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In Myanmar

An unconventional route to Pyin Oo Lwin

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Riding alongside the river

An unconventional route to Pyin Oo Lwin Read any travel guide on Mandalay and they will all tell a similar story, “not a lot in the city centre, but a great base to explore the surrounding area.” As dismissive as this sounds, they aren’t wrong. Mandalay is not particularly easy on the eye, and it doesn’t really have cool hip factor of Yangon or other major Asian cities. However, like the guidebooks say it is a fantastic place to base yourself to explore the surrounding area. We rented a motorbike from Mandalay Motorbikes, who we would definitely recommend. The owner Zac does custom tours through Myanmar when he is not Mandalay. When we were renting our bike we got chatting to his wife about where we were headed and she gave us a great tip on a stunning road route from Mandalay to Pyin Oo Lwin. Take route 3…

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In Fiji

Savu Savu – Fiji

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Road trip from Savu Savu to Labassa

Fiji, is rightly considered to be a tropical paradise, and whilst this is completely accurate, it is not all that Fiji has to offer. Back in 2008, I took a rather shaky flight from Nadi on the main island of Viti Levu to a small town called Labassa located on Fiji’s second island of Vanua Levu. From here it was 5-6 hour bus ride down to the costal town of Savu Savu. There were two reasons for coming here, 1 – Great diving, 2- Very few other people do. The latter of these choices was confirmed when I made of 50% of the passengers on my flight. After 3 days of diving I opted for a change of pace and rented a motorbike and decided to spend a day driving around the island. Armed with a bottle of water and a broken camera (the screen didn’t work, but…

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In Cook Islands

What’s it like to run out of air when diving?

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If you have never been scuba diving before it really is something that should be added to your bucketlist. Not only do you have the opportunity to get up close and personal with some incredible sea creatures, it is also one of most peaceful feelings you can experience. I’ve been fortunate enough to dive in Thailand, Fiji and the Cook Islands. Not a long list, but a pretty good one (I plan to get Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines on there at some point). Diving in the Cook Islands is quite unique in comparison to other places. Due to the fact that islands are atolls formed from volcanos the comes a point where the sea floor drops off and below you is 2000m of ocean. A sheer underwater drop if you will. On the island side you have a wall of rock that the island is built on and on…

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In Laos

Kuang Si Waterfall – Luang Prabang – Laos

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Visiting the Kuang Si Waterfall in Luang Prabang Luang Prabang is without a doubt one of the jewels South East Asia’s travelling crown; spectacular scenery, beautiful temples and great food. Surrounded by rolling hills and winding country roads Luang Prabang is a place where you can easily spend a little more time than you intended. Kuang Si falls is one of many fantastic day trips from the Unesco World Heritage listed town. As its around 30km away you will need to arrange your own transport. This gives you two choices, hire a tuk tuk with a bunch of other people or hire your own scooter (motorbikes are more expensive and harder to come by in the town) and drive there yourself. Bear in mind that the tuk tuks in Laos a larger than any others in South East Asia, so you can cram quite a few people in making the…

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In China

Luoyang – Longmen Grottoes, White Horse Temple, Shaolin and Songshan – Henan Province

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Incense at the White Horse Temple in Luoyang

Chinas turbulent past has seen numerous cities take up the role of the capital, from Chang’an (present day Xi’an), the city that marked the beginning of the silk road, to Nanjing and finally present day capital Beijing. One could be forgiven for overlooking little known Luoyang, capital of 13 dynasties in a reign lasting until the 10th century when the capital moved to nearby Kaifeng. The glory of the city’s history may have faded, but a visit to Luoyang will give you the opportunity to experience and discover one of ancient Chinas most important cities. Located in central Henan, one of Chinas poorest provinces, it may look like any other sprawling Chinese city, but dig a little deeper and you will be rewarded with a unique and memorable experience. As with most Chinese cities, Luoyang has its mandatory old town, where you can spend the day wandering through narrow, cobbled…

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In Hong Kong

Hiking to Lantau Peak

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Sunset Peak and Lantau Peak

Hiking in Hong Kong? Hong Kong isn’t just all skyscrapers and neon lights, it is also home to some pretty spectacular scenery and some awesome hiking trails. The hike to Lantau Peak, part of the Lantau trail, is one of the jewels in Hong Kong’s hiking crown. We have another article focusing on stages 1 and 2 of the maclehose trail Getting there and away Head to Tung Chung subway station, then from exit B take bus 11 or 23 and get off at Pak Au Chung. The hike finishes at the Ngong Ping, so you can take the opportunity to explore the Tian Tan Big Buddha and the Po Lin Monastery. From the Ngong Ping you can take bus 23 back to Tung Chung or head down to Mui Wo and take the boat back to Hong Kong Island. Is it a difficult hike? The walk took us about…

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