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Agoraphobia - Akita to Morioka: Across the Spine of Honshu (Japan) - Australian Girls - Beach Stalking (Umina, Australia) - Brahmin Girls (India) - Chennai (India) Real Estate - Chittagong Dating (Bangladesh) - Churches of Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) - Clickable Japanese Map - Da Lat, City of Love (Vietnam) - Divorce in the Hindu Scriptures (India) - EverRich II (Ho Chi Minh City) -- Gay and Lesbian Beaches and Resorts (Bali, Indonesia) - Get Your MBA (in Malaysia) - Hanuman, the Monkey Superman (India) - Houses in Ho Chi Minh City (from Layered) - Indian Jobs in Japan - JW Marriot Hanoi - Koro Penis Panic (Malaysia) - Lucky Phone Numbers (India) - Long Hau Industrial Park (Ho Chi Minh City) - Mui Ne Properties - Nhon Trach New City (Ho Chi Minh City) - Online Realtors - Oxley Tower (Singapore) - Pubs and Clubs and Bars (Cairns, Australia) - Phu My Hung New City (Ho Chi Minh City) - Roi Island Project (Phu Quoc) - Sell Your Old Exam Papers (India) - Singapore Girls - Twin Towers (Malaysia) - Why Are Vietnamese Landlords So Obnoxious? - Why Buy Property in Vietnam? - Why is Vietnam so Expensive? - Zen Plaza | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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» Pix Me Away: Imagining a Virtual Personal Assistant for Travel » Pop Up Shops, and Art Incubators: A Brand New Way to Animate Tired Old Urban Space » Ayr, from the Air » Cold Air-Con, and Ethnic TV: Back on the Vagabondist Path! » Port Douglas: Another Fake Town, in a Part of the World Which Has All too Many Real Attractions » Rustic North Queensland Architecture: In The Streets of North Cairns » Avoiding Those » Thailand's Secret Tourist Destinations » Asian Tourism Industry Booms Despite Global Recession » Watch Out for Travel Club Scams » Eastwood, Sydney (Little Korean Enclave, Surrounded by the Australian Bush) » What You Can Learn About Yourself as a Dater (By Looking at the People You Date) » Malaysians Fail to Get into Harvard for Second Year Running » JPA Scholarships: A Billion Ringgit Throwaway? » Oxley Tower, a New Development in Singapore » Improved Performance in IT/ITES Services Boosts Demand for Residential Properties (in Chennai, India) » Are You Ready (For the Social Business Revolution?) » Cattle Station Hopping, in Cape York Peninsula, Queensland » New Home Delivery Service Launched in Ho Chi Minh City ACCOMMODATION » couch surfing » hotels ARCHIVES » 2011 » 2010 » 2009 » 2008 » 2007 » 2006 » 2005 » 2004 » 2003 » 2002 COUNTRIES » australia » china » iceland » japan » korea » malaysia » singapore » thailand PLANNER TRANSPORTATION » airports & planes » cars & buses » hitching » ride sharing » trains » ships & boats » trains » walking RECOMMENDED WEBLOGS & WEBSITES » Airline Meals » Asia Wheeling » Baltimore Harm Map » Best Cities of the World (Swotti Opinions Analysis, in Spanish) » Boarding Area (One Mile at a Time) » Boots'n'All (Indie Travel) » HostelBookers » Hostel World » Jeff Shea » Mooncalc (Phases of the Moon) » Naughty Nomad » Remnants (Modern Ruins) » Runaway » The Man in Seat 61 (Train Travel Guide) » True Nomads » Vagabondic » Wikiloc (Hiking & Trekking)
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Wednesday, August 22, 2012Port Douglas: Another Fake Town, in a Part of the World Which Has All too Many Real Attractions
A FEW DAYS AGO I COMMENTED HERE THAT I WAS FEELING A LITTLE JADED AFTER ARRIVING IN FAR NORTH QUEENSLAND (FNQ) FOR MY THIRD VISIT IN 18 MONTHS, AND WAS WORRIED THAT I HAD EXHAUSTED MY CAPACITY TO FIND ENTERTAINMENT AND INTEREST IN THE REGION. A little bit later, over at Google +, I noted that FNQ seemed to be suffering from a downturn in the tourist industry, a possibly permanent nosedive. Meals at the pubs seemed smaller and more generic, and free breakfasts at our resort now costed AUS$5.50 (for toast and cereal!), in an attempt to dissuade long-termers from abusing their privleges. Flimsy evidence to go upon, but I know a downturn when I smell one, or taste one! My old watering hole the Blue Sky Brewery has closed down... that's as sure a sign as any! I've read that arrivals at Cairns International Airport fell from a record high of 1.2 Million in 2006, to 550,000 in 2009. This year (2012/13), 750,000 arrivals are expected, thanks to the booming Chinese sector. Queensland is a state with a two-speed