The big Shwedagon pagoda is one of the main sights in Yangon and accordingly the government and many merchants are happy to make a few dollars out of it. Today I came by one of the many smaller pagodas in the city and went inside for a short visit. The atmosphere was really relaxed with […]
Montreal Impressions
Ayhutthaya
An hour and a half north of Bangkok lies Ayhutthaya, capital of an ancient kingdom (wikipedia knows more about that than me). I hadn’t been before and when local couchsurfer Goi offered me to come along for a daytrip on Sunday, I happily jumped at the opportunity. For Goi it was a bit of a […]
The dry side of the Tablelands
A rainy day in the wet subtropics. The third in a row – and this is the dry season. Two weeks ago we went for another trip to the Atherton Tablelands and had a totally different climate. We visited the area around Mareeba, a town about 50km away from Cairns. Although it’s only 30km away […]
Local Currency
When in need for cash in a foreign country, one is presented with several options. They are, in order from best to worst: Withdrawing with a credit card at a local ATM. This is a good option because the home bank will use the inter-bank rate for converting from foreign into home currency. Banks might […]
Christmas with the Locals
A christmas eve excursion to the north shore with Richard. Mulled wine and turkey dinner at James and Queenie’s. Right now I’m ‘working’ as a house sitter a little outside of Auckland city, taking care of two cats and some maintenance work. I’ll have the place for myself till early next year and hopefully have […]