We arrived in at Beijing International, always an overwhelming airport based on its immense girth. But our gate was very close to immigration and we breezed through without much delay as officials kept opening new lanes as the lines swelled from the arriving flights. We discovered a small short-stay airport hotel and without hesitation spent the $40 for a two hour stay. Showers after long flights are one of the best things one can gift one's body … [Read more...]
Phu Quoc in 72 Hours: Sun, Sea & Serenity
The island of Phu Quoc is located in the Gulf of Thailand, located closer to the Cambodia border than the Vietnam border. It is an extremely popular and family friendly destination for tourists due to the fact that unlike mainland Vietnam which requires visas for many nationalities, Phu Quoc offers a visa exemption for citizens of numerous countries. And it is also appealing for its weather, beaches and affordable prices. From Bangkok its an … [Read more...]
The Swimming Hole
Every day around 5pm I jump on the old Honda Click scooter with the hello kitty decoration on the rubber floor boards and ride 5 mins to the only sizable watering hole in the area. This is both mental therapy, a refreshing respite from the heat and simultaneous physical therapy. Life revolves around this water, in a part of the country where during the dry season its hard to find much here. The pool is a small dam, a place where you would … [Read more...]
Taipei in a Flash: A Whirlwind Adventure Worth Remembering
A quick journey to Taipei was not meant to be. Rather than get up with the chickens at 430am in the Thai village I am staying in to catch a van to Suvarnabhumi Airport to catch an 11am flight, I opted to take a a van into Bangkok a day early at a reasonable 3pm departure. I didn't catch much sleep that night due to three women next door partying like it was December 31, 1999. The day of my flight, I left my hotel at 8am for the airport. The … [Read more...]
Penang Hill or Bust & the Lights of Kek Lok Si Temple
My friend dropped me off at the base of Penang Hill. He had strongly recommended I climb this in the early morning, but the night before we were out until nearly midnight enjoying the Chinese New Year festivities. Borrowing his umbrella, a lifesaver from the hot tropical sunshine, I set out on the Heritage Trail. This path, founded in 1890, led nearly straight up the mountain, climbing some nearly 800 meters to the top. It followed the funicular … [Read more...]
Wine Tasting in India?
When I told my brother in law that we were visiting Nashik in India to try their wines, his response was something like, "when I was growing up in Chennai, Indian wines were not considered very good". That was in the 1970s and 1980s. Things have changed in this regard with a select number of Indian wineries having elevated viticulture practices and winemaking, Chandon India being on the forefront of doing so. I arrived in Mumbai from Bangkok; … [Read more...]
Ko Lan Getaway: A Weekend of Sun, Sand, and Crowds
Waiting until the last minute and short on some upcoming vacation time, I scored what I thought was a bargain, at a room located next to the beach on Ko Lan. This was the last budget option I saw listed through various booking sites. And only a few other resorts had rooms, all of which were extremely expensive. Satisfied, I pulled a Spy wine cooler out of the fridge, grabbed a book and hit the hammock for the next few hours. The next morning I … [Read more...]
Where in the World Am I Now?
Driving from Mumbai to Nashik we passed road construction chaos. If I had to guess I would say completion on this project will be sometime between 550 and 750 years from now. It had the appearance of having been worked on for decades with little progress to show for the effort. What appeared to be total chaos for kilometers included piles of rotting garbage, lengthy sections of broken pavement, stones everywhere, partially paved sections covered … [Read more...]
Discover Tashkent: Gateway to Uzbekistan’s Wonders
I landed in Tashkent late in the evening and made it to my hotel just in time to drop off my bags and get dinner at a nearby restaurant. My room was directly across from reception, there were no shades on the windows which had openings looking out onto the nearby street and a street lamp. It was a rough night of sleeping between light all night and the noise off and on from the reception. On a whim the next morning I signed up online for a … [Read more...]
A Visit to Khujand in Tajikistan
Trying to find a shared taxi in Tashkent for the ride to Oybek on the Tajikistan border turned into an effort in futility. After getting directions where to go from my hotel and after a 35-minute drive I arrived at the provided destination to discover an empty parking lot. Walking over to one of the nearby metro stops I asked one of the officers in Russian using Google translate and she then directed me to another metro stop another 30+ minutes … [Read more...]
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