We spent all day touring the northern part of the island. Initially we were reluctant to warm to Saipan but after spending some time exploring the variety of outdoor options the island offers we are now sold on its natural beauty. I love how small the island is and how easy it is to get around - we've seen many tourists with tour groups, but we've rented a car and are exploring on our own. The Grotto is well worth visiting. It is a semi … [Read more...]
Hanging out at Aqua Resort, Saipan
Today we breezed through Garapan (the main city on the island) and headed north. Looking for a nice place to stay we visited one resort. Its heyday had passed a long time ago. We then stumbled into Aqua Resort - a beautiful boutique resort located right on the beach overlooking the corral reef which extends well offshore. I walked out about half a mile on the shallow sandy reef until I met spiky corral in shallow waters and could go no further. … [Read more...]
Dropping onto Saipan
Dropped into Saipan in the dead of night - starry skies, the blackness of the sea greeted us - disturbed only by the lights emanating from this small island. I had only done cursory research before our visit here and after speaking for nearly 2 hours to my seatmate who lives here now - I wasn't really sure what to expect. He spoke of sweat shops (now extinct), high alcoholism, a hub for smuggling drugs in from China, unemployment, gambling … [Read more...]
Jetting from Chennai to Bangkok
We jumped on our Air Asia flight last night from MAA-BKK. The route opened up earlier this year and we immediately seized the opportunity to buy severely discounted tickets during Air Asia's promotional period. We paid £89 per person for the round trip ticket - about 3.5 hours each way! Course with Air Asia you get a basic flight - no food or drink, seats that are agonizingly tight for tall people and most of the time a middle or window seat … [Read more...]
Touring Chennai
We didn't find much in the way of inspiration during our short stay in Chennai (other than the people were quite friendly) - but we enjoyed touring some of the city's unique historical sites including the San Thome Basilica. This is one of only three churches in the world that are supposedly built on top an apostle's tomb. This one houses the remains of Thomas the Apostle - the other two are the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain and … [Read more...]
Wedding Celebration, Chennai India
After a busy few days spent shopping for clothing for the event - sari's, shoes, long colorful flowing robes etc - we now have our appropriate Southern Indian wedding ceremony attire. The celebration went off without a hitch - one of India's most famous violinists (T. N. Krishnan) and his daughter took the stage for over an hour with hypnotizing music. Hundreds of people came to celebrate the joyous occasion! … [Read more...]
Pre Wedding Ceremony Preparations, Chennai
After a hectic few days bouncing around the planet, we find ourselves in Chennai India. Today was a fun Henna party - and then shopping for Sari's. This city is chaotic on the streets - but so far not nearly as much as our experiences in some of the larger Northern Indian cities. … [Read more...]
One Day in Bangkok
Yesterday Tokyo, today Bangkok, tomorrow Chennai. No rest for the weary. … [Read more...]
Hanging out in Narita Japan
Woke up this morning on some straw mat in a room I had never seen before. This was fine as I'm used to sleeping on hard surfaces. The confusion became clearer as the fog lifted from the sleep deprived mind and I vaguely remembered landing in Narita, Japan last night. The drive to this guesthouse was a blur - but I do remember the driver turning off his engine at every stop light, turning off his lights every time he stopped and driving with both … [Read more...]
Researching Budget Hotels, Chennai India
Looking for budget hotels in India is always so entertaining. For $6 dollars a night we found a hotel that boasts, "bucket showers (for hot water), a "no Indian policy" and squat toilets". Really, all strong selling points??? Here's another line: "each and every single room at our hotel exotic epitomizes luxury and the grandeur of Indian culture juxtaposed with modern amenities" - this is set on a background image of some guy in a tuxedo! … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- …
- 14
- Next Page »
