Travel Diary

My accounts of my various travels since 2006 (gosh, that's over 10 years now!) have all been faithfully, for the most part, captured on this blog.  This page summarises my travels for my convenience (and maybe for yours, gentle reader?).

Americas 

• KSG 2006 - In a way, the reason why I first started this blog.  A record of my time as a graduate visiting student at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and our travels around the US.  I got to visit Niagara Falls!  That's one thing checked off my Bucket List.  Also visited New York, and Washington DC.
• Mexico 2006 - After all that studying, we needed to go travelling see a little more of the Americas before flying all the way back to Singapore.  So it was off to Mexico City!  A totally different cultural experience for me.  And another item off the Bucket List - visiting the mysterious pyramids of Teotihuacan.

Europe

• France 2008 - A visit to Paris in the spring, with a trip down to Provence.  Accounts of visits to street markets, flower markets and a cooking class in Paris, and day trips to Rouen and the Chateaus of the Loire Valley.  We went to the historic town of Avignon for the second half of the trip, visiting the little town of Arles and little Provencal villages.
• Pilgrimage 2009 - My pilgrimage to Rome, Rotondo, Lanciano, Assisi and Lourdes.   I felt spiritually energised by the whole experience!  
• France 2018 - A decade after my last visit, I return to Paris.  We visit churches, churches and churches.  Also day trips to Nevers, Giverny and Chartres.  I can also tick off Monet’s home and garden, and Chartres Cathedral from my bucket list.
• Rome 2019 - A memorable visit, where I met the Pope face to face!  Also visited the home of John Keats, and remembered the Romantic Poets.  

Malaysia

• Sabah - lots of orang-utan posts!
• Penang - (multiple visits) crossover to my Kawan Kawan Katong blog, as the subject matter deals largely with my family and heritage (although there are food posts).
• Malacca - (multiple visits) another crossover, on the third of the Straits Settlements of Singapore, Penang and Malacca. 
• Perak - see my posts on Ipoh (another crossover), Pangkor Laut Resort and my Big 50 trip.

South East Asia (less Malaysia)

• Vietnam - Wow, have I indeed visited Vietnam so often?   Five separate trips - in 2009 (Hanoi and Halong Bay), 2011 (Danang/Hoi Ann), 2013 (Ho Chi Minh City), 2015 (Hoi Ann and Hue) and 2016 (Hanoi).  
• Cambodia - epic, Bucket List visit to Siam Reap (2007)
• Laos (2010) - Tracing the route of the Mekong, from Vientiane, to Vang Vieng, to Luang Prabang.  A long held wish.  
• Thailand - My last trip, to Chiang Mai.  I have a few visits to Thailand in my pre-blogging life but somehow have not gone there much over the last few years. Here, however, is a short update on my 2019 trip to Phuket - put on my other blog because of the exciting encounter with Peranakan culture on the island. 

Japan in all Seasons

• Kyoto 2014 - Springtime has come in Japan when the cherry blossoms begin to bloom.  I joined the Japanese in their annual hanami pilgrimage, going round the country to view the delicate blossoms.  Besides wandering around Kyoto, we had a little side trip to Arashiyama, and another to Mount Yoshino, a mountain-side of cherry blossoms.
• Hokkaido 2015 - Summer, and it's the season for lavender in Hokkaido.  We started off in the flower villages of Furano and Biei before going to Sapporo, Otaru and Hakodate.
• Kansai 2016 - Autumn is the time when the maple leaves turn the country side and gardens into a blaze of red.  We chased down the momiji in Kyoto, before visiting Nara, the medieval Himeji Castle, before ending up in Osaka.  
• Tokyo 2017 - At last, I visit Mt Fuji!  Another one off the bucket list.  My longest visit to Tokyo, wandering around its various neighbourhoods.  I also go up the Iron Road and visit Nikko where it snowed on me.  Lastly, it is the season for Chrysanthemums!
• Kyoto 2018 - Yes, my third visit to Kyoto in 5 years!  This is really the cultural heart of old Japan.  I visit temples, museums, and markets, and make a visit to the little mountain village of Miyama.

Other Asia (less Japan)

• Middle East - a work trip to Qatar and Dubai.  But we had some extra time to fit in a drive in the desert followed by dinner / belly dancing under the stars. 
• Macau - two posts here and one more here.
• Hong Kong - quick visits, but one coincided with the famous student-led umbrella revolution and the barricades in front of the government buildings in Hongkong.
• Sri Lanka - one post here, one post there.

My Bucket List posts here.