$5 + 3%, that’s what my bank charged me every time I withdrew money from an ATM overseas. I had long come to grudgingly accept the loss, simply for lack of alternatives. When travelling in Myanmar, another traveller told me about number26, a Germany based online bank. They don’t charge for overseas withdrawals and payments, […]
Trainee’s Log, Sept 20th, Day 4
It’s a starlit sky. And I mean STARLIT! Milky way and everything. I haven’t seen a sky like that since the beaches in Far North Queensland. The weather is still mild and we start the night watch with a few minutes of star gazing. Everything is quiet and we adjust sails and brace yards. It’s […]
Earthquakes
Since my arrival in Nepal, there have been three earthquakes. The first one I slept through and the second one I didn’t notice because I was under the shower. But when the third one happened, I was sitting on the floor in my room and that one I did notice. The floor was shaking and […]
Singapore 2016
Another “re-visit” years later. Singapore Airlines brought me into town after a 7.5h trip from Brisbane. Most of that time was spent flying over Oz. Crazy how big that country is. Just as in Brisbane, a train connects airport and city. Although the $2.50 they charge here are more attractive than the $33 return you […]
Departing Kathmandu
Kathmandu’s international airport has been described with many words. Efficiency, speed or cleanliness are never among them. My flight is scheduled for 7:40 and I wanted to be at the airport at least two hours prior to that. Asking at my guest house about transportation, the first guy told me the airport wouldn’t open before […]
Pole #2
They have a thing here for poles. Number one in the morning was followed by a second one in the late afternoon. The crowd was massive and again hundreds of participants were pulling at the ropes to get the former tree skywards. I got the impression that efficiency is secondary and everybody is happy as […]