economy, and areas like Cairns have a skills surplus... I saw that in the Australian. Of course, talk of a tourist slump in Queensland is nothing new, and you would expect the Australian high dollar to have a dampening effect, but I think the industry's woes are more systemic, even cultural. Go to any resort or hotel in Cairns, for example, and you will get bombarded with brochures advertising activities like sky diving, bungee jumping, or even tours which combine them (dive on a reef, and then a helicopter which zoom you inland to a waiting bungee rope. That's cool and all, but I can't help but feel there is something tacky about focussing on this style of tourism, especially considering the real and untamed beauty of the environment here. There seem to be too many brochures for horse riding tours on the beach, and not enough brochures just about the beach. Do you really need to jump out of an aeroplane on the reef, to appreciate the reef? You can jump up out of planes anywhere in the world, but real coral reefs are relatively rare (and getting rarer). I can sense something depressingly Australian in this focus on the high octane, perhaps even a glimpse of the Cultural Cringe. It is the same kind of mentality which erected the Big Banana. In a part of the world which brims with real world colour and culture (indigenous, pioneer European, Asian), there is a tendency to cover it all over with fakery. That's what happened in Kuranda, and that also seems the fate to have befallen Port Douglas, the celebrated resort town north of Cairns, which I have visited today... (To read my complete post on Port Douglas, click here.)
Monday, August 20, 2012Rustic Homes & Quirky Folk: Walking in Cairns
I JUST HIT THE GROUND IN CAIRNS, NORTH QUEENSLAND, AND ONCE AGAIN AM STAYING AT THE BOHEMIA RESORT WITH MY FATHER. This is actually the third time I have been to Cairns in the past 18 months, and the town has become a kind of north pole or home away from home during this current spell in Australia (a spell which will expire, I expect, in early 2014.) Cairns was the place I fled to like a refugee, after the great Tohoku Earthquake rattled me out of my 10-year slumber in Japan, and propelled me on to the path of True Vagabondism. It was a reintroduction to the land of my birth, and a refresher course in Australian culture (loud dance and rock music, guys with their shirts off, strangers saying "G'Day" to you heartily on the street). Such a different world to the one I had left behind in the Land of the Rising Sun, just a couple of aftershocks earlier! I was only in town for half the morning and half the afternoon, but the town exerted a profound effect on me. About four months later I was back again, this time with my Dad, who wanted to winter here and check out some birds... we ended up staying nearly five weeks! My online income was booming at the time, and I thought this long tropical adventure was just a taste of the global Vagabondist wanderings which awaited me, once I had repaid my debts: this was the template for how I wanted to live my life, a Digital Nomad travelling from Paradise to Utopia! Cairns was the place I dreamt up the One World Orbit, the ongoing blueprint and mission statement for this website (and my life). I walked around town, looked up at Aboriginal art galleries, drank in the bars and clubs every night, and imagined that one day soon I would be able to support myself financially just from writing about these experiences. Carried aloft around the world, by the winds of online income! It was an idealistic dream; the weather changed, the winds changed direction, and I met a big reality check, about two months later, while I was living with my parents down in NSW. My online earnings slumped, and have not yet recovered. Ma, iya, as they would say in Japan... shou ga nai!. The show will go on, and I will make the Orbit happen, one way or another. That so much is beyond doubt. What is in doubt, however, and this is what it struck me shortly after arriving in Cairns today with my father... can this town wow me for a third time? It wasn't my choice to be here, and I am spending money that could be going for my ticket to Cambodia in 2014, or entrance fees to Angkor Wat. Much as I loved this place last year, I fear I am pushing my luck, in expecting to deliver life changing magic three times in a row. In any case, at least I am back in the tropics!
