Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I’d get to see Australia in person. However, I happened to be in Asia. And thanks to budget airline Air Asia’s exceptionally low fares, and my willingness to travel with just one bag, it suddenly seemed to be within the realms of possibility. Unfortunately, I would only have a week in…
Leave a CommentThis was the LAST Sri Lankan Kingdom, before it was captured by the British Empire about 200 years ago. Today it’s known as the country’s cultural capital. The city of Kandy sits on a plateau in central Sri Lanka, surrounded by mountains, and is famous for its many temples, with the main attraction being the Buddhist Temple of the Tooth…
Leave a CommentAbout 50 miles outside of the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, is the village of Pinnawala. It’s known for one thing only: Elephants. Because it’s home to an elephant sanctuary, and a popular tourist stop when exploring the country. The souvenir shops sell all kinds of knick-knacks made of elephant poop – seriously! Pinnawala Elephant Sanctuary Riding an Elephant I was…
Leave a CommentOnce again, I had a big chunk of airmiles burning a hole in my virtual pocket, and it was time to explore the most efficient way to use British Airways’ generosity to my own advantage. I had a hankering to explore South Asia. Unfortunately, I was banned from India and had no desire to see Pakistan again. However, I could…
Leave a CommentIn May 2012, I briefly returned to San Francisco to negotiate a contract on behalf of my employer. As it happens, negotiations broke down and things didn’t work out. But it was still a chance for me to revisit some of the city’s highlights again, and this time I had a newer camera so the pictures came out a little…
Leave a CommentThe final leg of my Indian Ocean tour was a visit to Seychelles – the smallest African country by size and population. There are actually 115 islands, of varying sizes, that make up the Republic of Seychelles, but I only had the chance to visit Mahé, which is the biggest and home to the capital Victoria. I know I often…
Leave a CommentTime for the next leg of my Indian Ocean tour. I’d wanted to visit Madagascar, but the logistics of that were prohibitive. So instead I was heading from Mauritius to nearby Réunion Island (formerly Bourbon Island), which is part of the French republic and, therefore, a part of the European Union. They use the Euro as currency and have an…
Leave a CommentI’d spent last Christmas and New Year touring the Far East. It was an amazing experience, but I genuinely expected that would be the last time I’d get to do anything like that. In the intervening time, I’d built up quite a healthy airmiles balance, thanks to all the travelling I’d been doing for work, and in early December I…
Leave a CommentI lived in the UAE for just a few months, and my time there was almost exclusively dedicated to working on a science festival project. There was little time for sightseeing and exploring the city. However, I did get a few hours here and there to explore the city and take some photos. WARNING: there are a lot of photos…
Leave a CommentMy time living in the USA was coming to an end in September 2011. My employer was moving me to the Middle East for a few months to work on a massive science festival project. I decided that on the way to the UAE, I was going to try and arrange an extensive layover in one of my bucket list…
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