Sun and Fun in Boracay, Philippines

June 1, 2010
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I spent a week in Boracay, Philippines, earlier in the month and loved it. Boracay is a small island just off the North Western tip of Panay Island. It doesn’t have an airport, so getting there involves a flight to either Caticlan or Kalibo (on Panay Island), a ferry trip across the straits (only about [...]

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Seafood in Saikung, Hong Kong

April 15, 2010
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The Eastern side of Hong Kong is (at least to my mind) a LOT more attractive than the Western side. It’s mountainous, with lots of forestation and a spectacular coastline: lots of inlets, including some pretty big caves, lots of little islands and beautiful bays. Although you can get to Saikung easily via public land [...]

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Hiking on Lantau, Hong Kong

April 7, 2010
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Most people’s image of Hong Kong usually includes high rise buildings, crowded streets and noisy markets. But there are lots of places where you can get away from the hustle and enjoy some real peace and quiet. I already wrote about Mui Wo and Silvermine Bay here – and they’re well worth a visit for [...]

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Victoria Peak, Hong Kong

March 31, 2010
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Possibly Hong Kong’s most famous landmark, Victoria Peak (known simply as ‘The Peak’), rises 1,800 feet above the harbour and the city below. It’s the hill (mountain) that figures in the background of scores of pictures of Hong Kong, dating back to the beginning of the 1900′s There are 3 ways of getting up there: [...]

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Giant Buddha at Po Lin, Hong Kong

March 28, 2010
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Last week I referred to the Giant Buddha at Po Lin and I promised to cover it in a future article – so here we go. The Giant Buddha is on Lantau Island, and an easy half day out from Hong Kong. There are several ways of reaching it: Ferry to Mui Wo and then [...]

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Mui Wo and Silvermine Bay, Hong Kong

March 23, 2010
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In a 45-minute ferry ride from Central you’ll find the peace and tranquility of Mui Wo, on Lantau Island. Lantau is the largest of the 240 odd islands that make up the territory of Hong Kong, and is one of the least densely populated. On the Northern edge of Lantau sits Chek Lap Kok Airport, [...]

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Greenbelt: An Oasis in Manila, Philippines

March 19, 2010
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In the middle of chaotic, noisy and colourful Manila is Greenbelt – a haven of upmarket shopping malls, relaxing gardens, restaurants, bars and a church. Situated in Makati, it’s surrounded by hotels of all prices: from the very reasonably priced Prince Plaza 2, which is right on the doorstep, to the Shangri-La, Peninsular, Inter-Continental and [...]

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Hiking From Central to Stanley, Hong Kong

March 16, 2010
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A popular impression of Hong Kong is the glitzy, sky-scraping buildings, crowded streets and colourful overhead signs blaring out their messages. But there’s more. A lot more. Hong Kong boasts some spectacular scenery, some of which is just a 10 minute taxi ride from Central. Most of Hong Kong is very mountainous. The city on [...]

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My First Trip to India

March 10, 2010
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This incident dates back to 1995. Things have changed a bit since then, but this is my recollection from one evening in Delhi, during my first trip there. Four of us had almost completed a project in India, and all except me were leaving. I was staying to do some final proof-reading and editing. After [...]

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Visit Tagaytay and Matabungkay, Philippines

March 6, 2010
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There are two great places to visit a couple of hours’ drive South-West of Manila: Tagaytay (about an hour’s drive) and Matabungkay (about 2 hours’ drive) Tagaytay is easily doable in a day from Manila. It sits on the Northern edge of Lake Taal, and inside the lake sits the Taal Volcano. The volcano is [...]

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A Quick Video Tour of Stanley, Hong Kong

March 4, 2010

I took my new video camera to Stanley, on the South side of Hong Kong today.As I mention on the video, this is the first time I’ve made a video like this and there were a few learning opportunities :) .The principle one is that I filmed it initially in High Definition, which resulted in a [...]

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Trip to 100 Islands, Philippines

February 25, 2010
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One of the disappointing things about Philippines is that many of the really beautiful places are not within easy reach. Back here I talked about Baguio. It’s a 7 hour drive North of Manila, but at least there are hotels you can stay at up there, so an overnight stay is easy. Not so with [...]

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Temples and Poverty in Bangkok

February 23, 2010
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The opening of Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand a few years ago has hugely improved the experience of travelling in and out of Bangkok – except when political protests close it down. Today it’s an efficient airport – meaning that the environment is nice, the immigration process is efficient and your bags come through quickly. Transportation [...]

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Trip to Baguio, Philippines

February 18, 2010
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About 7 or so hours drive North of Manila is Baguio. It’s located nearly 5,000 feet above sea level in the middle of the mountainous part of Northern Luzon. And it’s spectacular. At least the countryside around it and some of the developments are. The city itself is like many other Philippine cities – colourful, [...]

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