I am back in Japan, hoping to avoid bears. CLICK HERE to read the latest update.
On October 26 I will once again head back to Japan for a 4 week stint, which will be my 11th time. The USA election will be on, I am usually there....
My third trip to Korea in 2 years is over. CLICK HERE to read about it in full.
On March 30 I will head back to Korea for 4 weeks. My 6th time there. Somehow there will be an election on again while I am there to give me somet....
My 10th trip to Japan is now complete. CLICK HERE to go to read the entire thing from the start.
After cancelling 3 times in 3 years due to Japan remaining closed from snotty foreigners, it looks like from 28 October I will finally be able to ....
I was back in Taiwan for the 5th time. CLICK HERE to read the whole trip from the start.
Apparently war might break out in Taiwan any day now. So from 27 April I will head back there for a month long holiday, my 5th time in Taiwan. Thi....
I was back in Korea for the 2nd time in a year. CLICK HERE to read the whole thing from the start.
I have changed my whole site to be dark mode. Dark mode is everywhere now. I think it might even be default mode on Windows 11? So to de-boomerize....
It seems I have unfinished business in Korea. From 3 November I shall return for more hiking and gawking at stuff. This is mainly because it is th....
1st COVID era trip is now complete. CLICK HERE to read the whole thing from the start!
I have not been to an airport in 2 years after previously going every week. Finally places are opening. I have jumped on the change to go to South....
OK, years ago this site had a really short name. Someone bought it off me for too much money to decline. Then I chose another name, which existed ....
My short trip to Cape Otway is over. CLICK HERE to read it from the start.
I am now at Cape Otway looking at a lighthouse. CLICK HERE to go to the latest update.
So... COVID is still going full swing in most places around the world. Australia is much better off than nearly anywhere, travel within Australia ....
UPDATE: ALSO CANCELLED, Corona Virus. Oh so very predictable. I have now booked my trip for November 2020, back to Japan for the 10th time. The cu....
UPDATE: CANCELLED, Corona Virus. Similar to last year but slightly different, from early April I will be spending 4 weeks split evenly between Kor....
My 9th trip to Japan is now completed. CLICK HERE to go read it all from the start.
From the 26th of October I will be spending 4 weeks in Japan, again, in what has become an annual pilgrimage around November. This time I will be ....
The FRANGLAND trip is now complete. CLICK HERE to go straight to the full trip report. My n....
Work is sending me to Europe for 2 and a bit weeks from 5 July. Since I have a new camera I will probably do my usual format of long boring arduou....
The Korkong trip is finished. CLICK HERE to go straight to the extra long full trip report!
From the 30th of March I will be spending 4 weeks in South Korea, Hong Kong and Southern China. Specifically, 4 nights in Seoul, 4 nights in Daeje....
As threatened, here is my second retrospective of a previous trip FACILITATED by my need to re-edit, re-export and re-upload all my photos so that....
This will be the first of a few retrospective introspective reflections on past trips I have taken which have been triggered by my need to re edit....
For the sake of fake self-importance, I am going to write this as if someone actually reads anything that appears on this website. If you are rea....
As the title suggests, this is going to get really technical. I will be discussing Adobe Lightroom, retina screens, css resizing, view portals, IC....
Just east of the Sumida river is the main Sumo stadium. I thought at first I had never been there before, but it turns out I have, because I have ....
OMG it is raining again. The good news is that a few days ago I adjusted my hiking schedule based on the rain being forecast for Monday and Today,....
I have been on enough trains already today and already taken enough photos today so this evening I just went on a stroll to Ginza and back. I was ....
I have done this hike before, in 2015, when I did a hilarious rant about how Japanese girls have 2 different voices, one for when they are with th....
Evidently, it is supposed to be runny. Monjayaki is the sister to Okonomiyaki, in the family of grill it yourself foods with cabbage. Tonight I we....
Japan is famous for its punctual trains. On this trip this has not been my experience. I have frequently been on delayed trains, delayed local tra....
Tonight I went to a busy under cover shopping street that is a bit out of the way but thriving, the "Palm" at Musashi-Koyama. It is possibly Itali....
It is 25 degrees (celsius) today, that is far too hot. The world is coming to an end for the 7th time (check your history). What all this means is....
This is a very small update because I was only out for an hour. Ordinarily when I get back from hiking very late I go in the shower then straight ....
Historically I like to go to Japan every November. Last year I made my triumphant return after an enforced 3 year absence. This year I am back once again for another routine visit.
I am once again heading back to South Korea for more of the same. It has been 18 months since my last visit. Somehow my visit once again coincides with a major election and the ensuing strike action of everyone.
