Needed a break for Christmas, had to get out of Sibu and find a beach. So we headed off to Ko Lanta on Air Asia flights. First stop KL to do some Christmas shopping and then on to Haadyai. From airport to van terminal and van to Trang and a quick change to Ko Lanta - too easy Surprised to see Ko Lanta has gone upmarket. Years ago, the guide books used to warn that you may not be able to buy alcohol here. Blimey how things have changed. Arrived lateish on first night so settled for cheap hotel on waterfront in Ban Saladin. The toilet bowl collapsed but at 450 baht a night, what can you expect. Next day, hired a motorbike and rode down to Waterfall Bay only to find its now a 5 ... read more

"Are you ready to see Paris" I asked my wife as the we alighted at St Denis metro and walked to the escalator to the street. She hadn't been that over awed with the ride in from Charles de Gaulle, so this was to be the moment when Paris had to hit home. I went up first with the camera ready to catch the look on her face as she entered the City of Light for the first time. The expression on her face told it all. Paris in all its inherent charm greeted her in St Denis - stylishly dressed coffee sippers bathed in morning sunshine, historic architecture, cast iron Metro signage, people hurrying, car horns sounding, energy abounding - we are in Paris. Sitting at the cafe, ordering a 1664 (for me) and an ... read more

The hair at the back of my head stood up, in the trees above me was this large orange haired gentleman of the forest, swinging carelessly from tree to tree, rustling the branches wildly as he made his way in an airborne manner down the hill. The adrenalin coursed through me for here in total visual was what I had hoped to see - a wild orangutan in his natural habitat. My son managed a photo - not sure how he did that, because I was just transfixed, even though a camera was clutched firmly in my hand. We were on Kubang Hill in Gunung Palung National Park, in Indonesia's Kalimantan Barat province. This location is one of the very few places where its possible to see orangutan in the wild. There is another location in ... read more

Kuching attracts its fair share of visitors looking for a Borneo adventure. But I wonder how many go home disappointed. It's not that the city isn't attractive - it is and it appeals to a lot of people with its historic waterfront (somewhat now dominated by the new Dun), its array of restaurants and bars along Padungan. luxury and boutique hotels like Pullman, Basaga and Limetree and the general friendly ambiance of a small, purring city. Yet the name Sarawak conjures up a jungle and wildlife experience - an adventure holiday. Apart from short day trips out of town to see the orangutan feeding at Semenggoh or the proboscis monkeys at Bako National Park, where do visitors to Kuching go for that wildlife, jungle experience. They are offered Batang Ai and a longboat trip on the ... read more

There are many places that conjure up elements of fantasy and are high on my list of must visit destinations. One such place has always been Zamboanga and a room at the Lantaka Hotel with a view out into the foreboding Sulu Sea. So, when I decided to celebrate a big O birthday on Boracay, I mapped out a journey from Borneo to Zamboanga and through the Philippines, taking in Boracay and somehow finding my way on to Manila. A lot of people tried to talk me out of it, even my travelling partner, and advise me not to go anywhere near Zamboanga - too dangerous, you should fly. But I'm a persistent bugger and the only flying I was going to do was a flight back from Clark airfield at Angeles City to Kota Kinabalu. ... read more