TRAVEL | Battambang

Battambang, the second largest city in Cambodia, is a relaxed and laid-back town, primarily a farmer and trader town around 3 hours from Siem Reap. It is the capital of the Battambang province in Cambodia, which is also known as the Rice Bowl of Cambodia becuase of its great production of rice.

Battambang is best known for its Angkor-period ruins at Ek Phnom and Phnom Banan, but there's also Phnom Sampeau - the site of the local Killing Fields, and of course the norry - an innovative Khmer "vehicle" used for travelling along the creaking railways.

Although not on the main tourist route, but it will be worth a visit if you want a place to experience the real Cambodia.

Rice cropping plays an important role in the provincial economy

Wat Ek
An Angkor-type temple ruin, about 15 km north west of Battambang. The road goes alongside lovely small rivers bordered by trees and small villages and is in general a very nice area.

Norry, the bamboo train
A good way to take in the countryside around Battambang is a ride on the bamboo train (called 'norry'). It is a unique and creative form of local transportation, consisting of a small motorcycle engine-powered bamboo cart that rides the railroad rails picking up and dropping off passengers, cargo, animals and motorcycles along the way.

Neak Ta DamBang Kragnoung
The symbol of the province. Battambang literally means loss of stick referring to a legend of Preah Bat Dambang Kranhoung when the King threw his wooden staff from Angkor and landed in present day Battambang

TRAVEL | Markets in Phnom Penh

Central Market
A 1930s Art Deco covered market near the Riverfront (Sisowath Quay) district. The market is well set out, and sells everything from flowers to video games. A typical market place for locals

Sorya Mall
Phnom Penh's main Western-style mall has air conditioning and contains a range of cheap fast food outlets. You can find inside the Lucky Supermarket, the only super market chain in Cambodia I believe

Russian Markets
A plase to buy real designer clothes at a huge discount price. A lot of major brand clothes sold here are deemed unfit to be shipped abroad due to very small fault in the clothing, therefore they are sold here at the Russian market.

There is also a huge western mall which opened recently called the city mall, near the olympic stadium. Can't wait to check all these out!

TRAVEL | My Travel History

I want one too!

2009

Sydney
Christchurch
Gold Coast
Brisbane
Singapore
Kuala Lumpur

2008

Christchurch

2007

Sydney

2006

Shanghai
Nanjing
Suzhou
Wuxie

2005

Tokyo
Kuala Lumpur
Singapore
Taipei
Hong Kong

2000

Tokyo
Fukuoka
Osaka
Kyoto
Hiroshima

1998

Melbourne
Sydney

TRAVEL | My Travel History

Sydney

Gold Coast
Brisbane


Montréal
Quebec 
Toronto

Ottawa
Niagara Falls
New York
Boston
Los Angeles
Sans Fransisco 


Singapore
Bangkok
Kuala Lumpur
Penang
Johor Bahru
Melbourne


Singapore


Migrated to New Zealand (first time travel by plane)


Saigon (by boat)

TRAVEL | Bhutan

While reading my daily feed of aircraft porn, I came across Bhutan, a small nation in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalaya Mountains, between Tibet and India. Bhutan, or the Land of the Thunder Dragon, used to be one of the most isolated nations in the world, but it is increasingly modernised with the introduction of international flights and mobile networks in the country. It is here where the world's most dangerous airport runway is located, and there are only 8 pilots in the world who are qualified to make this landing (Apparently).

Besides the stunning natural scenery, Bhutan has a very strong sense of culture and tradition that differentiates it from its bigger neighbours. It is the only Vajrayana Buddhist nation in the world, and the profound teachings of this tradition remain well preserved and exert a strong influence in all aspects of life.

Due to its pristine environment and harmonious society, the tiny Kingdom of Bhutan has been called "The Last Shangri la."

Taktsang Monastery (Tiger's Nest)

Located in Paro, this is one of the most important Buddhist sites in the world.

Bhutan, surrounded by the mighty Himalayas

Bhutan is a popular place for trekking, though the walks are generally quite tough.

Another place I would love to visit while I'm still fit!

TRAVEL | Cambodia, Kingdom of Wonder

The phrase ‘‘Kingdom of Wonder’’ gives the impression of exploration and discovery, perfect for tourists seeking new experiences. ‘‘Wonder’’ is a reference to Angkor being nominated as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. You can watch one version of the TV commercial here.

TRAVEL | Weather forecast for Sydney

In less than 12 hours we'll be in Sydney and I hope the weather will be nice despite the forecast.

TRAVEL | The Powerhouse Science and Design Museum in Sydney

The Powerhouse Museum located at 500 Harris St, Ultimo and is close to Darling Harbour, Chinatown, Central Station (Sydney Terminal), Broadway bus station (Railway Square), and Paddy's Markets Monorail Station. For $10 adult entry fee we can explore the many current exhibitions and permanent exhibitions. Some are shown below.

TRAVEL | Frost* office in Sydney

This may not be a conventional tourist activity but I am going to do it anyway. Vince Frost is one of my favourite graphic designers, originally from England but have setup office in Sydney. The studio produces amazing works and this is my chance to be outside the studio and take a picture while I am holidaying in Sydney this weekend. The studio is located on 15 Foster Street, Surry Hill.

ECONOMIC | Top 10 countries with the biggest gaps between rich and poor

No. 1 Hong Kong
No. 2 Singapore
No. 3 US
No. 4 Israel
No. 5 Portugal
No. 6 New Zealand
No. 7= Italy
No. 7= Britain
No. 9 Australia
No. 10= Ireland
No. 10= Greece


A United Nations global study was recently conducted on the topic of 'income inequality' worldwide.

