Asia - Chasing the Wow

Tubbataha Reef liveaboard

Tubbataha Reef is widely considered the best diving in the Philippines and is often compared to places like the Galapagos. It’s a remote UNESCO-listed reef system in the middle of the Sulu Sea, and the only way to visit is by liveaboard, typically over 5–7 days. This isn’t a place you just add onto a normal Philippines trip – it’s a trip specifically for diving.

What to expect – the diving here is all about big, healthy reefs and large marine life. Expect reef sharks, giant marbled rays, turtles, huge schools of fish, excellent visibility and dramatic wall dives (give the videos above a minute to load). The reefs are in incredible condition, and because of how remote the area is and how tightly controlled visitor numbers are, everything feels very untouched and wild compared to most dive sites in Southeast Asia.

That said, this trip isn’t for everyone. It’s relatively expensive, it takes 12-15 hours to get there, only available mid-March to mid-June, and you have to be happy living on a boat with little sight of land for the duration of the trip. Conditions can also be a bit more challenging than easy resort diving, so it’s much better suited to intermediate or experienced divers rather than complete beginners.

Is it worth it? If you’re a diver and you want to experience one of the best dive sites in the world, then yes – this is absolutely worth considering and is the top diving experience in the Philippines. But it’s a serious trip in terms of both time and money, so it’s the kind of place you go because you specifically want to dive somewhere world-class, not just because you happen to be nearby.

In a nutshell:

Probably the best diving in the Philippines
Multi-day liveaboard only – you can’t day trip this
Famous for sharks, giant marbles rays, big schools of fish and pristine reefs
Better for intermediate/experienced divers than beginners
Expensive, but a genuinely world-class diving destination

Mopeds along the Thai / Laos border near Chiang Rai

The Lonely Planet categorises the drive from Chiang Kong to Phayao as Thailand’s most stunning route, and I’d have to agree. This dramatic road hugs the steep mountainsides along the Thai-Laos border passing waterfalls, sensational vistas both into Thailand and Laos, and various national parks.

I’m sure you could easily do it as a tour, but its way more fun to hire some mopeds and zip along at your own pace, especially considering the hundreds of great turns and the surprisingly high quality of the roads.

Chiang Rai overnight trek into the nearby hills

The countryside around Chiang Rai is some of the prettiest in Thailand, and doing an overnight trek into the nearby hills and villages turned out to be one of the nicest surprises of our time in the country. This isn’t a world-famous trek and it’s not somewhere you go for dramatic, jaw-dropping scenery, but the combination of gentle hiking, rural scenery, village life and excellent weather (Oct-Feb) makes this a really enjoyable 2-day experience.

The trekking itself isn’t particularly difficult. You’re mostly walking through rolling hills, farmland, forest and small villages rather than steep mountains, and the experience is as much about seeing rural Northern Thailand and staying overnight in a village as it is about the walking itself.

Is it worth it? If you’re in Northern Thailand and you have a couple of spare days, then yes, I think this is a very good use of time — especially in January and February when the weather in this part of Thailand is close to perfect. It’s not one of the absolute “must-do” experiences in the world, but it’s a very enjoyable, easy adventure and a great way to see a different side of Thailand.

In a nutshell:

A 2-day / 1-night trek into the hills and villages around Chiang Rai
More “pretty countryside” than dramatic mountains
As much about the village stay and rural scenery as the hiking
Best in January and February when the weather is excellent
A really nice way to spend a couple of days in Northern Thailand if you like the outdoors

High-level tips:

#1 Go with the 2 days trip – 1 day would just be a bit rushed once you factor in the transport, hiking, food etc, plus you won’t get that sunset feel of being in the village. 3 days – whilst there is a lot of countryside, you’ll see that it is the same few highlight spots that get called out and 3 days will feel quite samesy.

#2 I’d recommend going with Bamboo Tours – we actually went with Rai Pian Karuna, who were well organised and nice but, as with so many of these things, our experience depended on the guide who unfortunately wasn’t great. After doing a bit of research, Rai Pian Karuna tend to simply get people from the villages (often with very poor english) to walk you from drop off to their village and cook for you at home – which is nice, but it felt a little bit of a waste compared to having a proper guide who showed you more. Note that Bamboo Tours rated 5/5 on Tripadvisor, whereas Rai Pian Karuna 4.2/5. Certainly, not the be-all-and-end-all, but indicative. Both were around 3000B (USD80).

