Finishing work in Malapascua before heading home
On my last day on the island, I left the hostel with my laptop, found a place to work by the water and went for one more swim before catching the ferry.
✳ MY TRAVEL JOURNAL
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My personal travel blog ✌🏻 from cycling across Vietnam and riding solo through Laos to setting foot in Europe 🇪🇺
The things I lived through along the way.
MALAPASCUA, PHILIPPINESA day with my laptop at the beach ☀
LATEST STORYa story from an island
TAKE IT SLOW ✳ PHILIPPINES ✳ EUROPE ✳ HONG KONG ✳ HARBIN ✳ LAOS ✳ REMEMBER A LITTLE LONGER ✳
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Places I’ve been✳
NOTES FROM THE ROAD
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Showing 9 of 60 stories
Two days working remotely in Malapascua
A cancelled flight left me with two extra days of work in the Philippines. I spent them in Malapascua, where I could wade out from the beach and see starfish.
Stopping by a wedding in Cebu
I wandered around Cebu looking for lunch and milk tea, then stopped by a church and ended up watching a wedding.
A night out in Cebu
I flew back to Cebu late in the day. After dinner I kept walking instead of going to bed and came across a night market.
A day in Puerto Princesa with nothing planned
I had a day in Puerto Princesa and very little planned. A walk, a nap under a tree and an evening waiting for the food stalls were enough.
Boracay to Palawan, changing planes in Cebu again
I went back to the beach before leaving Boracay. Getting to Palawan meant finding the right ferry pier and changing planes in Cebu.
Just too late for sunset in Boracay
I spent the day by the water and walked over to White Beach for sunset. A couple more minutes would have made all the difference.
My first day on Boracay
From Manila I flew to Caticlan and made my way to a hostel on Boracay. Once I’d found my bed, it was time to find something to eat.
Walking around Manila in the rain
I borrowed an umbrella and walked around Manila in the rain, stopping for food and making my way to the cathedral for Sunday Mass.
Landing in Manila in the pouring rain
The rain followed me from the airport. I took a bus, changed to the train and walked the last stretch to my hostel.
The airline kept changing my Philippines flights
The flights I’d booked kept moving around and one was cancelled altogether. By the time I left, my route looked different from the one I’d first planned.
Charging my phone and nearly missing my flight in Chongqing
My phone died on the way to Britain. I was so busy charging it in Chongqing that I nearly left without my flight.
Back to London for the flight home
Flying out of Edinburgh was expensive, so I took an early train to London and started the long journey home there.
Still on Jakarta time in Edinburgh
I was still on Jakarta time, even in Scotland. I didn’t head out until noon, when I finally walked over to the National Museum.
A New Year’s Day nap in Edinburgh
I left Manchester early on New Year’s Day. By the time I reached Edinburgh, a nap in the waiting area sounded better than more sightseeing.
I slept through New Year’s Eve in Manchester
I stopped in Liverpool, then carried on to Manchester for New Year’s Eve. I slept right through the fireworks.
Ice cream at zero degrees in Birmingham
After a morning walking around London, my bus took me to Birmingham, where I sat down with some ice cream in the freezing weather.
Ducking into supermarkets to warm up in London
I walked to Big Ben in the cold, stopping in supermarkets to warm up and taking my time through London.
Five rounds of checks before the flight to London
It took several rounds of checks to get onto the flight and through the airport. By the time I reached my London hostel, I just wanted something hot to eat.
A cat asleep on my shoulder in Istanbul
I picked a long stop in Istanbul so I could look around. Between meals and walks, a cat found its way onto my shoulder and went to sleep.
Out of days off, home via Chengdu
I broke up the trip home with a night in Chengdu. After a nap and a long ride into town, I was too late for the five o’clock Mass.
Walking to the Vatican in time for Mass
I walked across Rome, stopping at the Trevi Fountain and churches along the way. I reached the Vatican just as Mass was taking place.
Florence, Pisa and Rome in one day
I fit Florence and Pisa into the journey from Venice to Rome. Even after arriving late, I headed out to see the Vatican after dark.
Gelato for dinner in Venice
I got to Venice, took a nap, had two gelatos for dinner and got turned around looking for the ferry pier after dark.
Listening to a violin outside the Duomo in Milan
The bus from Lyon took seven hours. In Milan I stopped outside the Duomo to listen to a violinist play.
Lyon and those streets lit in gold
I’d imagined Lyon’s streets lit up in gold. I went looking for them, from the hill at Fourvière to the restaurants opening for dinner.
Two priests showing me around Paris
Two priests showed me around Paris after Mass. We saw the city from a bus and went all the way up the Eiffel Tower.
My first evening in Paris, out to see the Eiffel Tower
I took the bus from Frankfurt, dropped my bag at the hostel in Paris and went out again. I’d come all this way to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle.
At the office in the morning, off to Frankfurt that evening
I was still finishing work the afternoon I left. Then it was off to the airport and on to Frankfurt with a stop in Guangzhou.
