$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, […]
Airlie Beach and the Whitsundays
Friday Nov 12th, Day 5 of the road trip. We leave Townsville in heavy rain and hope to leave the bad weather behind. We are near Ayr, almost 100km south of Townsville when the rain stops for the first time. It doesn’t stay dry for long though and when we reach Airlie Beach it’s raining […]
More of Pai
Decades ago Pai would have been a very dangerous place for tourists. Back then it was a hub for drug trading in the golden triangle. That changed in the 1980s and the area became an option for tourists. From what I’ve heard these people still had an interest in cheap opium and cannabis. From that […]
Pagoda in the Water
Bus stops in Yangon are a noisy thing. Conductors of waiting and arriving buses shout directions and routes at the top of their lungs. For somebody who doesn’t understand the language nor is able to read the numbers, it is a somewhat confusing experience. Luckily I had student of the German language and future tourist […]
Road Trip!
Monday, Nov 8. Early in the morning I drove my car to the department of transportation and main roads to get the coveted registration for my car. I had all the paperwork (application form, new customer form, RWC, CTP, sale bills, …) but still felt nervous as this was my first big encounter with Aussie […]
Taking the Red Pill
In the movie Matrix, the protagonist is offered a choice of two pills. Blue will make him forget all he uncovered, while red will show him the world as it really is. That analogy was given by the hostel owner when I told him how my pre-defined image of Palestine was shaken up by reality. […]