Blogs from Asia - page 15978

There's so much more to experience on the Indonesian archipelago than just paying a visit to Bali. Australia's nearest neighbour to the north is home to 220 million people, and the world's largest archipelago has 1700 islands which span more than 5000 kilometres. Mind you, no visit to Indonesia is complete without stopping off in Bali, a beautiful island that holds a special place in my heart. When the flight arrived from Sydney I checked into the same Kuta hotel as previously, and enjoyed a few days relaxing with the smiling Balinese before setting off to explore Java and Sumatra. So then, it was time to embark on exciting new travel adventures... starting with a taxi ride to Denpasar and the bus terminal. I organised a bus ticket to Java and once again I was on ... read more

This is one of those assignments that I didn't look for. Rather, this assignment found me. It came at a time when I was seriously mulling over quitting my job, just like I did about 2 years before. Well, as I said, it has been brewing for the last 2 years. Back then, the company sent me to Tokyo for a 2 week "business" assignment. And now this. Free Trip to Kathmandu: Why Not? Soon, I realized no one in the company wanted this trip. Much inclined to urban settings, they would rather grab assignments that would bring them to America or Europe, rather than to Nepal. That is not exactly my take though. I mean, Kathmandu has always fascinated me especially since the advent of the hippie cult. I am certainly no hippie, but somewhow ... read more

Geo: 12.2453, 109.199We haven't been doing much lately. We arrived in NhaTrang on Tuesday (I think) and have been relaxing fora few days. Taking time out from our busy schedule.Nha Trang is a city of about 200,000 people so its notexactly remote like the small islands in Thailand. Itsnot quite the atmosphere we were hoping for. At leastits winter and the low season so its not teeming withtourists.... read more

Geo: 21.0243, 105.855Well you might be sweltering but we are freezing todeath. Hanoi is cold and overcast and we are wishingwe brought alot more clothes with us. We only have onepair of jeans each which we have to wear day after dayand cannot have them washed because we have nothingelse to wear while they are being washed!Tomorrow we go on a boat trip to the Perfume Pagoda. Ithink we will just have to wear every item of clothing... read more

Japan was always one of my favourite countries to visit, not only as a major customer of QSL and a great country to tour around on its own merits, but also because it has some important family connections. Japan is a major raw sugar importer and currently imports just over half its requirements, with the balance supplied by Japanese farmers – about 80% from the sugar beet industry in the cold region of Hokkaido in the north and about 20% from sugarcane in the southern tropical regions of Okinawa and Kagoshima. The sugar refining industry is relatively fragmented with 11 sugar refining factories, of which ownership is complex, with many refineries having multiple shareholders – often the large Japanese Trading Houses. To enhance industry economies of scale, some factories are jointly operated by multiple sugar companies. ... read more