Sunday, July 29, 2012Thailand's Secret Tourist Destinations
UK-BASED TRAVEL WRITER LIV RABAN HAS WRITTEN A SECOND GUEST POST FOR ME, THIS TIME ON THE SECRET TOURIST DESTINATIONS OF THAILAND. "Although Thailand is a vast, magical haven for tourists," Raban writes in her latest piece, "it seems that we only ever hear about the same places: the bustling city of Bangkok, the jungles tours of Chiang Mai and the southern Islands famous for their Full Moon Parties. Many backpackers want to experience something new – something slightly off the usual tourist trail..." (For an introduction to some of the secret tourist destinations in Thailand, click here.)
Friday, July 13, 2012Beware Petronas Job Scam
I OFTEN RECEIVE RESUMES FROM INDIANS, PAKISTANIS AND RESIDENTS OF THE MIDDLE EAST LOOKING FOR WORK IN MALAYSIA. Sometimes I get emails asking for advice on the job market there, but since I am not Malaysian, it is hard for me to provide a constructive reply. I have seriously considered working in the country, however, and have enough experience to know that not every offer is as golden as it appears. It was with interest, therefore, that I read this email recently from a certain T.M., from India. T.M. seems to be the latest victim of a malicious Malaysian scam currently doing the rounds. The Indian gentleman wrote: "I want to work in Malaysia with my prestige and dignity.At present I have got the opportunity from Petroliam nasional berhad(petronas) if possible please help me by providing information,whether this company is real or fake.They claiming that they will provide me 189200$ per month and for that I have to pay there travel agent GRANDLOTUS TRAVELING AGENCY MALAYSIA... Please help me by giving me the proper information regarding there intention..." (For the full story on the Petronas job email scam, click here.)
Sunday, July 8, 2012Asian Tourism Industry Booms Despite Global Recession
LIV RABAN, A UK TRAVEL AND BUSINESS WRITER, WAS KIND ENOUGH TO WRITE FOR ME A GUEST POST ON THE ON GOING BOOM IN THE ASIAN TOURISM INDUSTRY. Raban writes: "Last week came bearing good news for the Asia-Pacific travel industry. The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) announced on Thursday that in the space of just one year, the number of international arrivals into Asia-Pacific destinations had increased by 10 per cent. This is a huge climb in such a short space of time, especially at a time when so many visitor countries are facing increased financial hardship and austerity measures..." (For the full story on the Asian tourism boom, click here.)
Sunday, June 24, 2012Watch Out for Travel Club Scams
EMILY GREEN FROM COPY FOR BYLINES WAS KIND ENOUGH TO WRITE FOR ME A GUEST POST ON THE DANGER OF TRAVEL CLUB SCAMS. Since I am an inverterate deal seeker and also a little paranoid, I felt compelled to publish the piece! Green writes: "Vacations can cost a pretty penny. Nowadays many companies offer promotions and travel deals that allow vacationers to catch a deal on a trip. This comes in handy whether you're looking to save money on a hotel, a cruise, a honeymoon or getaway, or even if you're looking to save some dough on business travel..." (For the full story on how you can avoid being scammed, /a>.)
Tuesday, May 1, 2012Eastwood, Sydney, NSW (A Little Piece of Korea, Surrounded by the Australian Bush)
AT THE WEEKEND I WAS AT MY BROTHER'S HOUSE IN EPPING IN NORTH-WEST SYDNEY, AT A REMISSION PARTY, WHEN I TOLD MY BROTHER'S PART-CHINESE NEIGHBOUR THAT I HAD JUST COMPLETED A 10-YEAR LIFE IN JAPAN. The neighbour asked me if I missed Japan, and I said I surely did. "You should go to Eastwood, then; it's just down the road," he replied, a gleam in his eye. "It's like Chinatown, except it's full of Koreans. It might remind you of Japan... people eating and shopping for good Asian food." A few days later, reading Murdoch's local rags, I discovered that Eastwood's Rowe Street and Railway Parade were listed among Sydney's "ethnic eat streets", suburbs which the NSW Government wanted to exploit to promote international food tourism. Since I have always been a fan and promoter of ethnic enclaves, I knew I had to go down there, and check it out. The next day, I was in Eastwood... (For the full story on what I discovered, click here.)
