As I toured Hong Kong during the last days of my trip, I was left with no doubt that this was the premier city in Asia. Yes, Singapore was also impressive. But it did not leave nearly the impression that Hong Kong did. Hong Kong has better sights (cable car, the peak overlooking the island) and a far more impressive skyline. Having spent a a solid week in the city, I do feel it is worth the extra money to stay on Hong Kong Island. I ended up closing out my stay at the condo on the Island, and didn't go [View Full Entry]

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Two of the American wedding guests and I headed out to Lantau to ride the Ngong Ping 360 and see the giant Buddha. This was a great day trip. The cable car was the longest I had ever been on, and was very accessible from Hong Kong Island. We spent a good few hours running around the top and then got in line to catch the return car before it got too late (and we got stuck in a line to get the last cars back). [View Full Entry]

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After several days of festivities leading up to the big day, we congregated at the Anglican cathedral for the ceremony. It was a classic wedding done well. After the wedding, we relocated to some yacht club for a reception, which, I must add, was very classy. My friend Rebekah took good care of me, arranging ground transport between the hotel and wedding, and then wedding to yacht club. The groomsman and me got a driver and Mercedes. Once we got to the reception hall, the photographer realized he had left a lens he needed at the hotel. Not problem. Another driver [View Full Entry]

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I flew in to HK from Cebo, Philippines. My flight arrived at around midnight. During the flight, I had heard other passengers talking about how many people where going to HK for the Chinese new year, and how packed out the city would be. Based on our late arrival, I decided to sleep in the airport. I was not sure how many nice places there would be to sleep, so I took one of the rows of chairs at baggage claim. I slept pretty decent till a Cathay Pacific 747 landed from Paris. Once I got into town, I managed to [View Full Entry]

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Hard to believe, but this Island marked the last stop before Hong Kong, and the end of the 13 country journey. It was to be vacation. Not to delve too deep into semantics, but i do not consider the rest of the trip a vacation. The journey was at many times difficult, its goal was not 'pleasure' or relaxation but rather life experiences, personal growth and my inner need to see the world. this last aspect has only been reinforced and confirmed throughout the trip. There is something inside me that goes far beyond personal desire for travel. It is simply [View Full Entry]

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Probably not the best first stop for someone going to Asia! Is it in Asia? Or is it synthesis of the South-Pacific Island culture and the hub of Asia? From the look of all the recruiting signs for work in the Gulf, it is certainly a jumping off point for the Middle East. I flew into Angeles City, a few hours outside of Metro Manila. The ride into town gave me a chance to see the city in its entirety. The surrounding areas looked fairly nice, but as soon as one gets into the Metropolis, wow, look out for some dingy [View Full Entry]

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Ok, so the trip over to Borneo didn’t start out the smoothest. I left Singapore with lots of time to get over to Johor Baru in order to catch my flight to Miri. But…I got stuck in traffic leaving Singapore, stuck at the border when the Malaysian authorities ran out of immigration forms, and then once I got through, I couldn’t find the bus station that would get me to the airport. Lonely Planet gave this great little piece of travel advice on saving money by taking the bus, but the departing location was not on the map. Go figure. So, [View Full Entry]

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ok, boring blog. My two night day and a half stay in Singapore was fun, but not that eventful. I mostly walked around a whole bunch, saw all the must see districts, and then went on to Miri in Malaysia. I stayed at the backpackers cozy corner guesthouse, and, well, it was cozy! bunk beds in a hallway right off the balcony. open air etc. but, it had a hot shower, a free breakfast, and its location was superb at $10 a night, it was 1/3 of everything else. However, everything else includes some decor hostels that have amazing features like [View Full Entry]

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This is a truly amazing city. The busride from Penang to KL was a testament to how developed this country is compared to most of its neighbors. One great thing about the city is that it is nowhere near the tourist trap that Bangkok has become, thereby allowing me to find a bunk in a well priced dorm on my second attempt (booked my first choice for the next night). While the dorms in KL where a little pricier than other places (between $7-8.50) there were the best places I stayed the entire trip. Free breakfast, free coffee and tea throughout [View Full Entry]

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Flying into PekanBaru is like stepping off of a plane, realizing that this city has next to no tourism, and then realizing that once the frustrations are set aside, this is the real Indonesia. The city is a business hub for the local oil industry, so prices are high and budget options are limited, but the local flavor lives on. It is one of the closest and cheapest cities in Indonesia to fly into from Malaysia, and also happened to be the city where Joann, a semester mate from Lithuania, was teaching English. I swung into town for one night before [View Full Entry]

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