Singapore is an intriguing country that has always fascinated me. To use a sporting parlance, the country reminds me of the little guy who is always punching well above his weight, the guy who gets extraordinary results despite what seems to be overwhelming physical deficiencies. For example it's incredible to note that Singapore, with a population of over four million people, has the fourth largest foreign exchange trading centre in the world. This country is a serious player on the world stage in spite of it's tiny size, an island state of sixty three islands situated just below East Malaysia. Continuing from the previous journal, dear reader, I caught a bus down the south east coast of Peninsula Malaysia into Johor province, and from there crossed the Johor-Singapore causeway into Singapore. I immediately formed the impression ... read more

The United States dropped more bombs in the Vietnam war than were used during the entire course of World War ll, and it's not too much to assume the Vietnamese would harbor a great deal of resentment toward foreigners. However, it's amazing to experience nothing but kindness from the local people when visiting this extraordinary country, with a predominantly youthful population of 75 million people. The reality of travel in Vietnam means unfailingly gracious hosts greet travellers from around the world with a welcoming smile. Vietnam is a highly recommended travel destination in South East Asia, and I was excited to board a flight to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) to commence my visit to this fascinating and beautiful country. I got to chatting with an English girl on the plane, dear reader, who was also ... read more

For several years I'd been focusing on my Sydney rock and roll band with all the puritanical zeal of the Blues Brothers, to the extent that Mind's Eye was the focus of my existence. The idea of gallivanting around the world to visit exotic locations never even crossed my mind during these band years, that is until my lead guitarist and bass player informed me they planned to cement their relationship through the sacrament of marriage. They asked me to be the best man at their wedding to be held in Bali and I felt honoured. The news, however, hit me like a thunderbolt after spending several years as a struggling musician, totally engrossed in the fortunes of our band. But who could miss this opportunity to celebrate their upcoming wedding, while rekindling my long dormant ... read more

The Overland Track is located in the wilds of Cradle Mountain National Park, and is one of the most famous bushwalks in the world. The track is a tough ninety odd kilometre walk through pristine wilderness where walkers are constantly surrounded by the spectacular natural beauty of Tasmania, and the park is in the middle of an island state that is a world renowned travel destination. The beautifully maintained track features strategically positioned bush huts to warm the bones of intrepid walkers at the end of another long day in the Aussie bush. We embarked from the ferry out of Melbourne to start a family expedition to see the sights of wonderful Tassie, which lies south of the east coast of the Australian mainland. And walking the Overland Track was definitely at the top of our ... read more

My job in Sydney working for an oil exploration company led to a second business trip overseas, and the final destination proved to be out of this world! My boss gave me the go ahead to accompany a geologist to an offshore oil rig off the coast of Taranaki, which is situated on the North Island of New Zealand. I'd never travelled to the land of our Kiwi cousins, and was thrilled to join my colleague for the three hour flight over the Tasman sea to Auckland. From Auckland airport, dear reader, we boarded a connecting flight to New Plymouth on a smaller propeller plane. My first impression of NZ out of the plane window was that the countryside looked incredibly lush and green, it was clear the country gets a lot more rain than Australia. ... read more

Due to a fortunate happenstance I gained another chance to visit Japan through my job in Sydney. This was an unexpected but pleasant surprise as I settled back into Sydney life after spending two years overseas. I was lucky to get a job in an oil exploration company thanks to a friend, and it was a great feeling to get back on my feet financially after my travels. Life certainly takes many interesting twists and turns as the years roll by. My job in the company, dear reader, started in the print room but the manager asked if I would consider a job as a Technical Assistant, despite the fact I didn't possess a science background unlike the rest of my colleagues. I was offered the position which involved assisting the geologists and geophysicists in their ... read more