The image that runs through your mind when you hear the words 4,000 islands is that it will be a place of tranquility and probable relaxation. I must admit that I hadn’t actually heard of the 4,000 Islands, or indeed Don Det until I ended up in Laos. Laos will never rank that highly with Read more about Backpacking in Laos: Si Phan Don, Don Det 4,000 Islands[…]
Tiger Leaping Gorge is an exceptional place. Remote, natural, cold and Chinese, sum up this little haven away from the busy working world. What is it? How do you get there? Firstly most tourists that visit here will have come from Lijiang, and yes I stayed there first too. From Lijiang there are several bus options Read more about Tiger Leaping Gorge, Yunnan, China[…]
You could be forgiven for thinking a “Butterfly Centre” is a boring way to spend an hour of your travel time. But then we ended up in this quality Butterfly Centre called “Flying Colours” as part of our tour round Bohol island in The Philippines. We were quite surprised by it! It was my first Read more about Flying Colours Butterfly Centre, Bohol, Philippines[…]
Before I even begin, the very name conjures up magical thoughts. Hills made of chocolate? Or muddy hills? Childhood memories watching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory came back. I thought of all these things before my arrival at Chocolate Hills in the Philippines. What are the Chocolate Hills exactly? And How do you get there? Read more about Backpacking in the Philippines: Touring Chocolate Hills, Bohol Island[…]
Jakarta in Indonesia is just colossal! My visit there last year was a good one. We got around the city a fair bit and were amazed that it has both posh shopping malls and dingy slum markets with huge contrasts between rich and poor. It was undoubtedly our trip to the harbourside slums that stands Read more about Thirsty Thursdays: Cafe Batavia, Jakarta, Indonesia[…]
Today’s Working Wednesday is all about a bit of private teaching on your travels! As a person who is qualified to teach English abroad, there is also the option of ‘private teaching’, in essence this is freelance work – you set the rate you earn, the hours you work, the lesson plans for the teaching Read more about Working Wednesdays: Private Teaching[…]
This week’s Thirsty Thursday takes us to the mountains on the China to Tibet border and is inspired by my recent visit to the town of Shangri La. The most prominent animal in this part of the world is the Yak. A lovable animal to glare at as your bus eases its way through awe Read more about Thirsty Thursdays: Tibetan Yak Butter Tea in Zhongdian, China[…]
As we all know, China has an endless range of cuisines. From dog to eel and from duck to turtle, once you’ve eaten food in China, your taste buds may never be the same again. So the situation arose where I ate turtle soup, without knowing what it was! Believe me when I say this Read more about Friday’s Featured Food: Turtle Soup in Kaiping, China[…]
Officially at least, I made it across the border into North Korea a year ago, the same week that Kim Jong Il died. We did the DMZ tour, crossing the border from North to South in a sky blue hut in Panmunjom. Just before that however, we were able to visit two shops inside the Read more about Thirsty Thursdays: Drinking North Korean Blueberry Wine in Seoul[…]
In the upcoming months, I’ll be going into a bit more detail and helping you out in terms of how to get a job as an English teacher in Hong Kong, amongst other countries (such as Taiwan and South Korea). To start with though I have to say Hong Kong seriously needs Native English teachers Read more about Why Hong Kong Needs English Teachers![…]