We had an uneventful 3 sea days on the way to New Zealand. We spent the time learning the new ship, which in our opinion has a bizarre layout. We are told that it is common for “Princess” ships to have a deck plan where one needs to walk up a deck, than down a […]
Sunset
Sandakan
We flew to Sandakan on a short hop flight (1 hour 10 minutes) from Kota Kinabalu. It is a city of over 500,000, the former capital of Sabah, and the gateway to many of Sabah’s wildlife attractions. We stayed at the Elopura Hotel, centrally located and somewhat threadbare. The prevalence of Islam was quite strong, […]
Bilit Adventure Lodge
An eco-tour up the Kinabatangan River in Borneo had become a bucket item for us on this trip. It was finally here! We walked up to our pickup point at Wisma Ku, about 6 blocks from our hotel. We drove a bit and stopped for lunch at the Sepilok Jungle Resort, a luxury spot, not […]
KK
In Malaysia there are “KK” and “KL.” “KL” is short for “Kuala Lumpur.” “KK is “Kota Kinabalu,” the capital of ( try saying that fast 3 times)the Sabah Province in Borneo. KK is known for nature and sunsets, although it is a bustling growing town. It is close to China, and there is a large […]
Langkawi – Near Disaster
So we left Vietnam looking for some downtime. We decided to checkout Langkawi, Malaysia, an island in the Andaman Sea near the border between Malaysia and Thailand. We knew it would be a tourist spot, what with it being an island, with beaches, and all of that, but Ellen was still recovering from her sinus […]
Phnom Penh
After Koh Chang and Siem Reap, Phnom Penh has been a bit of a shock to our systems. It is a fast-growing metropolis of about 2.4 million. Before the Khmer Rouge, it was about 2 million. It was less than 100 thousand after. Phnom Penh After Dark – We met up with Sherri and Marty […]
Kompong Khleang
Tonle Sap is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. It is very near Siem Reap, so there are a bunch of tours to various fishing villages. We’ve been told that the closest one is a tourist trap, full of scams. Kompong Khleang is the furthest from Siem Reap, and the most authentic. We signed […]
The Sunsets of Journey’s End
A Virtual Coffee Table Book As many of you know, we are complete sunset junkies. During our stay at Journey’s End, we enjoyed a sunset every night. None were ever the same. December 23
Journey’s End Homestay
Journey’s End is an island on an island. It is in the far less populated Southeast, near the end of a road, in the hamlet of Chek Bae. It is a bit on the hippy spectrum, certainly welcoming, unpretentious, mellow, delicious, beloved by guests and neighbors, and family. It gets many repeat visitors, and is […]
Happy New Year!
By now it’s the 2nd of the new year, and you’re probably waking up. Nonetheless, Happy New Year! We started the evening with a sunset. It just doesn’t ever get boring. There is a tradition here at Journey’s End, that we are all (staff and guests) invited to the landlord’s place across the street for […]