#3 Try to go October to February – the weather is just perfect, with dry heat, bright blue skies, cool mornings and evenings, and hit afternoons. Plus, March is when they start the burning and you don’t want to be there for that.

#4 Chiang Rai itself is nice as a base, but no more – yes it has the temples and market, yes it has some nice hotels for recharging, but you are there for the surrounding countryside.

#5 The highlight of the nearby area for us was – Mopeds along the Thai / Laos border near Chiang Rai. Spectacular scenery and something fun about zipping about on the windy roads with a moped.

Exploring Chiang Mai

You’ll typically have to travel through Chiang Mai if exploring Northern Thailand, and its actually quite a nice spot to spend a couple of days to recharge before your head off on your next adventure.

Whilst it is developing at quite a pace, it still maintains a nice combo of chilled out vibe, ancient Old Town, plus having all the amenities and a bunch of things to keep you occupied for one of two days.

High level tips:

The Monk’s Trail to the temples of Wat Pha Lat and Wat Phra That Doi Suthep in the nearby western hills of the city is worth doing. The walk itself is nice, the temples quite cool and the views from the top worth it. You can walk from the Chiang Mai University, or, considering the heat, its easier just to get a Grab taxi (super easy to get) to the start of the trail
One of the main things Chiang Mai is famous for is Khao Soi — a Northern Thai curry noodle soup — and the best place to try it is at the night markets. Talat Pratu Chang Pheuak market was easy to get to, and aim for the Cowboy Hat Lady (you can’t miss her).
Have sundowners on the rooftop of one of the hotels / bars – Chiang Mai is flat, but surrounded by hills on all sides. The sunsets are beautiful, and would really recommend from Hotel YaYee
There are some fab restaurants in Chiang Mai – just wander through the streets full of them. Our favourite was Huen Muan Jai
Best time of year to visit is November to February – the weather really is perfect, with super clear blue skies, warm days and cooler nights. Don’t go in March – that is when the farmers do the burning and the air is horrible
The inner town is easily walkable, but its often easier to just set up a Grab account to get around. There seem to be thousands of them, really cheap and a bit of a life saver in the heat
If trying the weed, go very slow. We tried two of the joints and entered another dimension
Accommodation – we stayed at the Yesterday Hotel and would recommend

Nice opportunity to enter “Insanity” mode

South Bali – Beach Clubs, Restaurants, Villas and Surf

South Bali – places like Seminyak, Canggu and Uluwatu – is where most first-time visitors to Bali end up. This is the Bali of world-class beach clubs, great restaurants, cool villas, surfing, sunset drinks and lazy days by the pool. It’s fun and very easy to have a good time here.

But it’s also busy, quite commercialised and not really the “old Bali” you might be imagining. Traffic can be bad, the beaches in places like Seminyak and Canggu are not the best, and in some areas it can feel more like a very warm version of Sydney or Los Angeles than a remote Indonesian island.

So is South Bali worth visiting? Yes, the beach clubs are arguably the best in the world and justify a visit on their own. But if you want the real Bali vibe, mix it up:

South Bali – beach clubs, restaurants, villas, surfing
Ubud – jungle, temples, rice terraces, culture (and see the entry for Bali – in and around Ubud for tips)
North Bali – waterfalls, diving, quiet, “old Bali” feel (Northern Bali – Pemuteran, Lovina, Waterfalls & Diving)

2 days in Singapore

Similar to Hong Kong and Bangkok, Singapore is a place that people tend to pass through rather than visit purely for the city on its own. But, just like those cities, Singapore is really worth the stop over for a night or two. More than anything it’s great just to see what the “model city” could look like – wandering around has the combo feel of Disney Land / Truman Show / Stepford Wives meets tropical island functional finance hub, and it all … well … works very very well. Always worth a trip into the future.

I’ve listed below the top 5 things I really enjoyed doing, plus some extra tips.

Relaxing on the beaches of Phuket

Phuket is a beautiful spot to chill out at for a few days. ✅ Accommodation and eating options right up there in standard with just about anywhere. ✅ Beautiful sunset beaches. ✅ Great opportunities for partying / lash. ✅ Good scuba diving to the south. ✅ Enough scale to head off on trips all around the peninsular.

Yes, its touristy, but it ticks the chill out vibe after a few weeks of travelling or as a simple break from any of the nearby Asian cities.

