Foreigners have been making the pilgrimage to Agra, India for over three hundred years to see the stunning Taj Mahal with their own eyes. This massive white mausoleum lies only four hours South of New Delhi and remains widely considered one of the wonders of the modern World. It is India’s biggest tourist attraction and one of the most photographed buildings on the planet. It was my intention to spend a couple nights in Agra, exploring the town and seeing if the Taj lived up to the massive hype. Through some communication problems in New Delhi I ended up on the 3rd Class Non-Ac bus to Agra. This was a bumpy, crowded and loud experience that despite what I had been told lasted for over six hours (See previous entry on Indian traffic), but only cost ... read more

After another four hour bus ride we arrived back in Cebu City at around dinner time on July 7th. I knew my trip was winding down and this filled me with feelings of both anticipation and dread. Cebu City is not known for its culture or character, but we had come here looking for more excitement than tiny Malapascua Island could offer us. On Malapascua we had met an older Australian guy who offered to meet up with us in Cebu and show us the town. We met him for dinner and got our weekend in Cebu City started. Cebu City is the second biggest city in The Philippines but is still fairly undeveloped and incredibly cheap. For dinner we each had two big racks of ribs with potatoes and vegetables, split a big appetizer platter, ... read more

I arrived back in the capital of South Korea on the afternoon of the 28th of June. I checked back into the hostel I had stayed in previously because the owners were very helpful and they had the cutest and most friendly golden retriever puppy imaginable. This time I was determined to see and get to the heart of the city that is the heart of the World's 12th biggest economy. On my first short visit to Seoul my impression had been that ironically the city didn't have any soul. It seemed like the epitome of an Orwellian big city; massive skyscrapers linked by overpass freeways and an extensive public transit system. It didn't seem to have an underbelly or really anything at all that resembled character. On my second visit I quickly began to realize ... read more

I arrived in Beijing, the political heart of China, at nightfall on June 17th. Because Beijing hosted the 2008 Olympics, getting from the airport to the city centre was insanely easy. In fact, the public transport infrastructure here may be the best that I have seen yet on my entire trip. The only problem was that once I got off the subway, my hostel was down a dark alley, or Hutong as they call them in Beijing. The ten minute walk down this alley was never ending, but eventually I saw a light and found the hostel. I settled in for the night, excited for my four days in China's capital. Beijing is not the economic powerhouse that Shanghai is, nor is it the cultural centre that Hong Kong has become. However, anyone wondering where the ... read more

This entry focuses on my journey from Yangon, Myanmar back to Shanghai, China. Two cities that are about as different as two Asian cities can be. During this journey I also spent time in Bangkok and Guangzhou. Seeing as this was at least my second time in all of these places, there are not many pictures associated with this entry. I arrived back in Yangon on June 5th and checked back into the hostel I had stayed in when I was last there. With my financial situation in dire straits I checked into a dorm room and spent the afternoon writing in my journal. At 6 P.M. my Burmese friend Tonee came by and I accompanied him on another night of English tutoring. We shared a final Indian style dinner together and I gave him my ... read more