I spent a total of nine days in Kathmandu, four before the earthquake and five after. Flying in from Bangkok on 21 April through a heavy electrical storm, I was met at the airport at 11.30pm by a representative of the first hotel I was in the city to review: the Dalai-La Boutique based in Thamel. You can read my review of that hotel here. Recovering from a bout of food poisoning in Thailand, I spent my first few days […]

Categories: Travel: Outside Japan

A few nights back I was on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Kathmandu in Nepal. Out of the corner of my eye I could see lights flickering, and just assumed it was the wing lights on the aircraft. But then I turned my head and saw a full-scale electrical storm happening right in front of me. It must have been a few miles away as there was no turbulence at all. It was a pretty amazing spectacle. There were some moments […]

Categories: Travel: Outside Japan

Travel in SE Asia may be a pain in the ass, but boy is it cheap. Today I travelled 500km west to east – from Phetchaburi near the Myanmar border to Nang Rong beside Cambodia. It was a slog: 11 hours in total using five different forms of transport, but the end price was ridiculously cheap. Songthaew from my guesthouse to the minivan depot (60baht / £1.20). Minivan from Phetchaburi to Bangkok. (Two-hour journey costs just 100 baht / £2). […]

Categories: Travel: Outside Japan

A population of 250 million, yet none of them are shopping. The last time I was in Jakarta I had a few hours to kill before heading to the airport. I was staying in the outskirts, so heading into the city itself was impossible. (Indonesians living in Jakarta have their own word for traffic jam – the inevitable “macet”.) Asking about on the street, a few people told me to head to the malls down the road. I don’t like shopping, […]

Categories: Travel: Outside Japan