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Capetown-waterfront-VA
Capetown-waterfront-VA

Visited Seven Super Cities 2014

First stop Hong Kong

Seven Super Cities 2014

Visited Seven Super Cities 2014

Visited Seven Super Cities 2014, left in February I traveled over a period of 5 weeks to Hong Kong, Tokyo, London, Amsterdam, Brussels, Capetown & Sydney. It may well be my last BIG multi continent trip, in the future I think I will focus on single destinations like, Europe, America & Australia etc.

I’m surprised it took me so long to return to Hong Kong, my first trip there was in 1980. It has not really changed all that much due to their limited land mass.

Wan Chai at night

Visited Seven Super Cities 2014

I I stayed in a the Brighton hotel in Wan Chai only 5 minutes walk to the ferry and lots of bars & restaurants all around my hotel.

One of the clubs near my hotel

Visited Seven Super Cities 2014

This area is very good for night life.

Hong Kong photos
Next stop Tokyo

Visited Seven Super Cities 2014

A little over 6 years since I was in this fabulous city, my first 3 days I stayed at Tsujiki near the Ginza then 6 nights in Shinjuku which is like an adult Disneyland. Hundreds of bars & restaurants and thousands of neon signs. There is also a very quaint unique tiny lane full of small restaurants. It has two names, “Memory lane” or the one I prefer “Piss Alley”.

Piss Alley

Visited Seven Super Cities 2014

Strolling down Piss alley is like stepping back in time 200 years. Piss Alley was named many years ago, when it was a shady destination for criminals to get drunk together. The place wasn’t very built up back in those days, so instead of using a toilet, people just relieved themselves wherever they could.

Cafe Metro

Visited Seven Super Cities 2014

A great place to have a drink with friends in the heart of Tokyo.

The Tokyu Stay hotel in Shinjuku is great value in a terrific location.

If you want to be near the Tsukiji fish market & the Ginza try Business Hotel Ban or Tokyu Stay Hotel.

Tokyo slideshow

Flying over Siberia to London

Visited Seven Super Cities 2014

An awesome view from the plane.

Visited Seven Super Cities 2014

A beautiful contrast between the snow and the sky.

Third stop London

Visited Seven Super Cities 2014

Even though I arrived on March the 1st the weather was terrific, blue sky in the morning before the rain arrived late afternoon. I made a nostalgic trip to Wapping where there is a very old English pub called the Prospect of Whitby. The last time I was in this pub was exactly 50 years ago when I was very very young.  I did exactly what  what I did  1n 1964, I ordered a Fosters lager and reminisced about the friends I left behind.

The Prospect of Whitby.

Visited Seven Super Cities 2014

Nothing much has changed in 50 years except for the price of a beer and the colour of my hair.  😆

Mowbray Court hotel in Earle’s Court

Visited Seven Super Cities 2014

The Mowbray Court Hotel in Earle’s Court is in a terrific location, and the staff is helpful. (FREE WI FI) The rooms are very ordinary as all the hotels in the “so called” budget range are.

The Comfort Inn Victoria is also in an excellent location next to Victoria Station & Bus Terminal.

London photos

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Stop 4 Amsterdam

Visited Seven Super Cities 2014

I was only 21 years of age when I last visited this great city, all I could remember of it was The Central Railway station & the red light district or RLD as they refer to it.

Visited Seven Super Cities 2014

I stayed at a wonderful B & B only 5 minutes walk from Central station, the building dated back to 1490 and the owners Loes & Tony were excellent hosts. Here is their link to make a booking.

Red Light district

Visited Seven Super Cities 2014

One of Amsterdam’s most popular tourist areas,

Amsterdam photos

Stop 5 Brussels

Visited Seven Super Cities 2014

The highlight in Brussels for me was The Grand Place, a beautiful square in the heart of the city. Surrounded by narrow lanes with hundreds of bars & restaurants to choose from.

Restaurants near grand Place.

Visited Seven Super Cities 2014

I found the rest of the city a little ordinary however the Grand Place and surrounding area make the city a must to visit.

Mannekin Pis

Visited Seven Super Cities 2014

NH Grand Place Arenberg Hotel was great value in a super location. Free Wi Fi & friendly staff.

Stop 6 of seven super cities is Capetown

Visited Seven Super Cities 2014

Watching the clouds cascade over the top of Table Mountain in Cape Town is a rather mystical experience, you can actually see them moving slowly down the mountain before dissipating.

On safari north of Cape Town

Visited Seven Super Cities 2014

Spent a great day 3 hours north east of Capetown at Aquila game reserve a privately owned enterprise which gives you a taste of Africa. Not too many animals or species are on show there but there was enough to give us an appreciation of this wonderful ancient country. More importantly they do offer value for what you pay, just don’t expect Kruger National park and you won’t be disappointed.

