Hotel – Curious Bystander

Exploring Asia: From Singapore to Thailand

Yes, folks, I’m currently smack dab in the middle of a whirlwind 3 1/2-week adventure across Asia, with stops in Singapore, Thailand, Kuala Lumpur, Beijing, and even some islands off the coast whose names I can’t quite remember—oh, the joys of travel! First the Singapore airport:

With tea shops, coffee shops and designer good shops everywhere. You then realize just how modern / rich that this place actually is. And they were even selling Aberfeldy single malt.

It’s been quite the journey so far, and while I’ve got a ton of experience to share, let me bring you up to speed with the highlights of my trip thus far. First things first, let’s talk about Thailand.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about traveling to Thailand, it’s that the mainland and the islands offer two entirely different experiences. Our first stop was in Phuket, affectionately dubbed “Fuckit” by some (I’ll let you guess why). Surprisingly, despite its reputation, I found myself falling in love with the place. We managed to steer clear of the rowdy, party-centric areas and stumbled upon a more tranquil, family-oriented side of Phuket.

Our accommodation, priced at a reasonable £90.00 per night, was a stone’s throw away from a serene pool and just a short walk from the pristine beaches; and also offered gigantic breakfasts. Dining options were aplenty, with restaurants offering delectable dishes at a fraction of the cost back home. I mean, who knew chicken could taste so divine when paired with cashew nuts and black beans? Equally, the fish, presumably from the night before, was highly fresh and was easily inspected in ice, in front of each restaurant.

What struck me the most about Phuket was the laid-back vibe and the warmth of the locals. It’s no wonder that so many travellers find themselves drawn back to this idyllic paradise. From the moment we touched down in Singapore, after a slight delay, to the swift taxi ride to our hotel, which set us back a mere tenner, the ease of travel in this region has truly impressed me.

Stay tuned for more updates from my Asian escapade as I delve deeper into the vibrant cultures and breath-taking landscapes of this captivating continent. Until then, stay adventurous!

PS – This review, which I think is cheesy, was actually prompted by me, via ChatGPT Not again!

The Cateran Trail – Part 4 – Bridge of Cally to Blairgowrie – 2 years after the last post!

It’s been some time for us to post here about this walk, and we STILL have a couple of stages to do.

This was a very much shorter version of the trail and we did NOT travel from Kirkmichael, but from Bridge of Cally. So as as of now, there are only two parts remaining; Bridge of Cally to Kirkton of Glenisla & then onwards to Lair.

The first part, to be honest, was a mess of detours, gravel and confusing signposting; but we got onto the moor in the end. Just follow the fence for a few miles!

In total, it was just under seven (easy) miles on foot, with brilliant weather and all in a southerly direction. The terrain was also quite easy but with outstanding views.

It was actually a very easy walk, and the weather was outstanding.

Once on the “high” plateau, it was more or less downhill, with not much in between.

As I remember, there was only one, very small settlement on the way, that offered eggs for sale!

And there were still enough signs to encourage you that you were on the right track.

From here, it was more or less downhill to Blairgowrie (forgive the simply awful website!)

It was interesting, that Blairgowrie calls itself the Raspberry Capital of Scotland, and coming down from above, no doubt it being in a valley, contributes to its “warmer” Scottish temperature. You can see the raspberry plantings / farms below.

Before we arrived, we noticed an abundance of garlic under many trees, but believe that it is not edible? We didn’t try it!

The town itself was very clean and looked exactly as I thought it should. We decided to catch a reliable bus service, back to Bridge of Cally (it was very easy to do this), and have our tea there, at the Bridge of Cally hotel where we were staying.

I believe there are only a few stages left; which I hope to finish in 2024.

Craigower Hill – Another small walk in Perthshire Highlands

What a shot! And a “castle” in the background, but it’s not a castle, it’s Athol Palace Hotel.

And yes, that IS a golf course there, Pitlochry Golf Club. Excellent cafe by the way.

We tried a very minor walk, from Pitlochry, that darling Victorian town in Perthshire Highlands, to a small National Trust owned hill, Craigower.

What an easy, interesting and surprisingly steep walk / hike. It started in the town, or at least close by to the aforementioned golf club, and then after passing by it, you walk straight up (below).

At one point, it’s necessary to cross directly in front of the club house and 18th hole if you wish, we did a slight detour around the course via an easier road, and could look back at the course and Pitlochry.

After this, it was straight up the hill track.

I imagine it’s impressive on the “summit”, but we found another person, no doubt a little crazy, who was in the midst of a wild blueberry / blaeberry patch, collecting these for later use.

