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).... read more

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 get a bed in a dorm room. They said they couldn't guarantee a dorm bed, so I prepared myself for a mattress on the floor. Turned out I didn't need to sleep on the floor. ... read more

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 parts of town. I wouldn't describe it as a big 'danger zone'. The Pilipino people were among the warmest and most helpful I encountered during the trip. The city clearly struggles with a higher crime ... read more

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 rooftop swimming pools (Hangout @ Emily's).Cozy corner did have a good location though, down the street from the legendary Raffles hotel and across the street from the intercontinental. The shopping malls here are way glitzy ... read more

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 heading down to Bukintinggi, and then stopped in for a night on the way back. Everything worked out well, I was able to meet up with Joann, and ended up staying with her co-worker Acce, ... read more