jonny blair drinking in sri lanka galle face hotel

Thirsty Thursdays: Beers at Sunset at Galle Face Hotel, Colombo, Sri Lanka

Today’s Thirsty Thursdays includes a fantastic sunset and a posh hotel. A bit abnormal for me to splash out or even visit a four star hotel, but this was a hot tip for any visit to Colombo, Sri Lanka’s capital. And I kind of had a good excuse for breaking the backpacker mould for an Read more about Thirsty Thursdays: Beers at Sunset at Galle Face Hotel, Colombo, Sri Lanka[…]

backpacking to bohol in philippines

Getting the Cebu to Bohol Ferry, Philippines

I haven’t added this ferry trip to my World Borders Series as it’s really just a straight forward internal ferry within the Philippines, but I thought it was a good post to write about given that most visitors to Panglao and Bohol will arrive by ferry. Yes there is an airport in Tagbilaran, but I Read more about Getting the Cebu to Bohol Ferry, Philippines[…]

jonny blair kampong ayer venice in brunei

Exploring Kampong Ayer: “The Venice of Asia”, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei

Right so you’ve heard the term “Venice of Asia” a load of times, in fact you might even have read about it twice on my blog as I visited Tai O (Hong Kong’s answer to Venice) and Pingjianglu in Suzhou, China. But there are so many places dubbed the Venice of Asia it gets a Read more about Exploring Kampong Ayer: “The Venice of Asia”, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei[…]

yunnan stone forest shilin jonny blair

Shilin Stone Forest, Yunnan Province, China

  A visit to Shiling Stone Forest in China’s Yunnan Province is well worth a trip. This place became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007 and has a thriving tourist economy. The downside is the cost of getting there, the up side is you get to see a forest comprised of fantastic rock formations. Read more about Shilin Stone Forest, Yunnan Province, China[…]

laap salad in laos vientiane

Friday’s Featured Food: Laap in Vientiane, Laos

Today’s Friday’s Featured Food takes us to the country of Laos. It’s not a country famed for food and I remember being told “when you go to Laos you’ll end up eating a load of banana pancakes”. Well in the end I only had one banana pancake and actually found a lot more charm in Read more about Friday’s Featured Food: Laap in Vientiane, Laos[…]

beers in brunei bandar seri begawan

Thirsty Thursdays: Drinking in A Muslim State, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei

Today’s Thirsty Thursdays sees us crack open the tins of beer that we brought in when visiting the Muslim State of Brunei. I had drank beer in a Muslim State before – Indonesia of course, but it’s a lot less strict. In Brunei, you cannot buy alcohol anywhere, so the only way to be able Read more about Thirsty Thursdays: Drinking in A Muslim State, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei[…]

jonny blair hiking in sapa vietnam

Hiking in Sapa, Vietnam: Day 2 – Ta Van to Giangtachai Village

Following on from the first day of the hike near Sapa in northern Vietnam, it’s time to conclude it with a part 2. We left it last time having just gone to bed in my homestay in the lower mountain village of Ta Van. In the middle of some incredible valleys and mountains, yes hiking Read more about Hiking in Sapa, Vietnam: Day 2 – Ta Van to Giangtachai Village[…]

Jonny Blair crosses from Laos to Cambodia

World Borders: How to Get From Laos to Cambodia (Nong Nok Khieng to Trapaing Kreal)

In my latest edition of my world borders series I look at how to get from Laos to Cambodia. There are obviously a few routes you can take to go between these two countries. I was staying in Don Det down near the Cambodia border so I did the Nong Nok Khieng to Trapeang Kreal Read more about World Borders: How to Get From Laos to Cambodia (Nong Nok Khieng to Trapaing Kreal)[…]

peak of Mount Kinabalu Borneo

Booking Mount Kinabalu Hike in Malaysia, Borneo

I recently hiked to the summit of the immense Mount Kinabalu in Malaysia, a mountain which sits on the island of Borneo and is the 20th Highest Mountain in the world going by topographic prominence. Booking Mount Kinabalu Hike isn’t just a “turn up and book it” thing these days, especially not if you want Read more about Booking Mount Kinabalu Hike in Malaysia, Borneo[…]

high speed rail in China a guide from Don't Stop Living

Train Travel: A Guide to High Speed Rail in China!!

Train travel in China is always exciting, I just love it. But Chinese high speed train is even more scintillating! With an influx of new routes, super clean, super fast trains, the age of smoky, shaking Chinese carriages are fading out. In the last 18 months I have taken a few trips on the high Read more about Train Travel: A Guide to High Speed Rail in China!![…]