Archive for the 'Travel' Tag

Recent stuff…

This was going to be a happy 2008 post but half way through February makes it a bit late for that, and I’m not going to make it a Valentine’s Day (”You’ll Do” day) themed post. So anyway, what’s news here then?

The significant other and I are still living it large in London-town. We’ve […]

1 year abroad!

Time sure has flown for me. For the most part, it’s been a spectacular year…
A short list of highlights (and the odd low point):

Travelling through 11 countries spanning four continents (so far)
Scuba diving in Thailand and Vietnam
Like, pretty much all of Mexico
Having my laptop stolen in Peru
Still in Peru, kicking arse on the Inca Trail […]

Mexico City, Mexico

Having settled in here in London I must admit I miss Mexico. Quite a bit. What an awesome place to visit. Mexico was the culture shock and the push out of our comfort zone that we had been craving toward the end of our time in the States. It was the first place where, by […]

Dallas, Austin and SXSW, USA

Early March saw us say goodbye to my Mum at San Francisco airport and move on to Dallas and Austin, Texas. A visit to the Sixth Floor Museum and a little boozing with the very hospitable Jade and Carter lightened up the otherwise dull city of Dallas before we hit Austin, the jewel in the […]

San Francisco, Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon, USA

We spent a month staying with my Mum in the San Francisco Bay Area and travelling in and around California. We did trips to Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon and Los Angeles. We spent a bit of time in San Francisco getting a bit of a taste of one USA’s more interesting cities.
Day 65 […]

Hong Kong, China

Hong Kong was a busy and colourful city. I was surprised by how modern (and expensive) it was there. Two days is not a long time so I’ll keep this post short (so the story goes…)
Day 63 - 66, Hong Kong, China - a busy, modern metropolis
On January 28, we arrived at Hong Kong International […]

Hoi An and Hanoi, Vietnam

Haven’t written for a bit… having a laptop and plane tickets stolen and the ensuing bureaucratic nightmare will do that to ya… but back with the travel essays, will be trying to catch up over the next couple of weeks at every given opportunity… So, back to Vietnam:
A couple of days was enough to enjoy […]

Da Lat, the Central Highlands and Nha Trang, Vietnam

Da Lat is an inviting mountain city to visit in Vietnam and a motorcycle tour from Da Lat is a great way to see the real Vietnam. We took a three day tour, starting from Da Lat and ending in Nha Trang, a beach city where you can work on your tan and do some […]

Mekong Delta and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

On January 9, we took a bus to a small agricultural port on the Mekong River from Phnom Penh and got on a boat and headed towards the Vietnamese border with a small group of travellers headed for Saigon. Pretty early on I realised that Vietnam would be one of the highlights of this holiday.
Day […]

Holiday in Cambodia

Cambodia is an interesting and thought provoking place. Its recent history of genocide bubbles just under the surface of society. We only saw Siem Reap (and the temples of Angkor) and Phnom Penh, and I know there is much more to Cambodia than those major cities. Cambodia wasn’t the best time I had in Asia, […]

Ko Pha Ngan and Ko Tao, Thailand

Day 28 - 31, Ko Pha Ngan, Thailand
Wow, what day is it today? I found myself asking myself this question fairly often at this stage of the trip. One day just rolls into the next, and it’s easier to remember to get a boat in 3 days than what day of the week it is… […]

Ko Samui, Thailand

Day 25 - 28, Ko Samui, Thailand
When travelling, timing is everything. This is a lesson we are just starting to learn. We arrived in the tropical island tourist hotspot of Ko Samui in good weather and just in time to enjoy the arrival of monsoonal rains.
However, being in bad weather is infinitely better than […]

Bangkok, Thailand

Day 23 - 25, Bangkok, Thailand
We got up bright and early (actually it was still dark) on December 13 and drove out to the old Ninoy Aquino International Airport. We said thank you and goodbye to my uncle and cousin who had given so much of their time during our stay in The Philippines. We […]

Philippines wrap-up

Day 16 - 23, Philippines
We left Boracay and headed back to Bongabong where we were had a farewell party and then got caught in another typhoon. We eventually made it back to Manila, wrapping up our stay in The Philippines.

Bongabong Despedida
After Boracay we were picked up from the pier by relatives that were again happy […]

Boracay, Philippines

Day 12 - 16, Boracay, Philippines
Boracay is a white sand tropical island postcard destination. It’s a beautiful place, what can i say, just look at the pics.
White Beach, Boracay. Photo courtesy of Meg

This is really one of the best, if not the best, beaches I have ever visited. The sand along famous White Beach (on […]

Bongabong, Philippines

Day 6 - 11, Bongabong, Oriental Mindoro
We drove on down to the pier, paid the fees and drove onto the Ferry. We strolled around the boat and of course Meg took many photos (up soon I tells ya). I decided to go inside and have a rest in the aircon environment. You Got Served was […]

Tagaytay and Batangas, Philippines

Day 5, Tagaytay then Buan, Batangas
On Saturday (25/11/06), Meg and I got up early and left Manila for Mindoro, the province where my Mum’s side of the family grew up. After the fiasco that was breakfast (we’d mentioned to my Mum’s friend who had put us up that we would leave early - like 5.30am […]

Manila, Philippines II

Day 3 - 4, Mandaluyong City and Quezon City, Manila
Here are some more insights into Filipino culture I thought I’d share, from the time Meg and I spent in Manila, prior to arriving in Mindoro, where I am at the moment (more on Mindoro later).

Manila is busy, hot and stinky with air pollution. As a […]

Manila, Philippines

Day 1 - 2, Mandaluyong City, Manila
Well we’re finally up and out of Sydney. Thanks to all our friends and family for helping see Meg and I off. Several going away get-togethers and the little matter of packing up our home (and lives) in between made the last week ridiculously hectic, but we had a […]

Itinerary updated

Our itinerary is pretty much completely sorted now - 2 hours with Tim from Flightcentre took care of that. We’ve adjusted some of the dates and added some pretty cool stops (like Cambodia and Guatemala) so go and revisit the itinerary.
Nathan has pointed us to TNT Magazine’s guide to relocating to the UK which will […]

Travel plans

Okay, so from here on for a fair while this blog will contain more and more posts about travel in the lead up to, and obviously during, Meg’s and my big ’round the world trip in November. I’ll still be adding the odd geek article wherever I can, and if I manage to get to […]

Big news…

Okay, the word is now officially out - the lovely Megan and I are embarking on an extended around the world trip, spanning five continents stopping at London for an extended period where we will work and continue the European leg of our trip. We plan to be away from Sydney for about 18-24 months.
Prior […]

Positive user experience - the most important aspect of branding

I’ve just returned from a 10 day holiday at peaceful Safety Beach, where I got plenty of sun, good food, wine and sleep. I also enjoyed my first bee sting. At least I think it was a bee, the little bastard.
I want to talk about branding and good customer experience, and the good experience I […]

Back…

Am back now from a refreshing trip to Vic. Two huge weekends in Melbourne and Daylesford with a relaxing detox week in quiet Paynesville in between. Back to the rat-race…

AWOL

Well I’m off work and pissing off down to Melbourne for a bit to catch up with friends, family and gatecrash the odd wedding. Back in a week, maybe with some happy snaps…