The Jungle Railway and a day in Hong Kong
A weekly newsletter of great travel reads and news by James Clark from Nomadic Notes.
Where I’m At: June, 2019 – Saigon edition
Greetings from Saigon and another edition of Where I’m At – my monthly summary of where I’ve been and other site news.
Where I’ve Been
The last month was a big travel month that felt like more of a holiday than my usual travels. I did what has become my annual trip to Europe, which is a break from my current project themes of development in Asia. 10 years ago I used to spend the bulk of the summer months in Europe with a short break in Asia. Now it is reverse.
This is a brief summary as told by Instagram photos, and there will be full write ups for each place over the next month.
Nha Trang
The month began in Nha Trang, which was the first leg in a series of cheap flights I used for this trip. You can read my trip report here: Notes on Nha Trang – stopover edition.
Hong Kong
As an Australian there aren’t as many opportunities to travel hack with credit cards compared to the opportunities on offer to my American friends. There are some credit card offers though, so when I was last in Australia I did a banking reassessment and got a new credit card that included bonus Qantas points. That was how I ended up in Hong Kong, which had a good range of flights for less points for where I wanted to go. I never pass up an opportunity to spend a day here so I made a break of it.
Montreal
Montreal has been on my travel radar for years, especially as one my best travel friends and fellow nomad hails from there. Unfortunately Jodi has been going through some horrendous health issues which has her housebound in Montreal. Jodi spent four northern summers in a row residing in Saigon, so not being able to travel in addition to battling health problems is an awful blow.
Montreal is a good as everyone raves about it to be. Usually it’s foreigners who will tell you how good it is, as Canadians seem to be humble about what an amazing city this is. I will have a city report soon. I need to visit Mexico City (never been!), so I can then say “these are the best cities in North America”, of which Montreal would be on the list.
London
2019 marks the 20th anniversary of my first visit to London, and I have been back every year since. I don’t really have a travelversary or nomadiversary as there are no defining dates, but I guess you could say that my life of living abroad began when I got a work visa for the UK and moved to London in 1999. It still remains as one of my favourite cities in the world, though I am now satisfied with short visits.
Malta
My system for travel in Europe is make a short-list of places I haven’t been and then try and work out an itinerary from there. After visiting Cyprus last year the Mediterranean has been a strong lure, and I think the islands of the Med will be my focus for my next few trips. Malta was a new country for me, so visiting a country for the first time is always an extra special travel day.
Athens
I’ve been to Greece before but I had never been to Athens. After so many years of travelling in Europe this was the biggest oversight in my European travels. Everyone knows about the Acropolis and associated ancient Greek history that can be seen here, but it is also a gritty urban city that seems to divide people. Just the mention of gritty and urban though and I knew I was going to love Athens. And sure enough I did. I have two posts coming up about Athens, and I could see myself coming back here on the way to exploring more Greek Islands. The remaining countries that I haven’t been to in Europe are in the Southeast, so it might make more sense in the future to either fly here or Istanbul instead of London.
Guangzhou
The reason I do go to London is that often flights are hundreds of dollars cheaper than other points in Europe. Finishing up my European adventure I found a cheap flight from London to Ho Chi Minh City with China Southern. Rather than flying straight through their hub of Guangzhou, I checked to see what the price would be if I added a 2 day stopover, and the price remained the same. I’m all for making stopovers, especially to break up long trips. I did that last year when I added a stopover in Kazakhstan. It’s now easier to make a stopover in major cities in China with transit visas allowing up to 6 days.
Guangzhou is an enormous city of over 12 million people, and that’s just one city of the Pearl River Delta megacity. I was last here in 2010, so I was curious to see how much it’s changed since then. I will have a post about Guangzhou, and what it’s like flying with China Southern.
Saigon
And back “home” to home base of Saigon. After eating more bread products in a month than I do in a year, it was good to be back on the noodle soups. While I was away the seasons changed from dry to wet, and it’s a noticeable difference being back compared to the searing heat when I left.
I have some domestic trips in Vietnam coming up, as well as some trips around East Asia. I also have some projects related to Southeast Asia railways coming up which will keep me travelling in the region for this year.
Latest posts from Nomadic Notes
Jungle Railway in Malaysia – The best train times and most scenic sections
The Jungle Railway is one of the great train journeys of Southeast Asia, spanning the length of Peninsula Malaysia through its rugged interior. This guide details the best train times and most scenic sections.
A day in Hong Kong is better than no day in Hong Kong
Taking a stopover between flights is a good way to get a bonus trip within a trip. Hong kong is one of those places where I’ll build in a stop if I have the time. I figure that a day in Hong Kong is better than no day in Hong Kong.
Travel Reads
On Whitewashing In Travel
“Travel attractions are often guilty of whitewashing their ugly histories. As a traveler, what are you supposed to do when you see history being erased?”
Kanchha Sherpa is the last surviving member of the first expedition to summit Everest
86-year-old Sherpa has seen tourism change life at the foot of the world’s tallest mountain
This Cross-Country Hike Took 5 Days. That’s Going the Long Way
“Liechtenstein, Europe’s fourth-smallest country, is marking its 300th anniversary by creating a 46.6-mile set of hiking trails.”
This 21-Year-Old Woman Claims She's The Youngest Person To Travel To Every Country
“This woman just made history by traveling to every one of the 196 sovereign nations. She shares her incredible story and her advice.”
Why Are China's Expat Artists Moving to Berlin?
“The German capital not only offers freedom, but also invites people to provoke and challenge orthodoxy.”
225 miles and 100 parks: one woman's epic hike around New York City
Liz Thomas held the speed record for the legendary Appalachian Trail. But she also wanted to show why walking in our cities is important for our well-being
News
How The Country Once Nicknamed ‘Garbage Island’ Cut Waste By 30%
As the world drowns in trash, Taiwan’s recycling success is a model of change and a beacon of hope.
Entrepreneur buys unused oBike and Ofo bicycles to donate to poor children in Myanmar
“When bicycle-sharing company oBike pulled out of Singapore abruptly last year, leaving the city with unattended bicycles rusting away in parks and public spaces, Myanmar entrepreneur Mike Than Tun Win saw the perfect opportunity to turn trash into treasure.”
Photography
The Viral 'Half Summer, Half Winter' Manhattan Aerial Photo
“Paul Seibert digitally blended two photographs he took from a helicopter, thousands of feet above New York City.”
Views From Above: The Past Eight Months in Orbit
“Some of the hundreds of incredible photographs taken recently of our home planet from the unique vantage point of astronauts aboard the International Space Station.”
Travel Podcast
Inappropriate Traveler
A new travel podcast to look out for about the messy, fun and naughty side of travel, by Spud Hilton.
A flower at the monument to the self-immolation of Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc.