General travel that can’t be lumped under more specific travel styles, such as bicycle touring, railway-focused travelling, cruising (once I get to that age!), etc.
USA Trip – 2009 26th September, 2009 This afternoon, after spending the morning in Manhattan, I decided to visit nearby Jersey City. I had no real purpose, only just to take a bit of a walk around and maybe take some photographs. So I hopped on a PATH service to Hoboken station. After leaving the station, I found myself walking along the Hudson River Waterfront...
Today I decided to take a walk along the Yarra. The sun was out, and the weather was fantastic. It certainly didn’t feel the barely double figures it really was. The Yarra River runs just off to the side of Melbourne’s city centre. It is commonly referred to as being an upside down river, due to its colour. It is a working river, with the occasional...
Today, with my one of my sisters and brother-in-law (my wonderful hosts for this week), I went out to Lorne, which is situated on the Great Ocean Road. First, we had breakfast at The Farmer’s Place. They’re a newly established café, located on a working farm. They grow their own food, and cook up some fantastic meals. Their bacon and eggs are quite good...
A visit to Melbourne, in winter, is not complete without going to an Australian Rules football game. Melbourne literally lives and breaths football. For Melburnians, it’s a way of life. Colloquially, the game is known as either Aussie rules, or just plain footy. Each team is made up of 18 players, with a game’s length lasting for four quarters of 20...
The St. Kilda Pier is a Melbourne icon. Built over one hundred years ago, it formed part of the St. Kilda resort, which the area was known for at the time. Over the years, St. Kilda has changed much. However, the pier has remained, along with the nearby Luna Park. Two shelters, halfway along the pier. But, in 2003, that all changed. The pier’s kiosk was totally...
Ever since high school, I’ve had an interest in railways. Over the years, this interest has waned and grown. After the year 2000, my interest had grown to new heights. It was then, when I learned about the Tehachapi Loop, in south-central California. It took about five or six years, before I made it there. The loop, itself, is a spiral measuring just over a...
Today (October 4), my hosts, Luyan and Xining (who will be getting married in a couple of days – which is why I made this trip to China) took me, and the rest of our party, out to a few of the nearby attractions. Our first stop was the local salt lake. I didn’t take any pictures of that, as the haze from the pollution was quite thick. Our second and third stops...
In 2005, Ningbo was twinned (became a sister city) with Nottingham, in the United Kingdom – the city that I was born in. One of the things that came out of this twinning, was the establishment of a campus of the University of Nottingham. The Ningbo campus is one of two outside of the United Kingdom. The other is in Malaysia. A walk around the campus quickly...
Many people know about Shanghai’s Bund. However, not many know that there is also a Bund in Ningbo. Ningbo is a city with a rich maritime history, with a deep water port. Because of the city’s location, it had dominated the trade in the region, making it easy to transport materials, such as cotton. Today, it’s not as busy. And river traffic is certainly nowhere near...
Moon lake is located just to the west of Ningbo’s CBD (Central Business District). Moon Lake was actually one of two lakes – the other being Sun Lake (which no longer exists) – located within the city’s walls. From north to south, it measures about 1 km. So, a leisurely walk can easily take a couple of hours. Northern end of Moon Lake...