The various emperors and princesses of Japan finally allowed me to return for my 10th visit after 3 years of deciding I was genetically too snotty to enter.
Assuming the invasion has not yet started, I will head back to Taiwan for a 5th time. Visiting Taipei, Yilan, Keelung and Taichung.
Returning to South Korea for unfinished business for the second time in a year. Japan still did not want me back, so I will instead go back to Seoul, Gwangju and Daejeon.
First proper trip in years due to COVID. Lets hope it goes ahead. I will be going to a few places, Seoul, Suwon, Daegu, Busan, Yeosu then back to Seoul. There will be boring mountain photos.
I do not normally add local (within Australia) travel to the full trip format on this site, however due to COVID I have not been able to travel overseas. Therefore to make sure I can still use my own site, heres a small trip.
Yes I know I go to Japan a lot. Every year in fact. This will be the 9th time. This time I will be making a clockwise loop North of Tokyo to some smaller towns I have not been to before. Lots of mountains!
Work is sending me to Paris, London and surrounding areas for a packed 2 weeks of work. Therefore do not expect the usual quality and quantity of amazing updates on this trip. Or maybe all my meetings will get cancelled and I will just roam around Europe. Who knows.
Returning to South Korea for the 3rd time which is still waiting for reunification with the auspicious North, before heading to already reunified Hong Kong, a place I have not visited for a few years, from where I will board the new bullet train to provide field observations on the glorious journey to Guangzhou.
My trip to Japan this year will be a lot of time in Tokyo, but then also flying to Naha on Okinawa, then back to Fukuoka, then a train to Nagasaki then flying back to Tokyo. More planes than trains, hopefully no typhoons, definitely a lot of mountains, maybe bears, surely mildly offensive.
It looks like Russia and the USA are going to war over Syria to distract people from the situation in North Korea while at the same time China is running rings around Trump on issues related to trade.
To solve this I am returning to mainland China to become the new modern Marco Polo, providing exaggerated reports on my field observations as I travel in a great loop around the middle kingdom.
Negotiations with Kim Jong-un have broken down. Mutually assured destruction seems inevitable. North Korea have threatened to sink Japan with a volley of nuclear fire. I am left with no choice, travel once again to Japan to personally man the global missile defence shield. The fate of the world rests on my shoulders.
In a slightly less highly original move than Japan6, I am going to Taiwan4. Which is code for I am going to Taiwan for the 4th time.
Taiwan is part of the reaffirmed one true China and lies to the east of the glorious mainland but well within the 9 dash line.
In a highly original move, I am going to Japan for the 6th time.
I will be gone 27 days, travelling West from Tokyo then to Hokkaido to fight bears before coming back via Fukushima.
I am going to England and then Germany for work. I may invade Poland and then escape via the alps.
Because I am mainly working, do not expect the normal level of bullshit.
Also, I made it so the Europe page works on hand held devices like phones and stuff, it is experimental, so if it is not working properly please shut up.
With Australia entering final negotiations to pay the Imperial Japanese Navy to construct a fleet of submarines capable of sinking rickety Indonesian fishing boats, its time for me to head over and make a deal to ensure a first strike nuclear capability is included.
I am going back to Korea to sort out the heiress nut scandal, re float the sunken ferry, agree a ceasefire with Japan over the comfort girl apology drama, buy the freedom for the mentally handicapped slaves on the farming islands and welcome Kim Jong-un to town during the reunification party.
I did not go anywhere for a year, which sux. So this time I am going for a full 3 weeks at least, to Hong Kong for 4 days, Japan for 8 days then Taiwan for 9 days.
Taiwan is not Thailand. Educate yourselves.
2.5 weeks in western China, split between Chengdu and Chongqing, land of the giant panda hotpot. Thanks to the three gorges dam I did not experience a flood.
A really short trip over an extended weekend to Tokyo managing to squeeze in a visit to a mountain and Kamakura.
Back to China again, visiting many cities around the Yangtze river delta, observing the tomb of Sun Yat-sen and taking a stroll around the fantastic west lake.
A brief stop in Tokyo before taking the Shinkansen to Osaka in Japan followed by Taipei and Keelung in Taiwan.
China, mainly Shanghai and Beijing including the new bullet train in between and a visit to the great wall.
South Korea - specifically Seoul, transiting via Hong Kong and Taiwan and then back through Japan.
Taiwan via Hong Kong with a visit to Macau returning via Singapore and who knows where else.
I cant seem to stop going to London for work, this time I made a side trip to Paris
I went to Tokyo in Japan and then Hong Kong again purely for a holiday. The first of many visits to Japan.
I went to London to work some more including spending time in Hatfield, then on the way home I went to Hong Kong and took a ferry ride across to Macau.
