Within striking distance

A Croissant and Coffee Breakfast at Hideout Cafe Old Town (Edinburgh, Scotland)

I’ve arrived in Edinburgh bright and early, eager to set off on a full day of sightseeing. At the same time, the disappointingly small breakfast served aboard my train from London has left me feeling a bit peckish. What’s a starving lad to do?

Well, there’s the hobbit’s solution – second breakfast. And I know just the place for it.

Welcome to Hideout Cafe.

Travelling on the “Caledonian Sleeper” in 2022: A collection of video reviews

As a supplement to the post describing my London-Edinburgh journey on the Caledonian Sleeper, I’ve assembled a gallery of YouTube reviews documenting the experiences of other travellers who’ve recently boarded this special overnight train.

Rail Report: London to Edinburgh on the “Caledonian Sleeper” Overnight Train (06-07 June 2022)

Just a few weeks shy of seven years since my last overnight railway journey, I set off from London to Edinburgh on a night-time trip aboard one of the UK’s last remaining sleeper trains.

Welcome aboard the Caledonian Sleeper.

“Funnily enough, I don’t feel any smarter”: Day 2 of my UK adventure (6th June 2022)

A side trip to Oxford was the main activity of Day 2 – but sightseeing aside, this was an opportunity to meet with British relatives that I hadn’t seen in years. Since I was with company for much of the day, I didn’t explore the city (or its famous university) to the degree that I would have done had I been travelling alone.

“Tell the Queen I’ve come for tea”: Day 1 of my UK adventure (5th June 2022)

Before the pandemic began, I maintained a comfortable habit of visiting Japan and Korea on an annual basis…and venturing pretty much nowhere else. (Not even to other parts of the Philippines outside my home region.) Sure, the occasional family holiday would take me on detours beyond that well-trodden path, but as a solo traveller my world was essentially circumscribed by the boundaries of Japan, Korea, and Greater Manila.

Of course, the Great Hullabaloo of 2020 upended many of my usual habits, including non-essential travel beyond my own backyard. 2021 saw a gradual easing of restrictions, but given all the faff of pre-departure tests and quarantines and whatnot I decided against resuming my footloose ways.

And then 2022 came along.

“Mum, I’m going out for my visa appointment”: The lead-up to my 2022 UK adventure

Step into my shoes for a moment. It’s early 2022. The pandemic’s been raging for the better part of two years, you’ve been imprisoned in your own backyard for all that time due to border closures, you’re bent over from work stress at a job that you loathe, all the news that you see on the telly or read on the inter-webs is either bad or flipping-heck-that’s-bad – in short, you’re completely at your wit’s end and in desperate need of a proper holiday.

So, where to?

Flight Report: DOH-LHR on Qatar Airways Flight QR 15 (04 June 2022)

I travel in Economy Class on most flights, but this was my first proper holiday since the start of the pandemic and an extra-special experience was warranted. Let’s see if an airline commonly ranked as one of the world’s best was able to deliver just such an experience on a seven-hour journey from Doha to London.

Welcome aboard Qatar Airways flight QR 15.

Lounge Report: Qatar Airways’ Al Mourjan Business Lounge, Doha Hamad International Airport (DOH)

A ten-hour layover like the one I recently endured might seem like a daunting prospect, even at a hub as highly regarded as Doha’s Hamad International Airport. Fortunately, those travelling in Business Class with Qatar Airways can look forward to a space where they might relax in refined luxury whilst waiting for departure.

Welcome to Qatar Airways’ Al Mourjan Business Lounge.

Airport Guide: NAIA (MNL) Terminal 3, International Arrivals

This Airport Guide sets out what Philippine passport holders can expect to encounter when returning home through Ninoy Aquino International Airport’s Terminal 3.

Terminal Report: A 10-Hour Transit at Doha’s Hamad International Airport (04 June 2022)

En route from Manila to London on Qatar Airways (QR), I had to endure an approximately 10-hour layover in the main airport serving the Qatari capital of Doha. Now extended transits can be a bit of a pain at the best of times, but the better class of terminal will at least have enough diversions to take one’s mind off the burden of idleness. Let’s see if this layover point succeeds in that regard.

Welcome to Hamad International Airport (DOH).