Blogs from Asia - page 13032

In the land of travel guides and tour books, Kerala is always defined by its famed “backwater tours,” where boatloads of tourists hang off the railings of house boats, clutching cameras and staring excitedly and unabashedly at the people quietly living their lives in and along the water. We had avoided all varieties of organized tour so far, and the idea of joining the other staring tourists was faintly embarrassing, but like everyone else we were too temped by the appeal of such an honest and intimate view of South Indian life to pass it up. Kochi is a standard starting point for Kerala, and our decision to stop there instead of elsewhere in Kerala was based mainly on train schedules and time constraints. The extent of the impact of tourism in Kochi was made ... read more

So after a kick arse stay on Koh Samui in Embassy guesthouse(best guest house on the island and the best staff...considered really good friends now) it was time to move onto Ko Pha Ngan for a less family holiday resort more backpackin party crowd.Got up at 10.00am for the pick up from Embassy wit two Swedes who where also stayin in the Embassy guesthouse and got the boat to Ko Pha Ngan.We checked out a place that had accomadation for 150baht but it was really out of the way and well u get what u pay for...very basic!!!Actually my philosophy on accomadations here is that all the room really is is storage...very rarely stay in the room anyways so basics not a bad thing.However we moved on and found a better located apartment complex right near ... read more

We are very behind in our blog, so at the moment we are just putting photos up. More detailed text may come at a later date... or at this rate, never!... read more

As most of my trips go, this visit to Japan was full of purpose and typically overextended in commitments. Arriving last Tuesday, the first 2 full days were dedicated to business in Tokyo. On Friday, I headed for Tokyo Station with Akasaka-san, one of my work colleagues, to catch a train for Itoh, a small coastal town in the eastern seaboard of Izu Peninsula in Honshu, Japan’s main island. Our ultimate destination was an executive briefing facility that my company uses to host clients and is nested on the highlands region that is part of the Amagi mountain range, overlooking Mount Fuji (or Fuji-san as this famous volcano is respectfully referred to by Japanese nationals). My company’s Amagi facility is remote enough that we get our clients’ undivided attention during their stay there. It is ... read more

Arrived on Ko Lanta early in the day after boat from Phi Phi and found nice and cheap bungalows to stay on Long Beach. Its called Long Beach because its really long, and its a beach. Actually the beach is over 3km long and here i did my first run since leaving Ireland, badly needed after all the lazing I've been doing! Basically all we did here was chill out and lie on the beach, the water wasnt that great for swimming in cos rocks everywhere but the beach was lovely. Unfortunately the place we booked to stay in was the far south side of the beach meaning we had to walk for half an hour to get to the nice restaurants and bars. The first night we walked to meet with Christian and Tracy (English ... read more