An Italian visa for another trip to Europe
I put together another Schengen visa application and booked my flight as soon as it came through. This time I was heading for France and Italy.
Back in Frankfurt at three in the morning
A change in the train route gave me time in Bern and Zurich. I didn’t make it back to Frankfurt until three in the morning.
I could keep walking around Lauterbrunnen
I linked Lauterbrunnen, Wengen and Mürren with trains, a cable car and plenty of walking. I still managed to take the wrong bus.
Two missed trains on the way to Switzerland
I reached the platform early and missed the train anyway. The replacement journey left me just five minutes to change at Basel.
Dortmund, Cologne and Frankfurt in a day
From Hamburg I stopped in Dortmund and Cologne on my way to Frankfurt. The last ride to my hostel went the wrong way.
The Vietnamese woman who served me lunch in Hamburg
I went back to the waterfront, looked around the Elbphilharmonie and stopped for a meal with a Vietnamese woman who called me her child.
Time at the Holocaust memorial in Berlin
I walked from the Berlin Wall Memorial to the Holocaust memorial, where I spent time reading the letters on display.
I really made it to Germany
After a long flight and a rushed connection, the sight of a yellow tram was what made my arrival in Germany feel real.
Nearly missing my flight after a day out in Hong Kong
I left the airport on a layover to see a little more of Hong Kong. A wrong bus meant a much more expensive race back to catch the flight.
I thought my German visa had been refused
It was my first time applying for a Schengen visa. I opened my passport and nearly missed the visa sticker inside.
A two-kilo backpack for Lunar New Year in Hong Kong
I spent Lunar New Year riding trams and walking around Hong Kong, with an unexpected detour across the border into Shenzhen.
One last evening in Lan Kwai Fong
I made one last stop in Lan Kwai Fong, then took an airport bus and got some sleep before my flight home.
An extra stop in Shenzhen for Lunar New Year
After the metro stopped, I cycled back to my hostel in the rain. The next day I found the Eiffel Tower at Shenzhen’s Window of the World.
Back from Stanley, without a room for the night
I came back from Stanley Beach and found my room wasn’t available. Instead of hunting for another bed in Hong Kong, I crossed into Shenzhen.
A tram ride and fireworks on the second day of Lunar New Year
I spent the day riding a tram and walking around Hong Kong Island. That evening I joined the crowd heading to see the fireworks.
Red envelopes on New Year’s Day in Hong Kong
I went to Mass and got a Lunar New Year red envelope and a tangerine. Later I headed out for the parade.
Walking around Hong Kong on Lunar New Year’s Eve
I arrived on Lunar New Year’s Eve and spent the evening walking past markets and flower stalls. I didn’t get back until one in the morning.
Got my one-year Hong Kong visa
I put together the paperwork myself and got a one-year multiple-entry visa for Hong Kong. These are the notes I kept from that application.
Thirteen hours in Beijing before heading home
On the way home from Harbin, I used a long Beijing layover to walk around the city one more time.
Out for a game of pool on my last day in Harbin
Friends picked me up on my last day in Harbin. We went for a meal and ended up playing pool.
A place to warm up and charge my phone in Harbin
I arrived back in Harbin with a dead phone. A couple let me sit in their warm shop, charge it and get hold of my hostel.
Another night in Snow Town while I figured out a ticket
I couldn’t buy a bus ticket out of Snow Town. With a bit of help I got a ticket for the next day and stayed the night.
I nearly lost my phone in the snow
It was snowing hard on the way to Snow Town. I lost my phone while snow tubing and found it again before carrying on.
Skiing on my own in Yabuli on 31 December
On 31 December I headed for the slopes in Yabuli and spent the last part of the afternoon skiing on my own.
I went back to sleep and missed the early train to Yabuli
I went back to sleep and missed the early train. I tried another station and still made it to Yabuli in time to see the snow falling that evening.
Snow everywhere in Harbin
I’d wanted to see snow for a long time. Once I was in Harbin, just walking the streets and watching it fall felt like enough.
I wanted snow, so I booked a flight to Harbin
I stopped in Shanghai on my way north, joined a short layover tour and reached Harbin late that night in the freezing cold.
My notes for the Harbin trip
I packed layers for the cold, bought my flights and sorted out the visa. The trip took me to Harbin, Yabuli and Snow Town, with stops in Shanghai and Beijing.
Two soaked backpacks on arrival in Luang Prabang
I waited for a landslide to clear and rode on through the rain. It was dark when I got to Luang Prabang, and both my backpacks were soaked.
420 kilometres on my first day in Laos
What started as an early ride from home turned into a 420-kilometre day, with a puncture, a border crossing and a mountain storm.
A passport and a solo trip to Laos in my second year
My first trip abroad began with a ride to Nam Dinh to apply for a passport. That summer I ended up taking my motorbike into Laos on my own.
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