Thailand

Looking to tour Thailand to sites like Bangkok and Chiang Mai and to do much of the travel by rail. Information and ticket purchases are available online at SiamTickets.

Thailand Railway maps

Bangkok Metro map

Indonesia

Sumba is an Indonesian island resort that is the opposite of Bali - no wild parties or youngsters but a peaceful, relaxing resort area. NIHI Sumba is one of the best resorts there. Their specialty is a large variety of individual seaside "villas" but on the edge of the wilderness.

East Asia 2026

Look at Pandaw who have river cruises throughout Asia including Ganges, Mekong, Brahmaputra, Red, and Halong Bay.

Penang looks like a good destination and possible winter stay — see Malaysia page. It is also part of Portillo's Great Asian Railway Journeys.

Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur

I stayed at The Majestic, one of the nicest Colonial era style hotels, comparable to Raffles in Singapore. To get to and from The Majestic, take the KLIA Ekspres from the airport (terminal 1 or 2) on the 6 (purple) or 7 (light blue) line to KL Sentral station. (Line 6 is direct, line 7 makes 3 stops along the way.) At KL Sentral go immediately outside to the right to the dedicated parking spot for The Majestic's shuttle bus.

I visited the excellent war memorial on Nov. 11 - the Tugu Nagara. I just missed the official ceremony because they hold it on the nearest Sunday to November 11. It was nice to see that the Canadian High Commission had laid a wreath at the memorial on the day.

Visited Petronas Tower which is interesting. The view from the tower is okay. They note that the design (if you look at a cross section) is modeled on the Muslim Victory Tower in New Delhi.

The KL metro system is great.

Asia Rail Journeys

Research good rail journeys like the Sjourney in Vietnam (see Vietnam page). 

Look at Michael Portillo’s Great Asian Railways series on YouTube. one such journey is Penang to Kuala Kangsar.

Many stops of his stops have a lot of colonial era influences. The island of Penang is a ferry ride from Butterworth. In Georgetown, take the funicular to the top and visit the butterfly conservancy. Many heritage buildings in Georgetown are a must see. In Taiping, the former tin mines have been transformed into picturesque parks noted for the magnificent Rain trees.

Vietnam

Sjourney are a luxury train provider in Vietnam that goes from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City. The cost is $9,890USD. There is a good video on Youtube. There are also shorter journeys available.

Australia

Entry into Australia requires an electronic travel authorization (ETA) to be completed within 3 days prior to arrival but no earlier. See app below.

Perth/Fremantle

I stayed at Oaks Perth Hotel, 305 Murray St, Perth. Nov 13-16. A 4-star hotel. Take the Airport Line train to Perth Station. Do not stay there or any hotels on Murray Street (like the Ibis) because of the noise from partiers, especially on Saturday night.

Take the Airport Line to Perth Station, or take the 940 bus. CJ Explores stayed ar Mercure Hotel. Also suggested visit to King's Park and climb DNA Tower (the shape suggests the name). Murray Street [outdoor] Mall is like Asian malls, but looks interesting. See also London Court, Elizabeth Quay and The Island Brew House.

SITES
I want to visit the West Australia Military Museum in Perth.
The Perth Mint was definitely worth the visit.
I visited the WA Shipwreck Museum in Fremantle, very good.

The Perth Explorer website list the many tours available in and around Perth.

FOOD
Had a great steak sandwich at the Belgian Beer Cafe, located at the corner of King and Murray Streets in Perth.
Had an excellent cappuccino at La Veen, a chain of coffee shops, though, surprisingly, many are not open on the weekend! The one I went to close to my hotel was open on Saturday, located at 79 King Street. They also have breakfast and lunch sandwiches and wraps.

The best high teas in Perth. After enjoying one at The Majestic, I was looking for one in Perth.

Go Perth to Hobart.

Take SkyBus from airport to hotel district. See pickup and drop-off map here. Get off at stop #4 DoubleTree by Hilton which is beside Ibis Styles Hotel.

Ibis Styles Hobart, 173 Macquarie St. Nov 16-19 (Booking.com). Has a pool and self-serve laundry.

The Still LARK Whisky Bar, 30 Argyle Street, Hobart has a huge selection of Tasmanian distilleries including all from Lark Distillers. There are over 40 whisky distilleries in Tasmania!

I tried the Lark Classic Cask Single Malt - 43%ABV. Good smooth like Glenfiddich. Second tasting was the Dark Lark 2024 Single Malt - 43%ABV. Excellent as described in the tasting notes, on second tasting the sweetness comes out. 

Hobart Sites:
Battery Point
Jackman & McRoss Bakery
Ozus Coffee shop
Salamanca Market and area (market on weekend but go to visit anytime)
Irish Murphy’s Pub
For meals in Hobart try Elizabeth Street, or the Bangkok “City” area.
Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens

From YouTube video - CJ Explores:

Mount Wellington (1,271m, 4,170ft) is half hour drive from Hobart (car rental from East Coast Car Rental - right-hand drive) For 10% of rental use link - https://www.eastcoastcarrentals.com.au/cjexplores

Or take bus to Mount Wellington (GYG) - https://gyg.me/Dw5ShpeM

Hop-on, Hop-off Bus (GYG) - https://gyg.me/uDLXNlLg

APPS TO DOWNLOAD

Australian ETA