TRAVEL | See Sydney & Beyond Smartvisit Card

It is not too far away now, 3 days until our long-weekend getaway oversea trip! I was considering whether it would be worthwhile to purchase a See Sydney & Beyond Smartvisit Card, A$75 for one day or A$135 for two days. What do you think Ricky?

READ THIS Ricky

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/news/article.cfm?c_id=7&objectid=10603602

TRAVEL | Hiking from Jinshanling to Simatai

If you are looking for breathtaking views in relative isolation combined with some exercise on the Great Wall, then the hike between Jinshanling(金山嶺) and Simatai(司馬台) is perfect for you, giving you a truly "authentic" wall experience. This section of the wall is further away from Beijing than other more popular parts such as Badaling(八達嶺) and Juyongguan(居庸關) , making it considerably less crowded with tourists.

Located about 125 km northeast of Beijing, the JinShanling section of the Great Wall wonders through fantastic natural scenery and connects to the Simatai Great Wall to the east.

The hike from the east Jinshanling Great Wall to the west Simatai Great Wall takes about 4 hours with a total length of 12 km. The route will span over 30 towers (15 towers in East Jinshanling and 15 on west Simatai). It's a perfect day trip outside of Beijing with some of the best scenery of the Great Wall.

Jinshanling Section

Jinshanling Section

Jinshanling Section

Some of the terrain we will need to be covering

TRAVEL | The Goldfish club in Sydney

Is it a coincidence for a bar in Sydney to be named Goldfish? This is one of the many new bars in King Cross. Ideally I would like to visit three of these bars, however given the short time we will be in Sydney I am not sure if that's possible. It appears that Sydney scene is a mile ahead of what we have here in Auckland.

TRAVEL | Sydney Opera House Open Day

8 days and counting down. There is a build up of excitement in me especially looking forward to participate in the Sydney Opera House Open Day next Sunday where we'll get a free tour inside the House and get a glimpse of some of the behind-the-scenes. Also what I look forward to is the 'Please step quietly everyone can hear you' exhibition features photographs by a Magnum photographer Trent Parke.  I think Sunday 25 October 2009 will be a great experience.

TRAVEL | Interesting game from TripAdvisor

TRAVEL | Z Trains in China

'Z' category trains (Z stands for Zhida, or 直达特快列车, meaning direct) are the fastest and most modern long distance trains in China, running on routes such as Beijing-Shanghai and Beijing Xian. They are composed of the very latest air-conditioned sleeper carriages, as well as bar and restaurant carriages.

Most Z-series train routes do not have any intermediary stops, and are generally overnight, all-sleeper trains that have travel time of around 10–14 hours.

Distance between Beijing and Xian is 1,200 km (750 miles), taking around 11 hours on this overnight train. Trip cost is around RMB420 (82NZD) per person. Save on a night's accommodation. A lot of Big 2 time!

The label of the sleepers. Each sleeper is numbered with a unique number. This is a picture of the sleeper train with 4 beds in each room.

Each train has about 10 "rooms"

ARCHITECTURE | Auckland Architecture Awards 2009

Ironbank by RTA Studio. Recognised in the urban design , sustainable architecture, commercial architecture and Resene colour categories.

Hillcrest Road Bridge by Jasmax Limited. Recognised in the Resene colour and urban design categories.

AUT Lecture Theatre & Conference Centre by RTA Studio. Recognised in the public architecture category.

NZI Centre by Jasmax Limited. Recognised in the commercial architecture category.

TRAVEL | Sydney Opera House

In just a little more than two weeks I will be in Sydney and I was thinking how exciting it will be to visit the Sydney Opera House on its Open Day on Sunday the 25th October. It is a free event running from 10am to 4pm, raining or not. Just a little bit about the House, it was designed by a Denmark architect Jorn Utzon. In June 2007 it was inscribed in the World Heritage List.

TRAVEL | Eureka Tower

Eureka Tower is a 300-metre skyscraper located in Southbank, Melbourne, the world's tallest residential tower when measured to its highest floor. However, Q1 located on the Gold Coast is officially the world's tallest residential building because of its spire adding to its total height.

I really like the design of this tower. Apparently, the building was named after Eureka Stockade, a rebellion during the Victorian gold rush in 1854. The building's gold crown represents the gold rush and a red stripe on the side of the tower represents the blood spilt during the revolt. The blue glass cladding that covers most of the building represents the blue background of the stockade's flag and the white lines also represent the eureka stockade flag.

The observation deck, known as the Eureka Skydeck 88, occupies the entire 88th floor of the Eureka Tower and is the highest public vantage point in a building in the Southern Hemisphere at 285 m.

Do you see the blood?

TRAVEL | Phnom Bakheng

Another Hindu temple at the site of Angkor, Phnom Bakheng was one of the first temple mountains to be built in Angkor, two centuries before its neighbour the Angkor Wat. Situated atop a hill, it is nowadays a popular tourist spot for sunset views of the Angkor region, offering a view of the Tonle Sap Lake and a distant Angkor Wat in the jungle.

The temple is usually overcrowded at sunset, sometimes even completely overrun by tourists, making Phnom Bakheng one of the most threatened monuments of Angkor

Angkor Wat from Phnom Bakheng hill at sunset.

TRAVEL | Robot Building

Another building we must check out while we're in Bangkok is the Robot Building, which was originally built for the Bank of Asia but now owned by the United Overseas Bank. This building is best viewed on the platform at the Surasak Sky Train platform.

Built by the Thai architect Sumet Jumsai during the 80's, the building is one of the last examples of modern architecture in Bangkok.