I went to London for work and a holiday. Lots of work, not much holiday, although I did go to Oxford.
16 days travel from Australia to India and back, via Malaysia both ways. Staying Mainly in Chennai, this was a working visit.
A lot of photos today. Great light for hiking photos so I will try to be brief here. My hike today was from the last station on the Ishikawa line....
Very long hike today. Huge number of photos. I got lost early on and ended up on the expert course, which was really quite difficult. I only made ....
Today I went to the Gyeongju Namsan mountain. Everywhere has a Namsan mountain so I have to be specific. As mentioned I was not sure if this would....
This was my third time climbing Palgongsan. Obviously I like it. I received feedback that I share too many pictures, so I decided to completely ig....
I thought it would take longer! My day started at 5:12am as I had planned and warned myself. My bag was already packed with drinks and snacks and ....
It took 2 trains to get there and 4 trains to get back. 2 hours there 3.5 hours back. It was raining but not enough for me to get wet. There was a....
Naturally when you go to a place you have never been to before, the first thing you do is scroll the map and find the highest mountain possible to....
Today I had an all day battle with trains. First of all, I made a mistake I have made before. If you have a Suica/Pasmo/Icoca/Toica/Kitaca etc. th....
Today I went to a hike I have been on previously. If you look up hiking in Taichung, this will come up at the top of the list. The Dakeng trails a....
Today's hike has about 9 different names. You can find it referred to as Marian or St Marian's hiking trail, the sacred mother trail, Shengmu hiki....
If you suffer from chronic flatulence, then today's hike is for you. It was my third time doing this hike, and the first time when the peak was no....
I have been here before. Last time I was here, it was raining, foggy, misty, wet and there was no view at all. I just did a re read of that day to....
I have done parts of this hike before. It was fantastic, and admittedly last time had a clearer view. Today I got on the right bus immediately, a ....
Today was an excellent hike, probably a top 5 hike! It was just about 5 hours, about 14km, 30,000 steps, great views, great weather. The only issu....
Before we get into it, just now on the TV behind me in my hotel room was an ad for a new robot. It is about 3 feet high, and on a base similar to ....
Title is a humble brag, but compared to the last 3 hikes, this one was very civilised and easy. It was still long, about 16km in total including a....
The main attraction in Suwon without a doubt is the wall that circles the city. Well it almost completely circles a part of the city, there is one....
Lets get going with this. The main National Park within the suburbs of Seoul is Bukhansan. It is huge. There are lots of subway stations for hiker....
Dont let the above title fool you. Today was an excellent hike. Lots and lots of photos so I wont type too much here. I say than often then type a....
Today was the longest hike of the trip so far. Unless I get lost somewhere on my 3 remaining hiking days, it will likely remain the longest hike o....
I have been here before and done exactly this journey before. Top tip for using my site, click the search thing and click the tag for the name of ....
There will be no crater lake photo. There will be lots of photos of ice, lots and lots of ice. It is hard to photograph the wind, but I think you ....
Lots and lots of photos today, so I will do most of my boring nonsense dribbling with the photos. In summary, today was one of my best hikes ever....
Its the second day of a three day weekend here in Japan, and people are daytripping all over the place. So I decided to go to a very popular spot.....
SPLENDIFEROUS weather. No wind, no cloud, forecast max of 21C. You know what that means. Todays hike was out on the Chuo line. This line was badl....
Awesome weather, lets get hiking! Todays hike started from Mitake, the main village up the very picturesque and familiar to me Ome line. Most peop....
Today I went to the second most popular mountain near Tokyo, Tsukuba. Strangely I have not been here before, I thought I had, but my memory was wr....
Like the title says, the first thing I noticed tonight, no traffic. The daily consumption tax thing for crossing the red line and entering the cit....
On previous trips I have been to the eyefull tower, I have been to the champs a lease a and I have been to the arch of trump. I had not been to th....
Last full day in Hong Kong. Last opportunity for a hike. Good weather. No jokes no tangents no segue, lets get going. Shit too late, until just no....
It was supposed to be pouring with rain all day. I got up and peered out the window, it looked like any other rainy day. I went outside thinking I....
So, 7.5 years ago I came to Korea, and climbed over Gwanaksan. You can find that by looking at my old trip report from 2011, ALL MY CONTENT IS ALL....
Today I spent many hours hiking in fog. The actual place was called Gyeryongsan national park, which is located a short bus ride to the west of do....
YESSSSS!!! Today I get to upload about 1000 almost identical over sharpened over saturated photographs of brown mountains with grey rocks. The goa....
Well that all took longer than expected. So long that I didnt even come back to the hotel between todays activity and dinner, more on that later, ....