We decided to do the same, and to take in the views from the top. From here, it’s possible to hike down to the next settlement, a metropolis called Killercrankie, which has an excellent cafe / National Trust property.

We went back the same way, this time through the course.

Where we did lunch.

Tomintoul, Highlands, Scotland – A quick hot chocolate

I’ve been here in Tomintoul before several times; one after seeing a cheap deal on Wowcher or Groupon, and the second time, when I did the Speyside Way with friends, and used the youth hostel here for several nights accommodation. Well worth it!

Whilst there in the youth hostel, I was told that not only did the village have many more people years ago, but that it was a Gaelic speaking one. He also noted that the pronunciation should be, “DAW men dowl”. Finally, he stated that many of the existing houses are now AirBnBs, and the village tends to come to life in the summer when more people are living there.

It’s an interesting place, with not only a distillery for Tomintoul whisky just before the village, but it also has a very basic, grid street system.

We came here for a quick hot chocolate after seeing that the hotel we had stayed at years ago, the Richmond Arms, was not only open, but was advertising their wares with a street sign.

I noted that the village square is still there, and has a “designer” hotel, a village shop, pub restaurant / hotel, The Glenavon, and a tourist info / museum building, that provides much needed info on this area.

For those interested, there is the nearby Glenlivet Estate (yes, the same name as the whisky!), where a myriad of activities take place.

Europe – Start of my last trip, Hull to Rotterdam via the Ferry.

I have to admit, normally I prefer DFDS Ferries, but this slightly older P & O one was perfectly fine, though it was packed with families and their kids.

We had stayed the night before in York (blog soon!), and then caught the evening (early, almost missed it!) ferry to Rotterdam, from Hull. I prefer this, rather than going to Amsterdam, as I’ve always felt (perhaps wrongly) that it is easier to get out of Rotterdam.

And the room was plenty big enough, though it did not have a window. Not really bothered, as I was really only in the room to sleep and shower. Also, there was even a “desk”, though the Wi-Fi was simply too expensive to pay for; I believe it was 9 euros for 3 hours.

The partner in crime had the top bunk, whilst I took the bottom bed, and yes the pillows looked and were, not my cup of tea, but two of them together were just firm enough for a good night’s sleep.

And speaking of showering, it has always amazed me, just how much “kit” there is in one of these ferry’s bathrooms!

Complete, even with shower gel.

Next will be the road trip to the Black Forest.

Edinburgh Fringe; but first the Yotel Hotel, Edinburgh

Having stayed at the Yotel Hotel in Schlipol Airport, Amsterdam, earlier in the year, this was a welcome return to see just how they do, when it comes to something larger.

Yes, it was pricey due to the festival taking place, and it would therefore be quite interesting to see just what the “normal” prices are; but compared to our friend’s choice at the Travel Lodge just down the road (ours included breakfast; an excellent one if I can add); we had a bargain.

A couch & bed combined; the bed comes down

I can only say that whilst it was quite busy, it was still clean, orderly, and had very friendly, efficient staff. You check-in yourself, though we had a small problem which was sorted out quite quickly.

I don’t know why more places don’t do this? It was very easy to check-out, and leave the card.

The breakfast was excellent, and did NOT have watery scramble eggs! A bug bear of mine. And had a full-surround of Edinburgh on the walls.

The room was more than spacious, and had everything positioned, with the exception of having the towels hanging in the toilet cubicle?!, correctly, with a certain minimalistic style.

I would probably go back, if in similar circumstances.

What a lovely, trad place; Glasgow Central Hotel, City Centre, Glasgow

I’ve been here before, and after a recent BBQ at my bit, someone had the nerve to say that it is just so old-fashioned and out of date?

Really? They’ve overhauled this place some time ago, and now it not only is modern, but fits its place that it is trying to do. Our very own Ritz, if I may add!

We were there for tea and cake, but the design, service and accoutrements were brilliant – linen serviettes. The view was perfect for not only people watching, but also to see the piano players, hitting the plastic ivory.

Various internal shots of the Cafe

Even the food was class, with a pink cheesecake chosen for me.

It seemed to me, that this is primarily known and used as a bar / champagne bar (its title), but whoa to be had, with just a little walking around the city centre.

They even had a collection of photos from previous stayers at the accommodation in its heyday; ranging from Roy Rogers to Gene Kelly; though I did not see the photo of Diego Maradona, from I believe 1979.