Wednesday, April 18, 2012What You Can Learn About Yourself as a Dater (By Looking at the People You Date)
ANDY BURKE FROM WOMEN DATING MEN WAS KIND ENOUGH TO WRITE A GUEST POST FOR ME, ON HOW TO BECOME A BETTER DATER BY STUDYING PAST MISTAKES. Burke writes: "If you're blaming everyone but yourself for your dating failures, it's time to take an internal look at why your love life is going awry. Instead of putting the blame on your dates, take these tips on what you can do to improve your dating life by some simple self-reflection..." (For the full story on what you can learn about yourself as a dater by looking at the people you date, click here.)
Sunday, April 8, 2012Malaysians Fail to Get into Harvard for Second Year Running
DESPITE RECORD RESULTS IN THE LOCAL SIJIL PELAJARAN MALAYSIA (SPM) EXAMS, MALAYSIAN STUDENTS HAVE FAILED TO GAIN ADMISSION INTO THE WORLD'S MOST PRESTIGIOUS UNIVERISTY, THE MALAYSIAN INSIDER REPORTED TODAY. Harvard University’s selection panel chief for Malaysia, Datuk Dr Goh Cheng Teik, said that not only did no Malaysian student receive an offer letter to attend the prestigious institution, none were apparently even good enough to make it to the interview rounds. "This comes after a controversy erupted over the quality of Malaysian education when Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin pointed to a World Economic Forum report to claim that Malaysians had a higher standard of education compared to that in some advanced countries," the Insider's Lee Wei Lian wrote. "Opposition lawmaker Tony Pua rubbished Muhyiddin's claims, pointing to another international study -- the PISA 2009+ -- that showed Malaysian students lagged far behind western nations in terms of literacy, mathematics and scientific understanding..." (For a further insight into Malaysian education and universities, click here.)
Sunday, April 7, 2012JPA Scholarships: A Billion Ringgit Throwaway?
WITH APPLICATIONS FOR JPA SCHOLARSHIPS OPENING TOMORROW, LOYARBUROK HAS PUBLISHED A TIMELY ARTICLE CRITICISING THE METHOD BY WHICH SCHOLARSHIPS ARE AWARDED. "Whoever rules the Government in future, it’s imperative that JPA’s overseas scholarship policy be revised," concludes the article's author, Hafidzi Razali. "Straight A’s in SPM (Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia) alone don’t equate to the excellence deserving of golden (yes, it’s that expensive) opportunities abroad. Overseas institutions too, aren’t necessarily exceptional just because they’re located in the US or UK where hallowed institutions like Stanford, Harvard, and Oxford are found. More importantly, a more refined approach will ensure meritocracy at its best, while improving the standard of our local institutions wtter pool of students to choose from..." (For more news on Malaysian education and scholarships, click here.)
Thursday, March 29, 2012Oxley Tower, a New Development in Singapore
I GOT AN EMAIL FROM A GENTLEMAN CALLED WILLIAM CHOO THE OTHER DAY REGARDING A NEW DEVELOPMENT IN SINGAPORE, THE OXLEY TOWER. While not strictly Vietnam related, I thought it was still relevant to this blog, as it kind of illustrated, once again, that Asia is where it is at when it comes to high rise towers. Over in Tokyo, where I used to live, looms the Sky Tree. Singapore has its share of great towers too. "Conveniently located within walking distance of Tanjong Pagar and Raffles Place MRTs," Choo's email read, "Oxley Tower is a dream come true for professionals seeking a cosmopolitan lifestyle right in the heart of the CBD. The stunning 32-storey office/shopping commercial development consists of a 3-storey podium, 29 Storey Tower and three Basement Car Parks. Business owners can have quick access to their offices, supplies, vendors, partners; as well as F&B, entertainment joints and top-notch recreational haunts such as Clarke Quay and Marina Bay Sands. One can also commute conveniently via major expressways like the CTE, KPE & ECP, which are just round the bend... (For the full story about Oxley Tower in Singapore, click here.)
