2007 Part 1: Asian Exploration
In and around Singapore, Singapore
Part one of our year-long journey brings us to Southeast Asia, China, Taiwan and Mongolia. It also brings us to Hong Kong and Macau for those of you who may be confused as to whether or not they are a formal part of China (they are).
London is a thing of the past as we land in Singapore, destination number 1. We will be travelling through this wonderfully exotic part of the world until 15 June 2007, and at that time you will have to tune in to see where our journey takes us next.
We're planning on visiting the following places, hopefully in this order:
-- Singapore
-- Borneo and Peninsular Malaysia
-- Brunei
-- Indonesia (Bali)
-- Thailand
-- Laos
-- Cambodia
-- Vietnam
-- China
-- Macau
-- Hong Kong
-- Taiwan
-- Mongolia
Route taken and entries written by Kyle & Dan
-
1
Singapore: Food and Shopping Galore, and More
We decided to stop in Singapore first as a gentle warm-up for our travels in Southeast Asia and China. As Singapore is one of the most diverse countri... Continue reading »
-
2
Malaysia, Borneo (Kuching): Up Close and Personal
One hour on the train was all it took to get from Singapore to Malaysia – country #2. We expected the worst as the rain was pouring down outside, and... Continue reading »
-
3
Malaysia, Borneo (Niah Caves): 40,000 Years
After getting a very good taste of the jungle around Kuching, we set out for Niah (pronounced "nee-yah") in order to explore some of the world's large... Continue reading »
-
4
Malaysia, Borneo (Gunung Mulu): Largest Caves in the World
We were short of cash leaving Batu Niah town for Miri to catch a flight to Mulu, in order to explore Gunung Mulu National Park, and therefore we had t... Continue reading »
-
5
Brunei, BSB: Modern Living in the Middle of the Jungle
After checking out some of the Malaysian Borneo national parks in Sarawak, we decided to venture into the small, strict Islamic country of Negara Brun... Continue reading »
-
6
Brunei, Ulu Temburong: Hangin' with the Locals
After visiting several national parks in the Malaysian state of Sarawak in Borneo on our own, we decided to try an organised tour in Brunei with a com... Continue reading »
-
7
Indonesia, Bali: Paradise Lost Amongst the Monkeys
KUTA BEACH - Paradise, Really?!?!After a night's stopover in Kuala Lumpur, we caught a flight to Bali, Indonesia on Air Asia. We both laughed out loud... Continue reading »
-
8
Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur: Peaceful Harmony Amongst Diversity
Kuala Lumpur - Modern Metropolis In A Jungle LandscapeWe set out for Malaysia's largest city (1.4 million and growing) by flying back from Bali, Indon... Continue reading »
-
9
Malaysia, Cameron Highlands: Too Cold For Comfort
Our first change to our trip's itinerary included a stopover in Cameron Highlands, on the way to Penang. We shaved a day off our Kuala Lumpur (KL) tri... Continue reading »
-
10
Malaysia, Penang Island: Colonial and Chinese Influence
After all the effort we went through in order to change our Malaysian itinerary to include a couple of nights in Cameron Highlands, we ended up changi... Continue reading »
-
11
Malaysia, Langkawi Island: Last But Certainly Not Least
Our last destination in Malaysia completely exceeded our expectations, and this was due to a number of factors including the hot sun, beautiful beache... Continue reading »
-
12
Thailand, Koh Phi Phi: Islands of Jaw-Dropping Beauty
We said goodbye to Malaysia with slightly saddened hearts, knowing that we would not be visiting the country again on this year-long trip of ours. We... Continue reading »
-
13
Thailand, Phuket Island: Patong is Wrong, the Rest is Best
After the paradise that we experienced at the Koh Phi Phi islands and the fact that we decided to stay in the Patong Beach area when we arrived in Phu... Continue reading »
-
14
Thailand, Phang Nga Bay: Mr. Boh, James Boh
Phang Nga Bay is located to the northeast of the island of Phuket, and there you will find fantastic 1 million year-old limestone rock formations (isl... Continue reading »
-
15
Thailand, Koh Samui: Big Buddha's Island
After spending time off the southwest coast of Thailand, we decided to venture to a couple of islands situated off the east coast, the first being Koh... Continue reading »
-
16
Thailand, Koh Tao: Our Brush With Jaws
Our next to last island destination in Thailand, on our 12-month round the world (or at least visit to a good portion of the world) trip, was the isla... Continue reading »
