malaysia | IKIMASHO!

My base in Brunei: Badi’ah Hotel, Bandar Seri Begawan

August 28, 2016 by joostay

The sights and sounds of the city within walking distance – or water taxi. I first visited Borneo seven years ago, spending three weeks in the Malaysian state of Sabah with my ex from Northern Ireland. On that particular trip I always remember toying with the idea of going to Brunei, but for whatever reason it just never happened. Perhaps it was because to get to Borneo we had to fly from Belfast to London to Kuala Lumpur to Kota […]

Categories: Luxury Travel, Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: asia, bandar seri begawan, borneo, brunei, ikimasho, indonesia, japan, malaysia, photography, se asia, travel, where to sat yin brunei

Walking about Kampong Ayer Water Village, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei

August 25, 2016 by joostay

With its own mosques, schools and police station it’s the largest stilt settlement in the world. Built entirely of stilt houses and wooden walkways, Kampong Ayer in Brunei is a collection of 42 villages housing more than 39,000 people. It is the world’s largest water village. I was lucky enough to visit Kamopong Ayer a few weeks back, and it was probably the highlight of my most recent trip to Borneo. From a distance, the water village looks like a slum, but many of the houses […]

Categories: Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: asia, borneo, brunei, bruneian, design, ikimasho, indonesia, malaysia, photography, se asia, travel, urban planning

IKIMASHO Luxury Stays: Hyatt Regency Kinabalu, Sabah, Borneo.

August 21, 2016 by joostay

Five-star luxury in Sabah – with design that gets better at every turn.

Categories: Luxury Travel, Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: asia, borneo, five star, hotels, hyatt, ikimasho, islands, japan, japanese, luxury, malaysia, photography, sabah, se asia, tokyo, world travel

The immense Danum Valley Conservation Area. Sabah, Borneo.

May 21, 2015 by joostay

One of the last strongholds of undisturbed tropical flora and fauna in the world The Danum Valley Conservation Area is a 438km2 tract of relatively undisturbed lowland dipterocarp rainforest deep in the heart of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. This vast stretch of forest holds unique status in the sense that before it became a conservation area there were no human settlements at all, meaning that hunting, logging and other human interference was non-existent. Recognized as one of the world’s most complex ecosystems, […]

Categories: Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: asia, borneo, indonesia, malaysia, nature, photography, rainforest, sabah, wildlife

Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space

November 17, 2014 by joostay

“Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.” – Jack Kerouac You know what? Planet earth is an amazing, beautiful place. And we live here. Of all the places in all of the infinite universe, we have somehow managed to end up right here, right now, alive at this exact moment in time. We are floating in space surrounded by forests, mountains, cities, rivers, seas, avenues, […]

Categories: Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: australia, backpacking, blog, boat tour, buddhism, cambodia, canada, chinese new year, hong kong, ikimasho, inonesia, japan, japanese, laos, maid of the mist, malaysia, mekong, milford sound, national park, new zealand, niagara, riot police, road trip, round the world, sandboarding, singapore, stockton, sumatra, sumo, Taiwan, tokyo, tortoise tours, travelling, usa, vietnam, volcano, world trip, yosemite

Global Domination. Sort of.

August 9, 2013 by joostay

Supper in Tokyo. Breakfast in Kuala Lumpur. Lunch in Jakarta. Dinner in Bali. When I was still a wee lad in short trousers I remember my grandparents telling me that in ‘their day’ a ‘holiday’ meant taking the suicide-inducing local train from Belfast to Bangor for the afternoon. That’s a 30-minute journey. 14 miles. To eat a poke (that’s an ice cream to you and me), dunk their feet in the paddling pool and then go home again. I don’t […]

Categories: Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: bali, bangor, beach, belfast, indonesia, japan, java, kuala lumpur, malaysia, northern ireland, south east asia, sun, tokyo, train, travel

Home is where you lay your head…

July 19, 2013 by joostay

Right now I’m looking into arranging a homestay in rural Bali. It got me thinking of some of the amazing (and not so amazing) places I’ve stayed over the years… 1. Primary Rainforest – Borneo Three hours from civilization in a 4×4 lies Borneo Rainforest Lodge, a spectacular resort buried deep in the Danum Valley Conservation Area – 438 square kilometres of relatively undisturbed lowland dipterocarp forest in Sabah, Malaysia. Indulgent luxury, each room with its own outdoor hot tub […]

Categories: Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: asia, borneo, chunking mansions, danum valley, deer farm, hong kong, hotel, japan, malaysia, milford sound, nature, new zealand, rainforest, rainforest lodge, san francisco, tenderloin, tokyo, travel

IKIMASHO!

Daily life in Tokyo, Japan

Tag: malaysia