Chad Is Everywhere

Pedaling Deggendorf  By day 5 of cycling this tour along the Donau the body was starting to say "that'll do". Not to say that this cycling trip was a grind, or a wrong decision. No it's just that I was shattered, and no matter what I did, ate, or drank after the daily ride would matter. I was tired. The rides now were fairly relaxed compared to earlier in the week. There was a definite increase in the amount of bitumen as I approached Passau nearing Austria. And reality was the distances between towns was mostly getting shorter. Metten side step I was also getting much more relaxed about the weather by this stage. It's a much easier decision to just allow the time to take a diversion, or a iced chocolate break when you're not concerned it's going to rain.   On this day I remember the constant though of just taking the side trip to a side town just beyond the main path. However that little side trip was a few kilometres each time. A...

Lisbon is the darling of the tourism world at the moment if you take the time to read the travel websites. Portugal is of course the place you should be, as all other countries are considered old news. And to add to it's attraction Portugal is priced nicely too. Although busy it's not Barcelona, nor London. Lisbon is a place many travellers visit after they've seen some of the more famous European cities. Yet if I remember my educational history of ocean explorers of the 1600s I really am under selling the importance of Portugal as an influencing country of the ages. Portugal is though for size punching above it's weight. A bit like Australia really. Perhaps why I like it. It is in the shadow of Spain trying to get attention. So in retrospect it's probably more like Canada. I suspect their tourism slogan is "we're not Spain". It's a shame really because from what I've seen Portugal really is an under explored gem of a country. I still don...

So I arrived in Rotterdam as planned to end my European tour. Eva and Marnix were my former guests from Rotterdam. They were the main reason I was making a small side step into Rotterdam instead of Amsterdam. And from the get go they didn't let me down. I was off the train and with bike in hand within 5 minutes. How awesome is Rotterdam once you have a bike? I must say it's really, really awesome if you have a busted up ankle. Because Rotterdam is as flat as a tack. The biggest hill is the incline of one of the bridges over the river bisecting the city into two. Don't worry true to form I let Marnix know I hate hills. He just smiled. So upon arrival into Rotterdam I had merely dropped off the bag and we were off. Off on the the roads of Rotterdam where cars actually not just respect bikes, they treat them with kid gloves. Whether you're going the wrong way on a one way street, or crossing at an intersection cars know to give way. And bikeriders rely on it and hence ...

Time had come for me to take a 2hr train ride out of Budapest and onto Vienna, Austria. Importantly the move also signalled another significant change. From here I was down to Hostels not Hotels. The Austrian prices and recent move down of the Aussie dollar certainly made this a more understandable decision. Within 3 hrs of arriving in Vienna I had met up with some of my former couchsurfers. Although not based in Vienna they had made a trip for a concert that night in Vienna. Interestingly it was the band that had been victim to the Parisian attacks in 2015. They were continuing their tour in Europe and this was the makeup concert for the event schedule that had abruptly stopped. My friends had expected to see these guys months ago. Instead they were off to the concert that night, and it coincided with my arrival into Vienna. Day 2 of Vienna saw me take to the streets in the morning. I followed the map as best I could to follow the circled list of icons. The standard Church, Ra...

By the time I hit Budapest my health had me into management mode. With only a week of the trip expended I though that if I managed the oncoming cold I'd be able to enjoy the remainder of my trip. Alas what I missed out in Budapest was some of the regional delicacies I had been suggested to partake in. Sometimes it was just easier to skip than others. A giant size Nescafe was never on my agenda but the cool weather made it tempting. But I had already tried a local coffee shop that morning to only find it didn't know what a mocha was. I took an easy option in Budapest. With 3 nights I took a 48hr hop-on hop-off bus. Again. What was I thinking.... previous travels only confirm I've hardly seen a good one of these. And well after 2 days I would say the value was questionable somewhat. But thanks to the included boat cruise option I would say it was ok. I was though disappointed the buses only operated about 6hrs a day on one of the 2 loops. However it was winter and I guess...

Abu Dhabi is another of the surreal cities developed thanks to oil money and extravagant wealth of royalty. Visiting here was always going to be about seeing my friend Natalie, and adapting to the lifestyle that is here. It is surreal. And it is also amazing. The city with it's buildings and hotels are to be experienced if but once. No running on the square First off on the tour of Abu Dhabi was the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Everything about this place is grand. It was the number one thing you have to do in Abu Dhabi. It's religious traditions mean that one must be dressed head to toe and women must have their hair hidden. Failing this you are directed to the car park changeroom for gowns. After initially being prevented from joining the 2pm walking tour we managed to join on. Lots of marble to keep polished This was my cultural experience, And learning experience. A bit of Muslim knowledge, and plenty about the Mosque, it's construction, and the praying procedu...

I've taken another short Asian trip. Sure mainly for sanity. Timing was an issue. I tried to it to coincide with university holidays and Easter break. I hit neither. Damn 2014 reference calendars. Anyway.... I'm now in Kuala Lumpur. Something old before I explore something new. I always feel comfortable travelling here. So much Western culture influence with the diving in and out of Eastern when I want. For example take this morning. I have already ventured out from the hotel. In search of food I decided to go straight to a giant upscale shopping centre, The Pavilion. I tried looking for something filling for breakfast. Was thinking something with bread... So I got Char Kway Teow. Whoops not even close. But it is my favourite Malaysian street food. I'm now cleansing the palette with a Starbucks coffee. Something is not right with the milk flavour. It's ok. But not quite normal. But importantly I found a great barrista. She got my name right. Corrected her collea...

When in London I had a day free before the wedding. Unlike usual trips where I might go see something with my friends I was left to my own devices. After all my friends were slightly busy with last minute wedding planning. They also had a million and one family and friends arriving. I know how to share their time. And I'd be visiting again. This free time worked in perfectly as what I usually don't have in London is family visiting at the same time. Until now that is. My Aunt and Uncle were on a big trip of their own to Paris and London for a trade fair or two as a part of their interior design business. This was perfectly timed for a catch up in London. And they had a great plan of going to the Ham Yard Hotel for afternoon tea as it was associated with a well known designer. I don't know names so I can't quote them to you. But I knew it would be a great experience. The hotel doesn't look to be in my normal travel budget. But that doesn't stop one from go...