Only a very brief travel entry, so a few high level tips:

Even if there for full on partying/ lash – try not to stay in Patong. It’s great for the nights out, but there are just so many wonderful options slightly further away in the hills and on the beaches for the same prices. Staying in one of these villas typically is the highlight for me
There are a bunch of islands off the east coast of Phuket that you can visit as part of day tour with a variety of operators leaving from Yamu Pier. The islands are great, but you just need to be careful who you book with because it is very easy to get rammed into a full tourist boat that won’t quite hit the paradise vibe you’re looking for
Definitely visit the Sunday Phuket Street Market in the Old Town – I was blown away by how good it was and just how atmospheric the old town is. Also known as Lard Yai or the Sunday Walking Street Market, located on Thalang Road, its open every Sunday from 4pm-10pm
When in Patong, even if not there for a giant night out, make sure to head to Tiger Bar . . . and you can’t miss Suzie Wongs. Both kind of sum up the Patong vibe with something like 50 different mini bars each with their own theme in Tiger Bar, and Suzie’s is an institution – be sure to go the original one!
There are some super spots for scuba diving all around Phuket, in particular the ferry reef dive off Raja Yai in the south is superb, with heaps of large cleaner fish that come up super close.

Live-aboard diving through Central Raja Ampat

Raja Ampat is, in my opinion, the best scuba diving in the world (very closely followed by the Galapagos). When combined with the stunning tropical paradise it is situated in and its remoteness leading to fewer fellow tourist numbers, it places it right near the top of any world travel experience, let alone purely scuba diving.

I’ve experienced it in 3 very different ways – 1. Staying in very basic local homestays that are dotted around the Central Raja Ampat islands and represent the cheaper option (US$900 for a week including all diving costs) – see Diving and staying in guest houses in Central Raja Ampat for the review; 2. On a live-aboard yacht, again in the Central area but with the luxury and flexibility for traveling to more remote spots (US$4,500) – the focus for this review; 3. Staying at the famous Misool Eco-resort based in South Raja Ampat that is within its own protected marine reserve (US$5,500) – see A week diving at Raja Ampat’s Misool Eco-resort.

The key question comes down to how much you’re prepared to spend and, often, availability in what is an area in demand. If have the money, a liveaboard (just about anywhere in the world) is hard to beat, especially in Central Raja Ampat. It gives you the flexibility to adapt to the conditions, travel through the simply glorious island settings and travel to some of the more remote spots, in particular Piaynemo to the far west. This is the second trip we took and were blown away.

If an adventurous diver, Raja Ampat, however you do it, is a must. By liveaboard it is the highest Wow factor you can get.

A week diving at South Raja Ampat’s Misool Eco-resort

Raja Ampat is, in my opinion, the best scuba diving in the world (very closely followed by the Galápagos). But even if you removed the diving entirely, this part of Indonesia would still be a “wow” destination – a spectacular tropical paradise of limestone islands, turquoise lagoons and empty white-sand beaches. It’s also hard to get to — and that effort is exactly why it remains so unspoilt, with far fewer tourists than places of comparable beauty.

There are three main ways to experience Raja Ampat (see below for details on all 3), but the most unique is the eco-resort of Misool in South Raja Ampat. Misool combines extraordinary diving with conservation, and the deepest sense of remoteness. It’s the option that best captures what makes Raja Ampat special: pristine nature, near-total isolation, and the feeling that you’re somewhere the rest of the world hasn’t quite found yet. An incredible story, and an incredible travel experience. Maximum Wow-factor score.

The Korean DMZ

The DMZ half day trip is really about having the split in the country brought to life. We’ve all heard the stories of Kim Yong Un and the parallel universe of the hermit kingdom of North Korea, but the way the story is told by the south Koreans as part of the standard DMZ tours is quite moving at times and makes it a worthwhile trip.

It’s also generally quite interesting for things like the civilian villages set up in the DMZ itself, the tunnels built by the North Koreans for surprise attack and being able to look into the country with the telescopes to spot North Koreans … all wearing black … marching in unison.

TOP TIP – push the tour company hard for you to make your own way to the ticket booth area. There are only so many tickets available each day for visitors to the DMZ, so the tour companies pick you up at some offensively early time from Seoul (5am ish) to get to the ticket booth, which is about 45mins away. You then sit around until around 1030am before you can enter the DMZ. Just give them your passport the day before – and get a taxi from Seoul at 930ish . . . far more civilised.