It’s hard to appreciate an amazing view when you’re gasping for air. The 28 bends is the most notorious section of the Tiger Leaping Gorge trek, one of China’s top multi-day hikes. I thought I’d struggled around at least 15 bends when I saw a depressing red 1 painted on a rock – it had just began … Read more
I know what you’re thinking – not another post telling me to sell my car, move into a cheaper house and stop drinking coffee. Those techniques have been covered far too many times before, so I’ll give you some alternative ideas on how to save for your trip.
DISCLAIMER – If any of these tips leave you in prison or dead, you can’t sue me (I’m pretty sure that’s legally binding – I have hardly any money anyway).
From outside my window I could hear a covers band murdering an Arctic Monkeys song, I could see 4 western style restaurants, and every conversation I had with the staff at my guesthouse was fully understood in perfect English. Is Dali Old Town still in China, or had I travelled through a wormhole back to … Read more
Nothing is easy in China. A quick internet search told me the Stone Forest, or Shilin, was 100km away from Kunming, where I’d arrived the day before to start my month in China. So, off I went to see this mystical karst landscape. 3 buses and 4 hours later I finally arrived, slightly bitter that it … Read more
The louder you talk the easier it is for people to understand you, so turning up your voice’s volume is always a good idea. Obviously everybody knows English these days, so the problem lies with their hearing. Still not working? Try again, but throw in some anger – that always helps. If they still aren’t getting it, roll your eyes and complain about that Chinese person’s lack of English skills.
Brunei is a really unique place to visit and makes for a great detour on any Southeast Asian trip. There are plenty of things to do in Brunei (Bandar Seri Begawan mostly), but the most interesting aspect of the country for me is the atmosphere. It’s incredibly quiet and peaceful, the people are extremely friendly and … Read more
Brunei had always been a mystery to me. For longer than I’d like to admit I thought it was in the Middle East (and I used to be good at geography – not sure how that one slipped by me), but it’s actually a small country wedged between 2 states of Malaysia, on the exotic … Read more
A dead man walking. I’m not talking about the depressing Sean Penn movie Dead Man Walking. I’m not even talking about Jim Thompson, the Thai silk industry guru who went missing while hiking in the area in 1967 (and is possibly still roaming the hills as a zombie). I’m talking about how I felt after the many … Read more