Aaaaaaai really don’t like bus rides. Especially not the painfully slow ones. After leaving Mandalay yesterday afternoon around 2pm, the (reasonably decent) bus crouched up the narrow and winding road towards the Shan Hills. Traffic is heavy and many times the bus has to stop to let another heavy vehicle pass a narrow turn. Two […]
Difference #3: Liquor
While you can buy alcoholic drinks in any supermarket in Germany, you have to go to a designated bottle shop here in Australia. They are all over the city, have names like “Liquor Legends” and are often even drive-through. Like groceries, liquor is really expensive here. A pack of 6×0.375l beer costs around $10-$15 and […]
Is Thailand a safe Country?
The Thai tourism industry is at a weak point at the moment. The devastating Tsunami in 2004, the political unrest in 2010 and ongoing bombings in the deep south scared a lot of people away. Yet those are not really strong reasons to avoid Thailand. Tsunamis hit other countries as well, the protests are long […]
Adelaide Take 2
Adelaide sure is nicer in the summer. After the somewhat cold and rainy experience I had earlier, the sunny and warm days now are one heck of an improvement. In the last days I checked out some of the beaches in Adelaide. They are a bit different to what I’m used to from the east […]
Roadworthy!
It wasn’t easy but today I finally got the roadworthy certificate (RWC) for my car. A RWC is necessary to register a car and can be issued by certified mechanics. Unlike the German TÜV there are no specialised inspection stations. The Italian couple that sold me the car had it checked by a mechanic in […]
Revised Verdict
It was a couple of years ago that my verdict about Singapore was “boring and expensive” (or something along those lines). And in part, that still holds true. It is an oasis of peace compared to the utter madness that is down-town Manila, Bangkok or Saigon. But with the colourfully lit CBD and the hawker […]