Today was a long day, a long day hiking near Tokyo on a Saturday, which meant there were other people. At times lots of other people, but at other....
As you shall see, today is all about the bridge, but also a tunnel, and also Mitsubishi, and also a more than 30km great loop around the Nagasaki ....
Hangzhou was nice the last time I came here, apart from the areas that were huge muddy holes in the ground with all the buildings removed on both ....
Today I went to another top tourist attraction, the summer palace. I had never been there before. Parts of it are modeled on the famous west lake ....
The pollution came back, but the weather is still good. Its Monday so crowds should be low, time to go to the great wall of China. When I went in ....
OK, I took 43 pictures today, so this description will be brief, and lacking any kind of tangents or bonus observations not related to the day. I ....
Today I went to Nara, fought off a lot of deer, walked 35km including through a primordial forest, and was again thwarted by the typhoon from goin....
Today I took a train, walked through the city then strolled up a small mountain, took in the view of Fuji, hopped on a short ropeway ride across a....
Its my last full day in Taiwan, so its time for one last mountain! According to most people, its the greatest mountain possible to climb in a day ....
There were 3 things I was sure I wanted to do whilst in Taiwan on this trip. Go to Taroko gorge, go to sun moon lake, and climb the teapot mountai....
Today I went to Taroko Gorge, one of Taiwans 2 main tourist attractions. Dont worry I am going to the other one as well later in my trip. I know y....
Today I had to wave the white flag and retreat back down a mountain I did not even intend to climb. The plan was to go to a remote station with a ....
I thought there might be a bit of snow. Turns out there was endless snow. I thought it might be cold on top of a mountain, turns out it was absolu....
Today I climbed one of Japans 3 sacred mountains located on the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route. The alpine route goes from Toyama, across, above and....
Somehow I deleted what I wrote here? No idea how. Oh well. I think it spoke about how I climbed the mountain swatting at various bugs.
It was a long fun day. Opinions were mixed on if climbing the highest mountain in Germany, Zugspitze (2962m), was possible so early in the season.....
Its a national holiday, theres only one mountain of note that people living here go to, its peak leaf season, the internet warned of jam packed tr....
Theres not a lot of mountains near Hiroshima, but I found them anyway. Todays mountain of sorts, was called Mount Noro, which is in Kure city sout....
Its Friday the 13th. I cant quite provide a night on a bald mountain to celebrate, but I can instead go up a bald mountain on a very grey day. I s....
Today was an excellent, long day. So long in fact that I was gone almost 12 hours. I opened google maps and scrolled around until I saw mountains.....
The last mountain! It was the most technically challenging, with lots of sheer rock faces to ascend with footholds and cables and opportunities to....
Sorry to disappoint, but it is again mountain hike day. Todays hike was to Baegundae peak in the hugely popular Bukhansan national park, by far th....
I woke up excited, mountain day! I leapt out of bed and felt minor pain, in my ribs. My bed is so hard I believe I have bruised ribs whilst sleepi....
In about 1600, Korea and Japan were having one of their regular wars. To stop this, Korea decided to build a wall along the mountains that surroun....
It was with a deep sadness that today I ascended my final mountain of this trip. Tomorrow I fly out of Taipei at 19:30, connection in Hong Kong at....
Today I went to Yangmingshan national park, just north of Taipei. I have been there before and got lost, its huge, theres a lot of different peaks....
Koreans love hiking. It is the national past time. Hiking in Korea, more specifically South Korea, is very very convenient. It is not uncommon for....
Time for another list. Taiwan is full of mountains. By some statistics it is the most mountainous country on the planet. By other statistics it is....
OK so here it is, another attempt to get people to find my website and explore its extensive content. Google and therefore people seem to like ord....
My Ricoh died in a water related incident so its time for a replacement under insurance. A Canon G1X III. It is a little bigger than the Ricoh but also has an APS-C sensor with stabilisation, but also introduces a zoom lense and weather sealing.
Another year another new camera, this time a Ricoh GR III. Back to an APS-C size sensor, fixed 28mm lens, same f/2.8 max speed as my old Fujifilm x70, except the Ricoh adds in body stabilisation. Small, fast, no lense cap.
I already bought another new camera, a Sony a7ii. This is a full frame mirrorless camera, I also bought a 28mm f/2 lens to screw onto it. It will be interesting to see how it compares to my smaller aps-c fixed lens Fujifilm x70 which I also love.
If you are sick of reading about foreign travel, here are a heap of 'photography journals' taken around Australia using my Fujifilm x70 camera I bought in 2017.
If you are feeling really nostalgic, here is a tonne of really old content dating back to the 1990's. Its not guaranteed to work and its probably useless to try looking at this stuff on a mobile device.