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World Tour

2003

  • Trip 2:  Jan 03 — from Hobart, Tasmania, Australia by sailboat to Recherche Bay

    ...this was the first leg of the trip aboard Yoko from Hobart to Melbourne.

  • Jan 05 — by sailboat (overnight) to Port Davey
  • Jan 07 — by sailboat (overnight) to Melbourne
  • Jan 09 — by car to Moorabbin

    ...stayed at the home of Robin and Val, the owners of Yoko.

  • Jan 18 — by tour-bus along the Great Ocean road; and back to Moorabbin

    ...with stops to see the Twelve Apostles and London Bridge.

  • Jan 19 — by tour-bus back to Moorabbin
  • Jan 22 — by train to Melbourne

    ...finally bid farewell to Robin and Val and moved into the city to be closer to the sights and night-life.

  • Jan 30 — by plane to Sydney

    ...where I met up with old friends (from other parts of the world), made new friends, and had lots of fun in the sun (and rain!).

  • Feb 13 — day-trip (by ferry) to Bondi Beach and back

    ...this was one of the best days of all the many wonderful days I had during my time in Australia.

  • Mar 02 — by plane to Christchurch, New Zealand

    ...on the last day of my visa, I was booked on a flight to New Zealand; but when I got to the airport, I realized my wallet had gone missing; probably stolen the night before while I was watching the Gay Mardi Gras parade in downtown Sydney; so I had to stay and wait for replacement credit cards to be sent from the U.S.

  • Mar 24 — by plane to Bangkok, Thailand

    ...in order to put off the inevitable job search for as long as possible, I decided to go back to a country where I could live cheaper and stay longer; though still without my replacement cards; thanks to UPS, they were enjoying their own tour of the world - going everywhere, it seemed, except where I was.
    ...using points from my AmEx card, I booked four free flights - Sydney => Bangkok => Tokyo => Manila => Sydney (via Singapore).

  • Apr 06 — by bus to Ban Phe; by ferry to Koh Samet

    ...a quick trip to relax on the beach.

  • Apr 07 — by ferry to Ban Phe; by bus to Bangkok
  • Apr 14 — by bus to Pattaya; by ferry to Koh Larn

    ...another quick trip to a nearby island (not as nice as Koh Samet).

  • Apr 15 — by ferry to Pattaya; by bus to Bangkok
  • Apr 20 — by plane to Tokyo, Japan

    ...to meet up with a potential business partner, an American man I met in Beijing; and to see a couple of ex-girlfriends. ;-)

  • May 03 — by plane to Osaka

    ...to connect with my free flight to the Philippines.

  • May 04 — by plane to Manila, Philippines

    ...the third free flight of my extended itinerary.

  • May 13 — by plane to Cebu City
  • May 17 — by van to Panagsama

    ...fun in the sun.

  • May 21 — by van to Cebu City
  • Jun 01 — by van/bus/ferry to Malapascua

    ...maybe my favorite island in the Philippines - no cars, no noise, no pollution.

  • Jun 07 — by ferry/bus/van to Cebu City; by high-speed ferry to Dumaguete

    ...my first venture to the island of Negros.

  • Jun 09 — by jeepney to El Dorado Beach Resort

    ...decided to try the beach resort at El Dorado south of Dumaguete.

  • Jun 10 — day-trip (by dive-boat) to Siquijor (see-kee-hor)

    ...where that old black magic is still alive and well.

  • Jun 11 — by bus to Dumaguete; by high-speed ferry to Tagbilaran; by van to Alona Beach

    ...my second favorite beach destination.

  • Jun 14 — by van to Tagbilaran; by high-speed ferry to Cebu City

    ...as I said before, you can't go anywhere around Cebu Island without going thru Cebu City.

  • Jun 20 — by high-speed ferry to Tagbilaran; by van to Alona Beach

    ...didn't get enough of it the first time.

  • Jun 24 — by van to Tagbilaran; by high-speed ferry to Dumaguete

    ...didn't get enough of this place the first time either.

  • Jun 27 — by plane to Manila

    ...waited until the last minute to go back for my flight out of the country; okay, not quite, I still had a few days to spare.

  • Jul 02 — by plane to Singapore

    ...the last of my free flights; and they almost didn't let me do what I wanted; my flight was actually from Manila to Sydney with a change of planes in Singapore; when I said I wanted to get off in Singapore, they said they could only check my bag thru to Sydney; but, in the end, they let me go only as far as Singapore.

  • Jul 08 — by night-train to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    ...it didn't grab me any more this time than it did during my first visit in March of 2001; only stayed one night.

  • Jul 10 — by night-train to Surat Thani, Thailand; by bus to Ao Nang

    ...I was actually trying to get to Railay Beach, but the only access is by boat, even though it is attached to the mainland, and I arrived too late in the evening to make the crossing.

