I have a question for you. Is Kazakhstan part of Europe? If you say no, you lose, like I lost that bet at university some years ago. If you say yes, you win, but I am still skeptical. But since about 10% of Kazakhstan is on this side of the Ural mountains, it can be […]
buses
Jiufen, Taiwan: The definition of Travel
Let me introduce you to Jiufen, Taiwan. This is Travel. These pics define more or less my image of Travel with a huge, beautiful capital T. Mountains, sea and an exotic temple to remind you this is not just anywhere. My last whole day in Taiwan I spent with T and L exploring further away […]
What I think while motorbiking in Vietnam
So, an entry I’ve been looking forward to doing for ages: Back to my beloved Vietnamese motorbike, and thoughts I have whilst dodging all my fellow traffic on the streets of Bien Hoa, the insane streets of Saigon and a few scenic countryside roads too. Firstly, a nice photo of my exploration north of Bien Hoa, where […]
The last bus of Lopburi
So, them Thailand day trips. On the Saturday Gemma and I daytripped to Lopburi, a town two hours away by minibus. Lopburi is famous for its monkey temple and sunflower fields, that was all I knew in advance. We got a vehicle reminiscent of a large tuk-tuk from the bus station to the temple (after […]
Chicken feet, cockroaches and plane-spotting
19.11.2014 Xin chao! Long time no write, I seem to have phases. But now I MUST write it’s been a while… So, what’s happened since I last wrote. Well, I’ve settled more into BH life, and I really do enjoy teaching and lesson planning, and our group of BH teachers are a great bunch. We’ve gone for […]
The Bus Number 5
I will now tell you the story of my experiences on The Bus Number 5, the bus that goes between Bien Hoa and Ho Chi Minh City. 45 minutes at its best, x minutes at its worst. (Two hours is probably a reasonable maximum.) 20 miles/35km. My bus ride to HCMC was pretty smooth, about […]
Whangarei, Matamata (Hobbiton) & Rotorua Part 1
Coucou mes chéris! The 19th was the day of Whangarei (pronounced “Fangarei” in a Finnishy accent) (it rhymes!) and Hayzybobzykins. Whangarei is the northernmost city in New Zealand, sort of half-way between Auckland and Russell, so it seemed like a nice half-way point to meet. CC and his housies said it’s not the best town […]