This year is a milestone birthday year for me but unlike other years where I usually plan an epic birthday trip, I can’t really do too much this year because of the timing of my impending tourist guide license assessment. (Yes, I’m working on becoming a licensed tourist guide in Singapore!) Regardless, it’s been a pretty epic start to the year so far. For starters, the 13th edition of Lonely Planet Singapore that I co-wrote is finally out in print! It’s always been one of those lofty daydreams that baby travel writers have when they first get started, to see your name on one of these guidebook ..read more

On this Niigata road trip, I had a few days to spend checking out the Echigo Tsumari Art Field. Besides visiting various art installations spread across the rural mountains and farmland of this region, some of the artwork has been integrated into accommodation and I managed to book an overnight stay at the coveted James Turrell House of Light artwork. Read on to see my review of this experience and what you can expect. Experiencing James Turrell House of Light I don’t think of myself as a particularly artsy person, but over the years I have developed my own way of appreciating art, and Japan a ..read more

I didn’t plan to do much on my recent trip to Hanoi. As a last minute getaway before starting my new job, the plan on this Vietnam trip was just to relax and eat, eat, and eat more of Hanoi’s awesome street food. I put together a list of what to eat in Hanoi, including some recs that I didn’t have time (or stomach space) to get to. Table of Contents Hanoi street food culture Phở Bò (rice noodle soup with beef) Bún Chả (rice vermicelli dipped in soup with pork) Bún Riêu (rice vermicelli crab-tomato soup) Chả Cá Lăng (fried turmeric fish in dill) Bánh Mì Sốt Vang (beef stew in red wine sauce) C ..read more

One of the highlights of my trip to the Penghu Islands was getting to see the annual Penghu Fireworks Festival 澎湖花火節! Happening every year in summer, this is one of the events that draws the crowds to these Taiwan offshore islands. I put together a little guide to help you plan your Penghu trip and know what to expect for this event. Looking for more Penghu posts? Check out my Penghu guide post to plan your trip and some Penghu hidden gems to add to your itinerary. Penghu by drones Table Of Contents What is the Penghu Fireworks Festival? Where does the Penghu Fireworks Festival take place ..read more

2023 has been a year~ Lots of travel and new things happened, changes were afoot! Here’s my annual round up to prove that you can get a good amount of travel done even with limited days off with a full-time job, reflecting on the year that passed and looking forward to the new year ahead. Total number of days travelled in 2023: 42 I had 18 days of leave and managed to stretch it to a whopping 42 days of travel, though to be fair about 7 of those days were not quite on the clock (more on that explained below), but in general from my past round ups, I usually manage about 30+ days of travel incl ..read more

Xiaoliuqiu is a Taiwan offshore island made entirely out of coral and famous for its abundant sea turtles. Though it is one of the smaller islands, Xiaoliuqiu’s proximity off the shore of Pingtung makes it a very popular Taiwan weekend trip with its perpetual sun, sand and sea. Here’s my guide on things to do on Xiaoliuqiu as a solo traveller and tips on what to check out. Taiwan‘s offshore islands are some of my favourite places to visit and Xiaoliuqiu was my first stop on my Taiwan island adventure that included Penghu and the Matsu Islands. Check out my IG highlights to see some photos and ..read more

While working on a travel writing assignment up in Malaysia‘s state of Melaka, I ventured outside of the vibrant Melaka City heritage area and one of the places I discovered was this strange little island called Pulau Besar which makes for a rather interesting Melaka day trip if you’re into offbeat areas and doing a little hiking. Here’s my Pulau Besar guide and tips on how to get there. Table Of Contents About Pulau Besar How to get to Pulau Besar Getting to Anjung Batu Jetty Getting to Pulau Besar Things to do on Pulau Besar Northeast: Jetty area East Coast: Tombs and Camping Southeas ..read more

On this trip to Japan where I was accompanied by my friend Y, I finally had a chance to do a Niigata road trip which turned out to be a lot of fun, and I thought I’d share some of my experience driving in Japan and more of my thoughts and tips in case you are thinking about doing your own Japan road trip. I don’t often drive when I travel because most of the time I travel solo and the cost of renting a car for one person is usually too expensive to justify – it becomes much more affordable the moment you can split the costs between two or more people, but for a solo traveller it’s usually much ..read more

Taiwan‘s Matsu Islands consists of a cluster of islands – Nangan and Beigan are its two main islands because they have airports that connect them to Taiwan’s main land. Beigan feels to me like the quieter of the two islands – here’s my list of things to do in Beigan and what to see when you visit. This article is a guide to Beigan, you can also check out my Nangan guide, or have a look at my overall Matsu Islands guide if you are planning a trip to these Taiwan offshore islands. I recommend coming during the Blue Tears season if you can, it’s a real magical sight. Table Of Contents How much ..read more

Nangan is one of the Matsu Island’s main destinations and one of the places I visited on my recent trip to the Matsu Islands. I spent 2 nights there and put together this little post on my recommendations and things to do in Nangan if you are planning to visit these Taiwan offshore islands for yourself. This article looks at the sights and things to do in Nangan. Check out this other post for more practical information on how to get to the Matsu Islands and Nangan. I have another post all about Matsu Island’s Blue Tears as well. Stay tuned for my Beigan post! Table Of Contents How much time ..read more