Diving in Malaysia: Perhentian Island Life
Travel Blog | August 25, 2012 | 8 Comments
From Mountain Highs to the Depths of the Sea The Cameron Highlands were a real treat in terms of the lovely cool weather, the great scenery and the relaxing fresh mountain air. This crisp air was about to be replaced with something out of a compressed tank as we headed east through the mountains toward […]
Cameron Highlands: High in Malaysia
Travel Blog | August 20, 2012 | 2 Comments
Journey to the Cameron Highlands With the flavours of Penang still swirling round our taste buds we boarded our minibus and spent the next four hours slowly winding our way eastwards and upwards into the Cameron Highlands. The Cameron Highlands get their very British name from the surveyor who charted the area in 1885. The […]
Malaysia: What to do in Penang?
Travel Blog | August 16, 2012 | 5 Comments
Penang Past to Present Penang has an interesting history from its days as part of the Sultanate of Kedah, through to the ‘leasing’ to Captain Francis Light and the East India company in the 18th century, Japanese occupation in the Second World War, its dominance as a Freeport and eventually its independence to become the Penang of today. One of Malaysia’s […]
Bangkok to Penang by Train
Travel Blog | August 11, 2012 | 8 Comments
A Flashpacking Train Journey Train travel is always our preferred method of transport. So we booked ourselves onto the 14:45 from Bangkok to Butterworth, a 24hour train journey taking us south through Thailand, across the border at Padang Besar, and then into Malaysia for the final three to four hours of our journey. We have […]
Burma Travel Blog: A Flashpacking Experience
Travel Blog | August 4, 2012 | 28 Comments
Burma Travel Blog You may have read our previous blog posts relating to our recent tour of Burma. If you didn’t or haven’t got the time, this is a summary of what two ‘flashpackers’ thought of our Burma experience. We had a strange affair with Myanmar. It’s a bit like the first time I ate an olive, […]
Myanmar Travel: Inle Lake Reflections
Travel Blog | July 31, 2012 | 9 Comments
How to Get to Inle Lake We said a sad goodbye to Bagan, leaving behind the temples and horse carts, to set off by coach for our final destination in Burma, Inle Lake. Inle lake is located in Eastern Myanmar and is nestled between some impressive hills and mountains. On our 9 hour bus journey we travelled through […]
Bagan: Breathtaking and Beguiling
Travel Blog | July 28, 2012 | 6 Comments
How to get to Bagan? Boat & Bus Basics From Mandalay we had intended to reach Bagan by boat, sailing down the river for 12 or so hours, alas the low season meant this did not fit our itinerary. The fast boats only run in the peak season, so we were left at the mercy of […]
Mandalay Payas, Monks and Monasteries
Travel Blog | July 25, 2012 | 6 Comments
The Road out of Mandalay Our last Myanmar travel blog post covered the city of Mandalay, but a visit here has much more to offer the traveller. The surrounding religious sites and countryside add greatly to a visit to Myanmar’s last royal capital. So after you’ve had your fill of the bustling markets and delicious […]
Myanmar: From Yangon to Mandalay
Travel Blog | July 22, 2012 | 9 Comments
The Train Journey from Yangon to Mandalay Our first impressions of Myanmar Burma had been underwhelming. We couldn’t wait to leave Yangon and decided to take the train to Mandalay. The train is not a popular travel option for visitors to Burma, most fly or take a bus when touring around. Ask a local and […]
Myanmar: Arriving in Yangon Rangoon
Travel Blog | July 20, 2012 | 6 Comments
First Impressions of Burma: Yangon (Rangoon) We arrived in Yangon just over an hour after leaving the tarmac at Bangkok’s International Airport. It was a very early flight and John and I had managed only about three hours sleep after meeting an interesting Fillipino woman, in the bar at the airport hotel, who we ended […]