We're Moving...

If you've noticed I've gone a little quiet lately, it's because Wild World Travel is getting a makeover, and we're moving to Wordpress. It's almost finished I promise... watch this space!

A Cruise Down the Yangtze River

A short video I took during my 3-day cruise down the Yangtze River in 2013. This video was taken during a day-trip out to see the 'little three gorges'. 

Traditional Drummers in China

Here is a video I recently uploaded to YouTube, showing a small clip from a wonderful drum performance I saw at the Drum tower in Xi'an in 2013. These performances are made several times daily for tourists and are included in the price of the entry ticket to the tower. It was a wonderful performance, very impressive indeed. The clip below captures quite well the skill of the performance.

The Bund Sightseeing Tour

The Bund Sightseeing tour in Shanghai, also known as the Psychedelic Tunnel, is definitely one of the stranger attractions I visited in China. From the Pudong to the Bund, this tunnel will provide you with probably the weirdest 5 minutes in Shanghai (although there's no guarantee you won't find something weirder out there!).

It's a little over priced, frankly, at 50 yuan per person (about £5), and I definitely wouldn't bother with the return journey! Considering the ferry across the Huangpu river costs about 20p per trip and includes beautiful views of the water front on both sides (assuming you can see past the pollution), the Psychedelic Tunnel is definitely something you only need to do once. It's worth it though, if it's on your way.

The Bund Sightseeing experience (which doesn't actually involve seeing any sites, of course) also includes some other, potentially weirder, exhibits, including a 'Freaks' exhibit. They were quite expensive though and I opted not to visit.

I'd love to hear from anybody who has braved the even quirkier exhibits on offer here (post a comment if that's you!)

InterRailing Around Europe Part II

In the summer of 2008 me and a childhood friend took off on an ambitious InterRail trip around Europe, visiting Rome, Venice and Prague before we ran out of money and cut our trip short. Although it had its ups and downs, I loved my first InterRail trip, and this summer I decided to plan another one.

So, this August, I'll be checking out a few of the finer cities in Western Europe:

• Amsterdam
• Rotterdam
• Brussels
• Bruges
• Paris

Watch this space for more details!

Wild Travel: Warthog in South Africa

Here's a video of two warthogs I recently uploaded to youtube, filmed in the Kalahari Desert in South Africa in 2009.

Beijing Street Market

My first experience of Chinese street food - edible insects on sale in a market in Beijing

And here's how I got on giving some of the wigglier food a try:

You can read about my trip to Beijing here.

TopTips: Train Travel in Europe

InterRail - A Beginner's Guide

InterRail provides train passes for European residents when traveling around Europe... by train... 

The scheme boasts major discounts on some train travel, and the freedom of hop-on, hop-off travel across the majority of European countries (see exceptions below). If you're not a European resident, you can take a look at Eurail passes instead. You can by passes to cover a single country, or to cover the whole of Europe. However, you do need to check in advance whether or not the country and / or train you are traveling on uses reservations, as this will restrict your travel a little. 

Passes aren't valid in your country of residence, so you'll have to make your own way from home to your first destination, and back again from your last.  

Top Tips for InterRailing in Europe

• Find out which countries on your route require ticket validation at the station before you go. If you get on a train without validating your ticket you could be fined or be forced to buy a whole new ticket. In countries where tickets are validated (e.g. Italy), you will see a yellow box attached to a pillar or the wall somewhere in the train station building, usually close to or on the platforms. If you're lucky, they'll be dotted about all over the place. You can validate your ticket by inserting into this machine on the day you travel. Don't worry about this if you have an InterRail pass, though as the dates will be on there already.
• Find out in advance if the train you want to get uses reservations - this is true for many trains especially high-speed and sleeper trains. Rest easy, you can make reservations as you go by popping along to the local train station where they will happily reserve you a spot on any train up to 30 days in advance. Alternatively you can book as soon as you've got your InterRail pass through the post by phoning the appropriate call centre for the country you're visiting. This cost is not included in your interrail ticket, though. Often, there may be a slower route available without reservation.
• Most trains have some kind of food service, whether that be a dedicated restaurant cabin, a small kiosk or a trolley service, you can usually bank on getting some light refreshments on board. Nevertheless, it's a good idea to stock up on some essentials before you board.
• Arrive in plenty of time - European train stations vary between countries, can be busy and large and quite disorienting. Different countries have different rules about how long before departure the doors will be locked. Turn up early and don't be left behind!
• Some of the trains in mainland Europe are double-decker and they're great fun!

The Big Finish

And it's over. Finally time to come home. Today I will fly back up to Tokyo, and tomorrow I continue on to London. I am scheduled to arrive home around 3pm (GMT) tomorrow.

New Zealand Loop

In New Zealand I am taking a hop-on, hop-off bus around the North and South Islands, I'm not sure of my exact schedule during this period, that's sort of the point! So, this is a map of the rough route I will be taking over the next month.

Flight to Auckland

Today I fly to New Zealand to begin the final leg of my adventure.

Flights, Farewells and New Frontiers

Today I say goodbye to my travel companions and return to solo travel for the remainder of my trip. This evening I fly to Melbourne, arriving early (7am) tomorrow morning.

Komodo Loop

Over the next 6 days, Terri and I will follow a loop around the Indonesian islands of Flores, Rinca and Komodo.

Flight to Bali

Today we head south and into Indonesia, for a few days relaxing in Bali.

Northern Borneo

For the next 10 days or so I'll be travelling around Northern Borneo. In Kota Kinabalu I'll meet up with my friends Lynne and Terri, and from there we will explore Kinabalu National Park, climb Mt Kinabalu (hopefully!) and visit Sepilok and Turtle Island, finally returning to Kota Kinabalu.

Flight to Miri

Southern Borneo

For the next 5 days I'll be travelling around the southern part of Malaysian Borneo, from Kuching to Sibu.

Borneo Bound

Finally I embark on probably the most anticipated part of my trip - Borneo! I'll be flying today from Bangkok to Kuching, via Kuala Lumpur. I am due to arrive in Kuching around 2pm (local time).

Down to Bangkok

Flight to Chiang Mai