Portugal – Part 3, Lisbon Centre (Alfama), food, some notes . . .

After settling into my hotel, and having a overnight sleep, tried out the breakfast; but in this case, there was none? Hence, decided to go around the corner to buy some croissants, etc.

I found a metro market called Auchan – which is actually a French based shop, and noticed one or two peculiar but helpful things.

_{Order / Collect – Interesting Idea}

One was the ability to order and then collect your food in an area at the very front of the entrance. I know there are shops here who do this, but maybe not to this detail; completely in English also!

The other was some bizarre (apologies for the black & white photo) chart on the wall at the entrance, describing something? Ah, the French strike again.

Instructions?

After this and some work, did a wander downtown, mainly to meet up with family in the Alfama region, of the city centre.

If you haven’t been here before, it’s a maze of hills, restaurants, yellow trams and tourists! OTOH, it is brilliant! Just go for a wander here, you CAN NOT go wrong.

Here, I walked by the coast and then by several places (Maritime Museum and a Taylors Port tasting room), that I will save for another day. BTW, the weather was awful, I seriously thought it was going to snow!

After this, I had a simply wonderful meal at one of the hundreds of places to choose from.

Restaurant in Alfama

Afterwards, used the metro to return to my hotel, and loved some of the wallpaper.

Lisbon Underground

Portugal – Part 2, Breakfast, 1st Class train to Lisbon, Lisbon walk & Curry

The next day, after a sound breakfast, which was interesting as the hotel was just opening up from lock-down, I caught the train to Lisbon, via first class (which was quite reasonable – only about £45 for a return).

Breakfast

After a short walk through Faro to the station, I noted that it seemed quiet, but that there appears to be some renovating and modernising going on about here.

Faro shots

After this, I arrived at the station, where I was very pleasantly surprised by the state and style of the train.

First Class section of Portuguese trains

The station was clean and though at first, I thought I would be the only one there, it filled up quite quickly, with many tourists from North America.

Station shots

With my carriage having one of those “old fashioned” type of doors, which I personally, find reassuring.

Old?

We got in to Lisbon Oriente, with it’s stunning ceiling, that looks better at night, if truth be told.

Lisbon station Roof

After disembarking from the train, and leaving the station, I decided to go for a long walk (about 2 hours) along the east side of the city, that included the Marvila section, to arrive at my hotel (via the underground).

The first part was severely modern, though like most major cities nowadays, has rental bikes.

Marvila area and bikes

The next part, appeared to be under renewal, and can only be a positive thing for the city.

Marvila renovations

Finally, after I reached a point just north of the Alfama Old Town section, I got on the very modern underground, to go to my hotel that was only a few stops north.

After I arrived at my room, a very utilitarian one at that, I was starving, so I

went around the corner, and was pleasantly surprised to find a curry house! I must say, it was lovely and had food that was served slightly differently than the places I’ve been to in the UK.

Curry with an attention to detail

Portugal – Part 1, the flight and a stay in Faro

First of all, I decided after looking at the ridiculous prices of flights from Glasgow and Edinburgh (direct flights) to Lisbon, to go from the little used Prestwick Airport on the west coast of Scotland on a flight to Faro. They mainly only serve Portugal and predominantly Spain, but at very reasonable prices.

Shot of Prestwick, direct from the Bus stop arriving

Firstly, it is so easy to get there, whether by bus (above) or train (below); much easier to get to than Glasgow Airport; still with no train link, though this was tried in the past.

Inside, the airport is very empty, short queues, and there’s even a wall bar (apologies for the photo), to commemorate Elvis Presley’s only stop in the UK, back in 1960. Though he may have had a secret trip (earlier) to London.

Various shots of Prestwick Airport

The flight was naturally with Ryanair, where I had one of their “deals” with tea.

Once in Faro (for the night), I stayed in a relatively inexpensive (50 euros) hotel, the Hotel Alfonso, that had the typical spartan, tiled look – all I needed!

It was interesting to be in Faro, as the centre of the city has seen better days, so with my late arrival, I had few choices to find a restaurant; though the one I did find (after hotel advice) was perfectly adequate; even with a large screen for the late football.

The Sto. Antonio (?), if that is what it’s called, served a variety of dishes, mainly Portuguese, but it was a gentle introduction to the cuisine I would be eating for the next few days.

Salad and Gazela green wine

With even the little things, like presentation, quite different to what I am used to. I had one of the “green” wines that the Portuguese do so well – In this case, it was a Gazela wine, and at only 9%, it was quaffable and not too heavy.