Sunset Over The Mekong

After landing, I took a taxi to my accommodation, FAA Apartment. This accommodation was a great choice. For $34/night (a little dearer than my usual budget, admittedly), I got a whole studio apartmentEn savoir plus
Chou Anouvong Park

After sunset, I wandered around Chou Anouvong Park observing the locals and peeking into the clothing stores that popped up there in the evening. After a short rest back at the apartment, I went outEn savoir plus
Ho Phra Kaew

The next morning, I set off to cover the monuments east of my apartment. I planned to visit the monuments around my apartment in the afternoon. My first stop that morning was Ho PhraEn savoir plus
Wat Si Saket

My next stop was Wai Si Saket. This temple stood out because there a rectangular building surrounding the main wat which had hundreds of old Buddha statues. The wat itself had a less polished, moreEn savoir plus
Patuxai

The Patuxai was an interesting diversion from the temples. Modeled on the Arc du Triomphe, one can climb to the top to enjoy views of the city and its wide boulevards.En savoir plus
COPE Visitor Centre

During this walk, I explored the unexploded ordnance (UXO) issue further when I visited the COPE (Cooperative Orthotics and Prosthetics Enterprise) Visitor Center. COPE assists not just UXO survivorsEn savoir plus
Wat Si Muang

I liked Wat Si Muang a lot. It housed the old city pillar, and there were odd little lion heads sticking out of the ground around some of the pillars, and there was a mailbox to send merit to lovers,En savoir plus
City Pillar Shrine

The new City Pillar Shrine was a stone's throw from Wat Si Muang.
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That Dam

My last stop before lunch was That Dam (Black Stupa), an atmospheric stupa inside a traffic circle.En savoir plus
More Wanderings

After a noodle lunch, I looked at the various temples around my lodging. I was templed out by then. The temples in the area were all interesting but they all started to blend into oneEn savoir plus
Teochew Opera

After dinner (my final larb and sticky rice in Laos!), I wandered around a bit and I heard some noise coming from the Chinese temple at the riverfront, so I went in that direction. At the temple, IEn savoir plus
Vientiane to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi

Bangkok Airways PG944 | VTE/BKK
Economy Class
Aerospatiale ATR72-600 | HS-PZA
ATD/1150 | ATD/1330
Bangkok Suvarnabhumi to Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia Airlines MH783 | BKK/KUL
Economy Class
Boeing 737-800 | 9M-MXI
ATD/1648 | ATA/2007
Lounge: Miracle Lounge
Kuala Lumpur to Singapore

Malaysia Airlines MH609 | KUL/SIN
Economy Class
Boeing 737-800 | 9M-MLK
ATD/2310 | ATA/0013+1
Lounge: Golden Lounge Main Terminal
Singapore

I spent a few days in Singapore enjoying family and friends. The highlight of my time there was yet another trip to the cat cafe!
Singapore to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi

Thai Airways TG414 | SIN/BKK
Business Class
Boeing 777-200ER | HS-TJB Uthai Thani
ATD/1558 | ATA/1723
Lounge: Royal OrchidEn savoir plus
Overnight Transit in Bangkok

I flew to Bangkok on Tuesday November 28th and took a shuttle to my prebooked hotel near Suvarnabhumi Airport. After checking in, I wandered out for dinner at a noodle stand, and then I found a goodEn savoir plus
Bangkok Suvarnabhumi to Melbourne

Thai Airways TG461 | BKK/MEL
Business Class
Boeing 777-200ER | HS-TJR Nakhon Sawan
ATD/0810 | ATA/2139
Lounge: Royal Orchid Lounge
Arrival in Melbourne

My flight from Bangkok to Melbourne was long but pleasant. I landed a little late at 9.30pm. When I turned on my phone, I saw a message from Trixie saying that she had already sorted out the car andEn savoir plus
Collingwood

We spent our day in Melbourne wandering around a couple of edgy neighborhoods. First stop was Collingwood. We had breakfast in a Japanese inspired restaurant named Cibi located in a restoredEn savoir plus
Yarra

Our next stop was another nearby suburb located in the City of Yarra. Here, we walked past what appeared to be a public housing project, and we explored the community gardens and library near there.En savoir plus
CBD & Chinatown

Our last suburb stop was St. Kilda where we ate lunch (a yummy grilled barramundi, salad, and chips) and had a coffee, and we also looked at the beach briefly.
After that, we returned to the CBD toEn savoir plus
Yarraville

I would have liked to explore Melbourne a bit more, but, unfortunately, Southeast Australia’s biggest storm in a decade was headed eastwards to Victoria after dumping a lot of rain on SouthEn savoir plus
Split Point

We hit the coastline proper not long after our visit to the chocolate factory. The rain came in spurts and there were brief periods of heavy rain, but overall it wasn’t too bad. I enjoyed the longEn savoir plus
Apollo Bay

We reached Apollo Bay, our overnight stop, around 3pm. As the rain wasn’t bad (it was cold and windy though) we walked around town and shared two dinners - fried snapper and chips at one shop andEn savoir plus