Nokogiriyama and Daibutsu

Daibutsu sits peacefully on the mountain side.

Across the bay from Tokyo lies the Bōsō Peninsula; to north end you will find Narita airport where a lot of people fly in to experience the wonders of Japan. My work in Tokyo always takes place towards the southern end of the Peninsula, in a town called Kimitsu, which I have written about before. On this occasion, I had a bit of time up my sleeve and so I asked my interpreter for some ideas of things to see and do. One of his suggestions was to check out the Ropeway up to the top of Nokogiriyama, Chiba prefecture's "sawtooth mountain".

Back in Bangers

You're not in Bangkok until you've taken a spin in a tuk-tuk.

On the 9th of July, 2016, I finished up yet another visit in Saraburi, to the north of Bangkok; it's become one of my most frequented areas over the past year or so. Following on from this, I was schedule for a trip up to Japan, but not due to start until the 15th. So, instead of flying home for 2-3 days, I booked into a hotel in Bangkok and took some time to recharge. My fiancée was able to find some cheap flights from Taiwan to Bangkok on Scoot / Nok Air, and so she joined me for a few days of tuk-tuks and noodles and shopping.

Matt and Mum Do Scotland, Part 2

PART TWO: Monsters & Whiskies & Lochs, Oh My!

2016-03-29 to 2016-03-31

Beautiful views over the Scottish Mountains.

We waved farewell to the lovely fishing town of Oban to continue our journey around Scotland on Wednesday 29^th March. Our next destination was in the heart of whisky land: Lossiemouth in the Speyside.

Just a Hint of Manila

From my latest visit to Cebu, I had to stop over for two nights in Manila before heading home. With a day trip out to a customer in the rugged mountains to the north, my company's local agent suggested I stay in Makati, just south of the city itself. I booked in at St. Giles Hotel for my first proper look at the country's capital.

Radisson Blu and Cebu City

Last week, I found myself back in Cebu, almost a full year since my last visit, when I went swimming with the whale sharks; an amazing experience! On this occasion, I returned to the Radisson Blu and spent 6 very enjoyable nights there, taking in as much as I could from what was on offer.

Fuji Five Lakes and Hakone

Another work trip to Japan, one of my favourite countries in the world! Once the work was over and done, my fiancée flew in to meet me at Narita airport. We had arranged a couple of nights in the Mt. Fuji area; neither of us had seen Fuji-san in all its glory before, so this was a bit exciting!

Matt and Mum Do Ireland, Part 9

PART NINE: The Heart and Soul of The Republic

2016-04-05 to 2016-04-09

Dublin's Spire reaches to the heavens.

Well, it had been a pretty full on five weeks, touring around Ireland and Scotland. And what better place to finish off for the last few days than in the well-known capital of the Republic of Ireland: a city with a history almost as long as Ireland itself, Dublin.