-
17
Thailand, Bangkok: Thailand's Congested Capital
Travel to Bangkok from Koh Tao, despite its long distance, was quite easily achieved in one day. We thought we were going to have to travel overnight... Continue reading »
-
18
Thailand, Kanchanaburi: Floatin' on a River
What we thought would be a nice trip away from the big and crowded, dirty and dusty, busy city of Bangkok ended up being a remarkably enjoyable experi... Continue reading »
-
19
Thailand, Koh Chang: Elephant Island
The minibus that we booked in Bangkok for our Koh Chang trip was the nicest van we had travelled on yet in Thailand. We obviously chose a good tour co... Continue reading »
-
20
Thailand, Chiang Mai: Long-Necked Ladies
After a long 14 hour overnight train ride from Bangkok we arrived in Chiang Mai. The journey was a lot of fun, but it felt like we were riding a rolle... Continue reading »
-
21
Laos, Huay Xai: Slow Down for Pum Pao
Country #6 on our year-long trip has brought us to one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia - Laos. We thought we would be faced with many diffi... Continue reading »
-
22
Laos, Luang Namtha: Village Voyage
The infamous bus route in Laos, to travel from the Laos-Thailand border to the northern town of Luang Namtha, is just as we were warned: bumpy, windy,... Continue reading »
-
23
Laos, Luang Prabang: Streetside Sightseeing
So here we were thinking that our second bus journey in Laos would be just as harrowing as the first one, primarily because we had already been throug... Continue reading »
-
24
Laos, Vientiane: Laos' Biggest Village
Our final long bus journey in Laos was from Luang Prabang to the capital city Vientiane. The bus journey was another exciting one filled with many twi... Continue reading »
-
25
Cambodia, Siem Reap: An Ancient Marvel
We arrived in country #7 of our trip without any problems, and without the excitement of previous travel days (think of the crazy bus journeys we expe... Continue reading »
-
26
Cambodia, Phnom Penh: Fields of Death
Our last stop in Cambodia before entering Vietnam was Phnom Penh, and we travelled there by bus with a company called Capital Tours. We thought that w... Continue reading »
-
27
Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City: Don't Miss Saigon
To get to Vietnam from our last Cambodian destination, Phnom Penh, we booked ourselves onto a bus and in five fairly quick hours we arrived in Ho Chi... Continue reading »
-
28
Vietnam, Mui Ne: White and Red Sand Dunes
Mui Ne (meaning “sheltered peninsula” in Vietnamese) Beach and the surrounding Binh Thuan province both have a lot to offer travellers. There are beau... Continue reading »
-
29
Vietnam, Nha Trang: Takin' It Easy
Nha Trang was our third place to visit in Vietnam during our 2-1/2 weeks in the country. The seaside town was much larger than we anticipated and we i... Continue reading »
-
30
Vietnam, Hoi An: Pointy Hats and Local Delights
Greenfield Hotel in Hoi An was meant to be a luxury expense for us, as we splurged and paid $25 (around ₤14) for a room. When we looked at photos onli... Continue reading »
-
31
Vietnam, Hue: Finding Elaine at the Citadel
Our arrival in Hue began the second half of our visit to Vietnam, but this was not the reason we were most excited about getting to the city. Exciteme... Continue reading »
-
32
Vietnam, Tam Coc: Halong Bay on Land
Some of you reading this journal entry will have continued from our previous entry for Hue, and are probably interested in our hassling bus journey to... Continue reading »
-
33
Vietnam, Cuc Phuong: Spider and Leech Heaven
The first half of our 2-day tour to Tam Coc and Cuc Phuong National Park finished with a high note. We were very happy with everything we saw the prev... Continue reading »
-
34
Vietnam, Hanoi: Scams and Gruesome Sights
This journal entry actually marks the second time we arrived in Hanoi. The first time, if you remember from our journal entry for Tam Coc, we were aba... Continue reading »
-
35
China, Guilin: A Superb Greeting
Guilin, our first stop in China, was a much anticipated part of our year-long journey. As we mentioned in our last Vietnam journal entry (Hanoi), we w... Continue reading »
-
36
China, Yangshuo: Cycling for Scenery
A river cruise down the Li River was in store for us when we travelled from Guilin to Yangshuo. However, this was no ordinary cruise; we boarded a "Ch... Continue reading »
-
37
China, Guangzhou: Stressful Times
