Gardens aren’t usually the most exciting of places. Sure, if you are a huge flower fan or are really into ponds, they might be the highlight of your holiday, but to your average person they are just pleasant places to kill an hour or 2. Gardens by the bay is different, a futuristic wonder beamed down from space that might just be the best tourist attraction in Singapore.
Destinations
Kampong Buangkok: The Last Remaining Traditinal Village in Mainland Singapore
The pumping pistons of the Singaporean dream machine are in full swing, turning this former rural backwater into the modern metropolis we know today. This sweeping modernisation definitely has its good points; Singapore has become the safest, cleanest and richest country in Southeast Asia, but at what cost?
Turn the clock back 50 or 60 years and a different picture of Singapore emerges. Dirt roads wind through small villages (kampongs), chickens roam through overgrown gardens, the only thing dominating the skies are the heat and the haze, and people don’t work insane overtime hours just to get ahead. Some would call this paradise, but some would rather destroy this way of life in favour of progress. That progress has bought wealth to the nation, but such a large lifestyle shift, in only 1 or 2 generations, left a hole in the soul of the country.
Island Hopping in Langkawi, Malaysia
Can setting foot on 2 islands really be considered island hopping? That’s the kind of philosophical question I’d have to spend years meditating in an ashram to answer, but what island hopping in Langkawi lacked in islands it made up for in value. Walking down Pantai Cenang, Langkawi’s main backpacker beach, I was immediately struck by … Read more
Exploring The Historical Districts of Singapore
A lot of Singapore’s history has been buried under endless high rise buildings and other urban developments. Life has changed a lot here in the last 50 or so years, and while many would say the progress is a good thing, it seems the soul of Singapore has been diluted in the process. A few pockets of the past remain, and these are where Singapore breaks free from its robotic suburbs and becomes something truly interesting. The historical districts of Singapore have a great mix of colour, chaos and expression, something that is sorely lacking in other parts of the country.
Nong Khiaw: A Quiet Corner of Laos
“But Jon, isn’t pretty much everywhere in Laos quiet?” Yes, but quiet isn’t always created equal, and while you might find plenty of laid back places in Laos, none are likely to be in a more scenic location (and provide you with more travelling comforts) than Nong Khiaw. Sure, you could rent a motorbike and … Read more
Climbing the Lion Rock in Sigiriya, Sri Lanka
Take monkeys, a huge rock, ruined palaces and a patricidal king, and what do you get? It could be the premise of a new movie starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, or it could be the Lion Rock in Sigiriya. While that movie does sound pretty cool, the experience of climbing to the top of the … Read more
Travelling to the Maldives? Spend a Day in Malé!
Walking the streets of Malé, I felt like I’d somehow slipped into another dimension: Everything was almost as it should be, but something felt off, like there was always a mystery waiting around the next corner. Just like an episode of Quantum Leap or Sliders, the atmosphere and feel of Malé is familiar but different, … Read more
Asdu Sun Island: A Mid Range Maldives Experience
Welcome to Asdu Sun Island, one of over 1000 tiny islands in the Maldives. The beaches are white, the colour of the water is mind blowing, and just like Shakira, what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in beauty. It takes about a minute to walk across the island, maybe 5 … Read more