This appeared in a cafe chain across Thailand. Gingerbread Earl Grey iced tea latte. Would you try this? I enjoyed it but it was still sweet even when I asked for “wan noi” (little sweetness). Thais consume one of the sweetest drinks on the planet Thai iced tea which has black tea, star anise, cardamom, and tamarind seed, red food colouring, sweetened condensed milk and oodles of sugar. It has a creamy layer on top and a punch of sweetness. I am a huge fan of Bubble Tea; it has become a weekly treat for…
Unique Flying – an Island Hop with Citilink Airlines
The direct distance from Dili, the Capital of Timor L’Este to Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia is just over 1100 km (660 mil) and takes around 90 minutes. Two carriers ply the route- each one flying a few times a week. I chose a new airline for me: Indonesia’s Citilink, hopping on board flight . The fare wasn’t cheap, however as demand seems to exceed the number of available seats. My biggest gripe with the island nation is the lack of easy transport opportunities. You only get to Dili by air from Darwin, Australia, and Denpasar. Because…
Why I love WISE money tool
Are you travelling internationally soon? Or later this year? I am a huge fan of WISE which used to be called Transfer Wise. They have become so indispensable for me that I have been astounded recently, to find people who don’t know about them. (If you do sign up, please use this link: https://wise.com/invite/u/martinc5) Six fabulous reasons I love Wise: 2 I have two fee-free VISA cards (one real and one virtual for online shopping). They have a distinctive Green colour which is always a talking point. The exchange rate is so good that I…
Out of Dili’s Terrible History emerges a Terrific Travel Experience
While it may not be as popular a tourist destination as some other cities in Southeast Asia, I found Dili had some interesting options and is one of the most authentic places I visited last year. Dili is the capital city of Timor Leste a small island nation located in Southeast Asia on the island of Timor (which is divided between Timor Leste and Indonesia). I have wanted to visit since Timor Leste’s Independence. Transport options to this island nation have been few and pricey. It does take a lot of work to organise travel…
Is there anything nicer than enjoying a fresh coconut?
One of the absolute delights of my time in the fascinating city of Dili in East Timor was discovering these beachside coconut stands. Approach a seller with his or her cart. Pick out your coconut or let the seller choose. The seller wields a formidable machete and whack whack, off comes the coconut’s top; in goes a straw and one refreshing drink is ready! I was kicking myself that I had left my metal straw at the hotel. I hate adding to disposal culture. When the fresh coconut milk is finished, one goes back to…
Bemused at Lounge Stone Stealing
I am used to people sampling toiletries, extra tea bags or chocolate from airport business lounges but today’s weird activity was most bemusing. I was sitting next door to the indoor garden display at a Melbourne airport business class lounge. A passenger walked past, picked up a stone and started to slip it into her handbag. Then she saw me watching. She then tapped the stone against the wall and threw it back. So many questions: Do people really steal such things? Why? It’s a not a significant or special stone nor a special place?
Chaos and Sublime with Air Calin Long Haul Business
Aircalin flight took me on a largely delightful trip from Singapore to Noumea but there were some chaotic glitches. Société Aircalin, also known as Air Calédonie International, is the flag carrier of the French collectivity of New Caledonia, with its headquarters in Nouméa. This small regional airline operates flights to various destinations across the Asia-Pacific region, including Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and French Polynesia. Air Calin operates a fleet of modern Airbus aircraft, including the A330-900neo and A320neo. The beautiful A330-900neo is the flagship aircraft of Air Calin’s fleet, and it accommodates 292 passengers with…
Singapore’s Beautiful Rail Corridor Trail
This is Walking in Singapore! Not what you’d expect from a city-state which measures just 733 square km (283 sq mi)??? The country has an area that is just 1/8th the size of Rhode Island or one-third the size of London yet manages to squeeze over five million people in! Green spaces are vital to the country and there are some stunning spaces across Singapore. The newest one which opened in 2021 is Rail Corridor SG which runs for 24km (13 mi) from Tanjong Pagar railway station in downtown Singapore northwards to Kranji, near the…
Tails in the Desert- Grounded Planes in Aussie Outback
Alice Springs Airport ASP) is an Australian regional airport 13km (8 mi) south of the outback town of Alice Springs which has a population of just 33,000 people. It is is the only town and service centre in a neighbourhood as big as the US state of Texas! The city is 2,771.32 km (1,722.02 mi) from Sydney and Alice Springs was referred to as Stuart until 1933 and is informally known as ‘The Alice’ or simply ‘Alice’. The airport has two runways. The longer runway can accommodate the landing of empty Airbus A380, Boeing 747…
Stepping off my 1500th flight!
I am thrilled/stunned/amused/shocked to find that following my most recent flight from Manila to Melbourne, I have now flown 1,500 times!!!! This milestone feels like a significant achievement! 86 times, almost 87 times around this earth and nine times the distance to the moon! In 1968 I stepped onto my first plane and I was hooked! When I was a kid, I had flown so often that I begged my parents to take us by train from Nigeria to Australia instead of flying!! I have decided that for me, there are so many highlights of…
Recent Comments