Visitors to Thailand will often encounter elephants at tourist attractions, either for riding or some other form of entertainment. But what happens to these elephants when they become too old or sick to undertake the tasks demanded of them? To uncover this answer, I undertook a rattling third-class train ride to Kanchanaburi in Western Thailand. The journey is supposed to be completed in two and a half hours, but on this fine Thursday afternoon, it was almost double that time. The following morning, I travelled to Elephant’s World. Established in 2008, this project is the inspiration of Dr. Samart Prasitphol, a veterinarian and livestock officer of the Kanchanaburi Province who sought to provide a refuge for unwanted and neglected elephants who may wander the streets of Thailand with their mahouts begging for food and money. Other ... read more

Appearing as an emerald speck on the vast sapphire waters between Australia and New Zealand, Norfolk Island is largely unknown to the outside world. Originally visited by Polynesians as early as 1150, the Island’s most famous inhabitants are the Pitcairners (descendants of the Bounty mutineers from their 1789 escapade) who relocated here in 1856. Nowadays Norfolk Island is said to be a travel destination for “newly-weds and nearly-deads” and judging by the demographics of the fellow passengers on the plane, this could well be true. The exception was a number of conference attendees, but I met no other solo travellers during my five days on the island. The plane soared over the white capped waves and we swept over pines and palms before skidding along the runway and halting in front of an unpretentious terminal. Stepping ... read more

It was with great excitement that I landed on the island of Java – a place famous for volcanoes, temples and batik. Arriving at Yogyakarta saw me enter the smallest International airport of my travels. Obtaining a visa on arrival was unsurprisingly chaotic, and the baggage claim area was more compact than most hotel rooms, just a bunch of bags sitting in a cramped corner. Yogyakarta was a congested city filled with all manner of vehicles and motorcycles. Passing streets adorned with billboards and clusters of power lines, finally the taxi emerged onto some more pleasant scenery where tall palms, rice paddies and flowing rivers all combined for a typically tropical vista. If one raised their gaze at times, it was possible to espy the flattened summit of one of the many volcanoes that have caused ... read more

Hidden within the towering buildings of central Kuala Lumpur is a place where the heart of Travelblog beats. Walking inside this austere office where computer screens outnumber desks or chairs, one would not realise that this most humble of settings is responsible for the Travelblog website that receives more than three million visits each month. A day earlier I was finally able to meet Ali, the founder of Travelblog. Though my duties as the second longest serving moderator on Travelblog (behind Ali) has resulted in irregular electronic communication for almost five years, I never had the opportunity to speak to him let alone encounter him face to face. Our meeting was delayed somewhat by Ali’s unexpected delay on Kuala Lumpur’s public transport system, but meet we eventually did. Ali appears much like he does in photographs ... read more

Murky floodwaters had covered an area the combined size of Germany and France in my home state of Queensland, and it was heading my way. Heavy rains came for days and though they didn’t fall much on me in Brisbane, they were pounding the already saturated catchment area which formed an “inland tsunami” (to quote a local politician) that roared through the valleys west of Brisbane and killed more than a dozen people. Sitting at my 24th floor work desk on Tuesday 11 January I could see the now brown waters of the Brisbane River slowly rising. Stories spread that public transport would soon be interrupted so our office was soon reduced to a handful of people as most departed to beat the rising floodwaters. I remained since my home was only a 20 minute walk ... read more