A symbol of modern Beijing: the ‘Bird’s Nest’ Olympic stadium

When I worked on the launch of a new travel trade magazine in 2006 one of the major discussions between the writers and editors was the choice of cover story for the first edition. As we were based in Dubai we had thought of going with the boom of the United Arab Emirates, but, hey, that would … Continue reading »

Inside the Forbidden City – Beijing, China

From the outside you would be forgiven if you find the Forbidden City as slightly daunting. Constructed in the early 1400s and consisting of more than 900 buildings the Unesco World Heritage site is absolutely huge – and, as I said in the Beijing top 10 guide, it’s a city within a city. Once inside … Continue reading »

Beijing: top 10 things to see and do

For all our previous city breaks we had limited the stay to no more than five days as this would usually be enough time to see the major attractions and to explore. This was not the case in Beijing. We had originally booked five nights then were going to head to another region of China, but … Continue reading »

Going inside the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea

When I told friends and family we were going to South Korea many people jokingly asked if we would be going to North Korea as well. Let’s just say getting a tourist visa would have been a bit of a challenge so the closest we could get to the North was to visit the Korean demilitarized … Continue reading »

Seoul tourist guide: top 5 things to see and do

After spending the week on the beach in Busan in the south of the country we made our way north to Korea’s capital for a five-day city break. Here are my top five things to see and do in Seoul… 1. Palaces and temples There are many historical sites that you should see in Seoul … Continue reading »

Video: Street rapping in Busan

The rise of the ‘K-Pop’ phenomenon is bringing Korean music to listeners all over the world – but in the country itself there is so much more to see if you are a music fan. When we visited both Busan and Seoul there was huge amount of live music not just in the bars but … Continue reading »

Review: Wow Guesthouse, Busan, Korea

Even though I read reviews of hotels and hostels when researching trips, I don’t ever actually write my own – but on this occasion I think I should post about the Wow Guesthouse in Busan, Korea. We found the Wow Guesthouse listing on the Hostel World website and it was an ideal choice as we wanted to … Continue reading »

Haeundae-gu: the home of beach, beers and BBQ in Busan

There was one main reason why we included Busan on the itinerary for our Asian adventure: we had to hit the beach! After visiting the cities of Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima and Fukuoka during our travels throughout Japan it was decided that our first stop in Korea would be a relaxing one. Busan, South Korea’s second … Continue reading »

Taking the Beetle ferry from Hakata to Busan – Japan to Korea

If you are looking at travel options between Japan and Korea forget booking a flight – the best way to go is via the Beetle ferry. Travelling between the ports of Hakata (Fukuoka) in Japan and Busan in South Korea there are 4-5 crossings a day which take 2hours 55minutes. Because we were travelling in … Continue reading »

Hiroshima Peace Park, A-Dome and museum

When walking round the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum it was chilling to watch the films and read about the dropping of the atomic bomb on August 6, 1945. I’m not going to get into the politics of why atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima or Nagasaki, this is not the platform, but what I do want … Continue reading »

Kyoto tourist guide: top 5 things to see and do

If Tokyo is Japan’s financial, administrative and entertainment capital, then Kyoto is its capital of culture. Kyoto city centre is much like another other in Asia, but what sets it apart is the number of temples, parks and cultural attractions that can be found within walking distance of the main tourist and business areas. With … Continue reading »

Japan travel features: Lake Kawaguchi-ko and Mt Fuji

Before you ask, I must make a horrible confession, I did not climb Mt Fuji. Some people will call it laziness, some will call it boring, but what I will say is that there were a number of different factors (excuses) why I did not make the big climb. When we arrived in Lake Kawaguchiko … Continue reading »

Tokyo tourist guide: top 5 things to see and do

  1. Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building Observatory Located in the Shinjuku area of Tokyo – where most of Lost in Translation was filmed – the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building is a perfect start to anyone’s Tokyo adventure. With two observatory platforms (one in the north building, one in the south) visitors can get great aerial views of Japan’s … Continue reading »

Tokyo: the city of dreams

When I first caught the travel bug there was one place that I just had to visit: Tokyo, the capital city of Japan. Japan, and Tokyo in particular, has always fascinated me. It wasn’t that I had great knowledge of the country or the culture, in fact it was the opposite. The fact that I hardly knew anything … Continue reading »

A walk around Lamma Island – Hong Kong

Here’s a travel question for you: how many islands make up Hong Kong? Ten? Twenty? Fifty? Nope, it’s actually 235. The biggest is Lantau, where you can find the international airport, but in my opinion the most striking is Lamma Island. In just a 20-minute ferry ride from Hong Kong Island’s Central pier 4 you can escape … Continue reading »

Hong Kong tourist guide: top 5 things to see and do

On August 11, 2011 my wife and I finally achieved one of our ambitions: to quit work and go travelling. Having spent the best part of a year working long shifts, weekends and saving as much money as we could, we arrived at London Heathrow to catch our British Airways flight direct to Hong Kong … Continue reading »

The top sporting events in 2012

You may have missed out on tickets to the London Olympic Games, but don’t despair there is so much more to look forward to in the 2012 sporting calendar. From snow sports to festivals to the top quirky sports events, 2012 will be action-packed. If you are organising a stag do, a family holiday, a trip … Continue reading »

New Year’s Eve travel ideas: Edinburgh, Scotland

I must admit that New Year’s Eve has never been a favourite night for me. It’s not that I don’t like to party, drink and be merry, but the number of times I have paid out on inflated prices for ultimately a deflated experience has left me somewhat a NYE bore. In 2010 I decided … Continue reading »

My first visit to the Dubai Sports City Cricket Stadium

When I lived in Dubai from 2005-2008 one of the major projects taking place in the city was the construction of Dubai Sports City – a world-class sporting area that would feature stadiums, academies and housing. Although a number of facilities have been delayed due to the world financial crash one project that has come … Continue reading »