  • Jul 12 — by boat to Railay Beach

    ...arrived just in time for rainy weather. :(

  • Jul 14 — by boat to Ao Nang; by bus to Phuket

    ...this is one of the two most visited islands in Thailand, yet it wasn't until my fourth trip to the country that I first visited this island.

  • Jul 18 — by van to Don Sak; by ferry to Koh Samui

    ...the other popular island.

  • Jul 21 — by boat to Don Sak; by bus to Surat Thani; by night-train to Bangkok

    ...considered getting certified to teach English at this time, then decided against it.

  • Jul 31 — by night-train to Chiang Mai

    ...met up with Minja, a friend from South Korea whom I met in Australia; during her summer break from teaching, she decided to visit Thailand and wanted me to be her guide.

  • Aug 06 — by night-train to Bangkok

    ...sightseeing, for Minja's sake, in Bangkok.

  • Aug 13 — by night-train to Surat Thani; by bus to Ao Nang; by boat to Railay Beach

    ...performing dutifully as guide for Minja, visiting the places I've been before and liked.

  • Aug 17 — by boat to Ao Nang; by ferry to Phi Phi

    ...on a *very* windy day, providing for a *very* rough crossing. :{

  • Aug 23 — by boat/bus to Phuket

    ...now not pressed for time (to meet my friend), decided to go back and stay a while longer.

  • Aug 29 — by van to Surat Thani; by train to Bangkok; by bus to Ban Phe; by boat to Koh Samet

    ...bypassed Bangkok this time and went straight to another of my favorite islands.

  • Aug 31 — by boat to Ban Phe; by bus to Pattaya

    ...it was raining at Koh Samet (the least-rainy of the rainy-season islands); went to Pattaya to visit yet another Hard Rock Cafe - no really, I swear, I wasn't there for the go-go bars. ;-)

  • Sep 02 — by bus to Bangkok

    ...almost time to leave; things to do before I go.

  • Sep 08 — by plane to Manila, Philippines

    ...back again for the third time; this time, the main reason was to evaluate an internet cafe on the island of Bohol that I was thinking about buying.

  • Sep 15 — by plane to Cebu City
  • Sep 16 — by high-speed ferry to Tagbilaran; by van to Alona Beach

    ...where I met with the owner of the internet cafe I was thinking of buying.

  • Sep 17 — by van to Tagbilaran

    ...where the internet cafe was located, so I could spend a few days hanging around the place, checking it out thoroughly; in the end though, I declined.

  • Sep 20 — by high-speed ferry to Dumaguete

    ...it was raining in Dumaguete and I couldn't connect with my friends, so I left after only one day.

  • Sep 21 — by high-speed ferry to Cebu City
  • Sep 26 — by van/bus/boat to Malapascua

    ...back again to my favorite island.

  • Oct 02 — by boat/bus/van to Cebu City
  • Oct 06 — by bus to Panagsama

    ...another great place to relax.

  • Oct 11 — by bus/boat/bus to Dumaguete

    ...finally connected with my friends; went back to see them.

  • Oct 20 — by ferry to Siquijor

    ...for a few days away with one of my friends from Dumaguete; but our timing was off, we went during a typhoon, so it rained the entire time we were there.

  • Oct 24 — by ferry to Dumaguete

    ...spent so much time here, I really got to like it; decided to stay a while longer.

  • Oct 30 — by plane to Manila

    ...back to prepare to leave the Philippines.

  • Oct 31 — by bus to Angeles City

    ...decided I didn't want to stay in Manila for my final week, so I went to nearby Angeles for some rest and relaxation. ;-)

  • Nov 06 — by bus to Manila; by plane to Bangkok, Thailand
  • Nov 09 — by bus to Ban Phe; by ferry to Koh Samet

    ...with my new-found friends Tom (from Germany), and his girlfriend Nam (from Bangkok), whom I had met on the plane from the Philippines to Thailand.

  • Nov 12 — by ferry to Ban Phe; by bus to Bangkok

    ...more fun-filled nights out with Tom and Nam before heading off to Phuket to start school.

  • Nov 14 — by night-train to Surat Thani; by bus to Phuket

    ...this is where I spent four weeks in school to get certified to teach English; it was a lot of hard work, but along with the many new friends I made at school, I managed to have a lot of fun as well.

  • Nov 30 — day-trip (by ferry) to Phi Phi and back

    ...along with a group of my fellow-teachers, we spent the day enjoying the sun and surf in Phi Phi island.

  • Dec 13 — by plane to Bangkok

    ...met up with three other fellow-teachers and enjoyed the night-life of Bangkok.

  • Dec 15 — by plane to Manila, Philippines

    ...flew with Tina, another fellow-teacher who is Filipina-American; she was returning to the Philippines to spend the holidays with family.

  • Dec 19 — by plane to Cebu City
  • Dec 23 — by high-speed ferry to Dumaguete

    ...to spend the holidays with friends there; New Year's Day was pretty wild - and quite loud as well.