marina, cobbled stones, lovely European architecture,…
Rhodes was a pretty cool place, with the (medieval) city tucked away inside a fortress wall. Walking up cobbled streets past the touristic shopping strip, I chanced upon a mosque and also Moslem library, which was housed in a separate building. Both were interesting tributes to architectural and cultural diversity, along with expected Greek ruins. As a traveller, I look…
I boarded the Louis Olympia looking forward to cruising; after all, it has been a full-on few weeks with touring. I wanted pampering, rest and relaxation. My impressions of the ship, however, are less than favorable. This ship has passed its used by date: it is tired, old and shabby. It has certainly seen better days. The engine laboriously chugs…
Arriving late in the afternoon, I wandered around Patmos for about an hour, taking pictures here and there. While it was not quite as picturesque as Santorini or Mykonos, it was not without its own unique charm. There were the same whitewashed buildings, the same shops hawking all manners of wares from shirts, hats and scarves to jewellery, postcards and…