Blogs from Asia - page 3

That should read ... Another glorious day in paradise! While said tongue-in-cheek, it is fast becoming a stock-phrase out here in these parts, when we wake up to another blue sky, with lots of sunshine, and hot temperatures. Before you all start berating me for this, the temperature is that little bit too hot, where you come over all "diabetic" half way through the day, and have no energy to do anything. A ten-minute walk outside, results in being a sweaty-mess that needs a 3rd shower of the day! haha, we're certainly not complaining, but small variations in the day, when you're from/live in a country that can have snow/rain/sun all at the same moment, never mind the same day, are also greatly appreciated! We were on Kapas yesterday, when a storm blew in ... it ... read more

Adelaide and Himeji are sister cities, and for more than 20 years there has been a teacher exchange program between them. In 2010 I taught EFL in Kotogaoka Senior High School. Here are some insights from this experience. Bu nen kai is the end of year staff dinner at wedding chapel, small room for 80 on 4th floor, complete with 10 courses, table service, and as much alcohol as could be drunk in 2 ½ hours. Buses picked us up and dropped us back at the station, seating was done by lot and the main entertainment was a Bingo game. Décor – European fantasy castle. The student counselor works here one day a month. She meets with parents and students in a small conference room in the suite of rooms where the Principal works. The students ... read more

From Miri, LP recommended a detour southeastwards back towards the Limbang division of Sarawak state, towards the piece of land separating Brunei. Unfortunately, this journey can only reasonably be done by flight, as it entails crossing rugged terrain. Given my time and budget constraints, I had to choose between checking out the famous caves of Gunung Mulu National Park, and the Kelabit Highlands. As I already intended to visit the caves of Niah National Park, I decided on the latter. And so it was a short 1h flight aboard a propellor "twin otter" MASWings plane to Bario, the capital and gateway to the Kelabit Highlands. Capital is of course only a technical term, as Bario itself has a population of barely 1000, and the panoramic greenery is only sporadically dotted by signs of human dwelling. At ... read more

I feel so lucky! Maybe it was karma again, or just pure luck, but i almost didnt make it home! I took the bus to school today and went to my favorite coffee shop. After reading for a bit i decided to walk to westlake and just stroll around. I tried going to one of my favorite restaurants across the lake called "the grandmas" but the line was out the door and i didnt want to wait. I was losing daylight and wanted to make sure i caught a bus back home. I settled for pizza hut, thinking i would get a small personal pizza. It was so fancy! They had steak and red wine, and get this.. Spaghetti! Haha, and it was all furnished with red stained wood and fancy leather chairs. It was nothing ... read more

May 17, 2013 (Kowloon) We made it! CX885 touched down after 14 hours and 33 minutes of flight to a warm and humid Hong Kong. We all caught up on movies and reruns of TV shows during the flight. We passed through immigration with ease, and then gathered up our luggage and 3 taxis to the Harbor Plaza Metropolitan Hotel in the Tsim Sha Tsui area of Kowloon and in our rooms before 9 PM local time. We've stayed here before (typically we stay at the YMCA hotel), but because the Y was full, we stay here - they strike a good package deal for us. Everyone was a bit tired, but not too bad considering the length of the trip on a full flight. We met up with Paul Chen on this flight, so slowly ... read more