Our first major mistake in China was booking a room in GDH Inn in Guangzhou. It had nothing to do with the fact that we arrived in Guangzhou right in... Continue reading »
-
38
China, Hong Kong: Friends and Bright Lights
Hong Kong was a much anticipated trip for us; we were very excited about visiting the city that both of us have wanted to visit for a long time. To ge... Continue reading »
-
39
Taiwan, Hualien: Taroko Gorge-ous
A great friend of ours from Taipei – Vivian - took the week that we were visiting Taiwan off from work in order to spend time with us and to be our to... Continue reading »
-
40
Taiwan, Taipei: The Chang Dynasty
Taipei, the city with the world's tallest skyscraper (at least at the time of writing this journal entry), was a large, modern Asian city where we enj... Continue reading »
-
41
Macau: A Big Win in an Old Portuguese Colony
Macau. We read that this place had a strong Portuguese feel to it, which we certainly felt in some parts of the city. We also felt a bit of Las Vegas,... Continue reading »
-
42
China, Xiamen: Island Peanut Soup
Our bus from Hong Kong to Xiamen, in the Fujian province of China, was the nicest bus we have travelled on yet in the country. We were given decent si... Continue reading »
-
43
China, Shanghai: China's Biggest City
Shanghai was the most modern city in China when we visited. Dan thought the place reminded him of an American city and Kyle thought the place reminded... Continue reading »
-
44
China, Chengdu: Pandas, Pigs, Pussycats and a Puppy
Chengdu is a very famous place in China because of its large and extremely successful Giant Panda Research and Breeding Centre. The adorable bears fac... Continue reading »
-
45
China, Leshan: Big Ole Buddha Near a Sacred Mountain
After a few days in the large city of Chengdu, we decided to venture out into surrounding areas to see a couple of special Chinese sights. The first p... Continue reading »
-
46
China, Lanzhou: Quick Glimpse of Muslim China
Our next destination was one of our most eagerly awaited places, Xiahe. In order to get there, we decided to use Lanzhou as a transit point. The good... Continue reading »
-
47
China, Xiahe: Yak Lunch with Tibetan Monks
Xiahe is located in the Gansu province of China, at the northeast corner of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau. Its location in this part of rural China was... Continue reading »
-
48
China, Xi'an: Coffee Breaks with Terracotta Warriors
With a population of over 6 and a half million and a history spanning 2000 years, Xi'an was not a city easy to ignore since it has been allowed to cla... Continue reading »
-
49
China, Pingyao: Rescuing a Kitten in the Ancient City
The nightmare of all train journeys, that's a good way to describe the first part of our trip from Xi'an to Pingyao. We had to purchase hard seat tick... Continue reading »
-
50
China, Beijing: A Great Big Wall and Forbidden City
Over 11 million people live in Beijing, the capital of China. This important city has a history over 3,000 years old and is marking a new point in Chi... Continue reading »
-
51
Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar: Blue Skies At Last
After spending quite a bit of time in China, we were ready for a change of scene. What better way was there for us to achieve this than by visiting Mo... Continue reading »
-
52
Mongolia, Terelj National Park: Our First Ger Camp
In order to visit one of the most visited and famous places in Mongolia, Terelj National Park, we were taken on a one and a half hour drive north east... Continue reading »
-
53
Mongolia, Gun Galuut Nature Reserve: Endangered Animals and Nomads
Excitement was in the air when we left Terelj National Park for our third destination in Mongolia, Gun Galuut Nature Reserve. A Selena Travel itinerar... Continue reading »
-
54
Mongolia, Hustai National Park: Happy Birthday Dan
The day we spent at Hustai National Park was a very special day for one of us during our year-long trip... it was Dan's 30th birthday! We have written... Continue reading »
Get your free travel blog
Do you have your own experience to share? Signup for your free travel blog »
Top Singapore Deals
See what the experts say
Popular Singapore Hotels
- The Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore
- Pan Pacific Singapore
- Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa Resort
- Meritus Mandarin Singapore
- The Fullerton Hotel Singapore
- Shangri-La Singapore
- Marriott Singapore
- Swissotel Merchant Court
- The Sentosa Resort and Spa
- Inter-Continental
Would you like to comment or ask a question?