Travel highlights from 2013

I've been trying to think of my travel highlights for 2013. It's a difficult task as there are so many to choose from. This has been a massive year for travel, with three overseas trips for me and a few domestic travels scattered in between.

March

A 25 day journey through Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and Japan. There were so many highlights, orangutans outside of languid colonial Kuching, amazing Taiwan, early cherry blossoms and onsens in Japan, but what sticks in my mind is the simple ryokan at the quiet but beautifully isolated town of Gujo Hachiman.

April

My first ever black tie event as I was invited to the Qantas-Emirates Gala Dinner. It's so saddening to hear of Qantas' recent woes.

June

In June we said goodbye to that unloved icon, the Sydney Monorail and a premature farewell to the service of the Boeing 737-400 at Qantas with return flights to Canberra on a tumultuous day in the capital.

July

I flew by myself to Japan to revisit the island of Shikoku and finally complete my dream of riding the entire length of the Sanin railway line.

August

My turbulence nightmares returned flying back from Canberra on a Qantas 737-400 through very bumpy skies.

September

Alex and I were invited aboard a specially decorated Qantas Boeing 767-300ER for the premiere of Disney's Planes, complete with a water canon salute and a flight to nowhere and return.

October

It was back to Asia with 10 flights in 11 days as we raced through Malaysia, Singapore, Japan and Vietnam, a new country for us. Despite the rush we had time to enjoy each destination, including beautiful Hoi An.

I've created a four minute montage of photos from this year's travels. Why not watch it at full HD at YouTube. Enjoy!

Aviation stats for the year

Visited 6 countries
Passed through 16 airports
Flew on 12 airlines
9 aircraft types
26 flights (28 including transits)!
Days travelling 47 (including work, domestic travel).

My first overseas trip: Singapore and Malaysia

I've always loved to travel. My first memory is of sitting in a an aircraft, aged 18 months or so. Yet I never believed that I could travel overseas. To me, it seemed like something you did when you retired, or if you were rich. That all changed when I met B. She had not only travelled overseas, she was from overseas . B was born in Malaysia and arrived in Australia, with her family, in 1988. She still had relatives and friends in Malaysia and Singapore and she, along with the remainder of her family, planned to return for a visit during the Australian summer of 1995. At the time I was staying in B's mother's house while we were studying at university. After B's father passed away the year before I was the nominal "man" of the house and its high maintenance garden; her brother Michael was studying up in Queensland. B and I were quite inseparable and her mother kindly offered to pay for me to join them on their vacation. So it was that I obtained my very firs...

travelling allrite

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