The Journey(s) of Ian

Advice is sometimes, justifiably, considered the worst vice, however, here goes. My thoughts on how the smart traveller will maximize his (or her) travel pleasure. Things to do, and one or two things not to do. In no particular order of importance. * If hotel wireless internet is not advertised as being free, then it is not free. * updated: 5/02/2012. a. Pants Wear lose baggy pants, with lots of pockets. These trousers can be bought cheaply in most 3rd world corners of the world (or even 2.5). The advantage—cheap, and it is amazing how much, from time to time, you need to carry. Putting things in your pockets is the easiest way to do this. Also, by wearing ‘cargo’ pants, you are telling the world that you do not care about their trivial fashion rules, and that you are a traveling man. b. Tips. I have already posted a blog entry about tipping, but a good story bears repeating. Tipping in 99% of the world is mandatory, almost, certainly if you feel that it is jus...

Over the last two decades gps units have decreased in price, increased in accuracy (no small part due to Prez Bill Clinton’s decision to turn off the ‘inaccuracy’ in the civilian version of the us mil controlled gps service. Bill—he was a president to be proud of), and gained in functionality. These beneficial advances have given rise to many different improvements in our daily existence: navigation, the saving of lives, etc., however, as always, technology has produced a beneficial effect in our recreational life (but this time not sex). The rise of the gps has also given rise to gps based recreational activities. Today I will discuss two of these: geocaching and waymarking. The two are related, but the first—geocaching, is the more prominent. In its simplest form one obtains a gps spot from a website, navigates to that spot, and then records the site in a log. Not too exciting you might ask, well you would be wrong if you answered in the affirmative. One must plan, think, and hunt t...

Mobile Blogging from here . [Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

A birthday event—helping the orphans and socially disposed of Thailand Here, residing in the 3rd world, we can forget how relatively wealthy we in the first world are. While it is true that the ‘western world’ does have many problems and social injustices which should be addressed, it is equally true that we should also turn our attention outwards to others, in other countries, and do what we can to help. Or at least that is what I believe, in accordance with my humanist beliefs. Thus I decided, after consultation with the people concerned, to not simply give a gift to my family when each birthday rolled around, but to rather give a donation to a worthy cause in whatever region I found myself in at the time. Being in Pattaya near the time of my brother Brett’s birthday I decided that a donation to a school for orphans and deaf students would be the way to go. So, along with my two friends from the Gothia bar, Noi and Yee, I visited the school on the 11th Augu...

When I disembarked in Singapore I had originally planned to stay a few days in the gleaming metropolis that is Singapore, see a few sites and maybe make contact with an acquaintance or two, however, change of plan. When I was booking my bus to Thailand the guy behind the counter told me that there was a bus leaving in 1/2 an hour, so I thought for 1/2 a sec, and then bought a ticket. In reality, apart from shopping — and I am not much of a shopper — Sing is not terribly exciting. As soon as the prospect of Thailand beckoned, I succumbed. The plan was to travel from Sing directly through Malaysia to the Thai town of Hatyai. This journey consumed 14 hours, but as I did the trip overnight, the time went quickly. Also the bus was near deserted, giving me plenty of personal space, which I like The attraction of Hatyai is that it lies half way between Sing and Pattaya, making it a convenient stopping point, also it is relatively small and quiet, but it does have a few sites worth seeing. Not...