Coming back to Hong Kong is never a chore, and with Christmas fast approaching I was looking forward to taking advantage of the island's superb shopping opportunities. The crisp temperatures, ubiquitous Christmas decorations, and first five thousand playings of Wham's "Last Christmas" put me in a Yuletide mood, not to mention having to battle through crowds of fellow shoppers in scenes reminiscent of all my previous big city Christmases. I also had the pleasure of being served in one store by an assistant called Chilli Lam. I'd elected to stay in a budget hotel with a shared bathroom and kitchen, reasoning that I'd be spending so little time in the room that staying somewhere even half-decent would be a waste of money. Though conveniently located steps away from Causeway Bay MTR station, it was as basic ... read more

At the north end of Morton National Park, and on the road from Canberra to the coast, lies the village of Bundanoon. It's famous for the annual April celebration of its Scottish heritage, no doubt a time of calm and considered reflection to compliment the activities at the nearby Buddhist monastery. However my reasons for visiting were for what promised to be a guaranteed glow worm sighting, and a potential wombat encounter. I was the sole resident of the hostel, and one of just 2 diners in the Chinese restaurant that was 1 of just 2 eating establishments in the village. The waitress was about 7 years old. It was hard to imagine the place exploding in a riot of kilts and sporrans. Once night had fallen, the glow worm adventure could begin. There was a ... read more

Just west of Sydney lies one of Australia's most popular attractions - the Blue Mountains. The name is a reference to the coloured haze that hangs over them due to the evaporating eucalyptus oil from the gum tree forests that cover the slopes. There had been several bushfires in the area recently but I'd checked on the web that all roads were still open, so I ventured forth out of Sydney for my final Australian road trip, with the Blue Mountains first on the itinerary. The omens were not good, as I hadn't even left the Sydney suburbs when I was involved in an accident. When waiting second in line at some traffic lights, a truck turning across our lane cut the corner too fine and was going to clip the car in front of me. ... read more

Having left Surfers halfway through Schoolies Week, I still had an enormous stretch of coast to traverse to escape their clutches and unfortunately my next intended stopping point - Byron Bay - was probably the No. 2 favourite spot for Schoolies after Surfers. However it turned out to be a vastly different scene, as during the daytime most of the Schoolies were at the beach (unlike me) and at night I found a pub that was more for locals and older tourists hence remained schoolie-free. Byron is a compact place with nowhere far from anywhere else, and has a laid-back atmosphere most conducive to chilling out. It possesses several fine beaches, a lighthouse, and Australia's most easterly point, not to mention a dive site (Julian Rocks) that's only 3km out to sea and is reputedly one ... read more

Though Byron Bay had an undeniably relaxing feel, it was a struggle for a non-beach lover like myself to find enough to do. And with my calendar telling me I had barely 2 weeks left on the continent, the thought of frittering those away through sheer idleness made me realise it was time for my 11th road trip in Australia. Though Byron has only vestiges of a formerly pervasive hippie culture, that spirit is still bursting with rude health in the village of Nimbin further inland. Nimbin was the site of the 1973 Aquarius festival, the first celebration of the counterculture movement in Australia. With much of Nimbin's reputation concentrating on the ready availability of soft drugs in the place, I arrived half-expecting it to be under a fug of pot smoke. It wasn't, but a ... read more