Tuesday, March 13, 2012Improved Performance in IT/ITES Services Boosts Demand for Residential Properties (in Chennai, India)
INCREASED JOB SECURITY IN THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ENABLED SERVCIES (ITES) ARE LIKELY TO HELP SPUR DEMAND FOR RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES IN CHENNAI, ACCORDING TO LOCAL MEDIA REPORTS. Property sales in Chennai rose in the final quarter of 2011 on increased buyer interest, a trend that was followed in most Indian metros. Over the past year (2011), by contrast, residential sales in Mumbai dropped by 28 per cent. Interestingly, the preferred size for 3BHK apartments has also increased since the end of the recession. Jones Lang LaSalle India's residential services head for Chennai, Siva Krishnan, claims this is down to an improvement in the performance of IT and ITES industries. "Over the last 12 months, it has become increasingly evident that Chennai’s residential real estate market is significantly dependent on the IT/ITES sectors," Mr Krishnan told City Express last month. "With employment stability in these sectors looking a lot better now than it did in 2010, demand for homes has now reached a comfortable and dependable growth trajectory from which developers are taking their market cues." (For more on the Chennai real estate market, click here.)
Tuesday, February 14, 2012How to Deal with a Bad Date
ERICA St. CLAIRE FROM CATHOLIC SINGLES DATING SITES WAS KIND ENOUGH TO WRITE FOR ME A GUEST POST ON THE SUBJECT OF BAD DATES, AND IT IS APPROPRIATE FOR ME TO PUBLISH THE POST TODAY, WHICH IS OF COURSE SAINT VALENTINE'S DAY. "If you're single and in the process of dating, you might have enough bad dates under your belt to write a horror story - or maybe even a series," the article reads. "And sure, bad dates are expected to happen from time to time... but when they do, there's no doubt that they leave you feeling awkward, disappointed and maybe even questioning the entire human race as you swear never to go on another date again. So the next time that you're on a date that would be described just about as far away from 'good' as possible, be sure to keep the following tips in mind for dealing with it..." (For the full story, click here.)
Wednesday, February 8, 2012Are You Ready (For the Social Business Revolution?)
COMPANIES AND ORGANIZATIONS WILL BE INCREASINGLY FORCED TO EMBRACE SOCIAL BUSINESS AND IMPORT THE 'WISDOM OF THE CROWDS' INTO THEIR INTERNAL OPERATIONS AFTER IBM'S LANDMARK LOTUSPHERE 2012 CONFERENCE, HELD LAST MONTH, RADICALLY LOWERED THE BARRIERS TO ADOPTING COLLABORATIVE TECHNOLOGIES. While social media has become the buzz term of the year, it makes sense that no enterprise can succeed socially unless it becomes a social business internally. A survey conducted by IBM last year found that, indeed, most companies were failing in their social media strategies. But as Gartner analysts have pointed out: "By 2014, refusing to communicate with customers via social channels will be as harmful as ignoring emails or phone calls is today..." (For the full social business story, click here.)
Wednesday, February 8, 2012Are You Ready (For the Social Business Revolution?)
Tuesday, January 24, 2012Full Time Writer/Researcher Needed in Malaysia
I RECEIVED AN EMAIL YESTERDAY FROM A MALAYSIAN GENTLEMAN WHO SAID HE IS LOOKING FOR EXTRAPRIATES TO WORK AS FULL-TIME WRITERS/RESEARCHERS. The email read: "Researcher and writer is needed full time to research on:
"Report will be published as columns /articles/special report in Malaysian newspapers and Blog." (For more details about this job, click here.) Monday, January 16, 2012Cattle Station Hopping, in Cape York Peninsula, Queensland
Wednesday, January 11, 2012 New Home Delivery Service Launched in Ho Chi Minh City
A FRIEND OF MINE HAS LAUNCHED A COOL WEBSITE FOR ORDERING FOOD FOR HOME DELIVERY IN HO CHI MINH CITY. While many restaurants do home deliveries, EatVn is the first service I know of which groups them all together, giving you access to multiple cuisines. On EatVn you don't need to make a single call, which is attractive to people like me who feel shy telephoning restaurants in foreign countries, wondering if we will get an English speaker on the other end. You don't even need to enter your credit card details either, just make your selection and wait for the goodies to arrive. When he launched the website last April, Swedish-born Palm Anders claimed to have about 20 restaurants signed up, with another 100 expected before the end of the year... (For the full story, click here.)
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