Here is the blurb from their website,

Aquila Game Reserve is recognized as a major Cape Town tourist attraction. Aquila has been published in the, “World’s 21 favourite things to do in Cape Town,” and considered one of the top 10 daytrip destinations by Sawabona Magazine.

Aquila offers a wide variety of safaris – day trip safaris, horseback safaris, quad bike safari, overnight and fly-in safaris. There are other activities on offer too like 4 x 4 trails, fishing and golf. Visit our activities page for more.

Aquila Private Game Reserve has gone to massive efforts and expense to source and re-introduce wildlife into the Cape region. A great emphasis is placed on a wildlife conservation educational experience. Aquila offers visitors a complimentary educational introduction to our cheetahs. Cheetahs are captive bred and strictly controlled in the interest of cheetah survival worldwide.

Long Street

Visited Seven Super Cities 2014

I must say walking around alone at night I did not feel totally safe.

Lots of photos here

Now only one stop to go in my seven super cities adventure.

Final stop is Sydney

Visited Seven Super Cities 2014

My main purpose to visit the city where I was born was to catch up with family and friends. I flew to Sydney after 3 days in Port Macquarie, the last leg of my seven super cities world tour. I ticked all the boxes with the food I miss when I’m in Thailand, a dozen Pacific oysters followed by Aussie prawns with avocado on fresh white bread sprinkled with Cambodian pepper. Corned beef & cabbage with white sauce washed down with a nice Aussie wine.Rolled over a couple of huge term deposits to ensure I can continue to live like a king in Thailand.  😆

Caught up with nephews & nieces & their gorgeous children, now back home to Pattaya tomorrow. Many thanks to Kerry & Warren for their usual generous hospitality.

Bar Reggio in Darlinghurst

Visited Seven Super Cities 2014

Bar Reggio is a popular restaurant in Sydney where I bumped into a few friends.

Port Macquarie

Visited Seven Super Cities 2014

I’m with my brother Warren & Chris Lockwood at the Fig hotel in Port Macquarie where we enjoyed my niece Laura singing with her boyfriend Jordan Millar.

Thanks for visiting my Seven Super Cities photo blog.

View Full Size Travel Map at Travellerspoint

 

The Capitol Square Hotel in Chinatown is great value.

  In the same area Pensione Hotel would be my 2nd choice.

                             Here are some more posts to check out 

        Zagreb Croatia                      Rio de Janeiro                  Brisbane River 

Zagreb Croatia bars restaurants        a7ff7566-9628-434d-a2b1-8c6e8b9a9021       IMG_0100

       

     Koh Samui                                   Korea                                  London

32780a6c-baf6-428a-bd71-68b1bed30b4c         Changdeokgung Palace (2)        IMG_7042

         Bangkok                                   Osaka                                     Pattaya

Soi Cowboy (25)          Osaka 1st night (17)       Walking St Pattaya is wild & sexy 

                                     

             Chiang Mai                      Pattaya                      Chao Phraya river

Chiang Mai with Tone        9a1fec74-4461-46cd-8663-97f5893c8f6e (1)   191de3bb-38fc-45cd-bce7-ef24081c554b

 
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That’s all folks

1g Duck

Slide show   

Click here to see a little more of Tokyo.

 

Here is one of my Japanese posts

 

Hong Kong is a super city

 

Brussels is a real surprise

 

Amsterdam, what a great city to visit

 

London deserves to be on your bucket list

 

Rio de Janeiro, what can I say????

 

Counter only started June 16 2020.

Author: David Herd

My history, particularly over the last 30 years is dominated by overseas travel. I sold my home in Australia October 20th 2011 and have have been living in Thailand since then. I don’t know where the time has gone? It seems like you go to sleep one night, wake up the next morning, and 20 years have flashed by. Not sure how many years I have left, however I have enjoyed a wonderful charmed life, and if it all ended today I would leave this world with no regrets. I was born in Sydney halfway through the last century, started my travels in the 60s with the usual U.K. Europe adventure at the age of 20, back to Australia and worked in Sydney, Melbourne & Adelaide in Sales & Marketing with multinational companies including Sanyo, Canon & Remington. Engaged to be married 3 times and never quite made it to the alter, finally realized by the mid 90s I was not cut out for "long term relationships" so I moved to the Gold Coast in Queensland in January 1987, worked for a couple of banks as a Financial Planner, I took a year off work in 1998 to travel and never went back to full time work again, after 25 fun filled years on the Coast I packed up and moved to Thailand. What is the purpose of this blog? Well I really want to use it to record my travel experiences & to display my photographs, give and receive travel tips, comment on places I visit, restaurants I eat in and use it to replace the autobiography I intended to write, apart from all that it helps me fill in my day. :) I moved to Thailand mainly because I wanted to keep travelling while my health allowed me to, there are huge advantages being closer to all the places I want to visit. Cost of living in Thailand is around 35% of the cost in Australia, plus flights are 50% cheaper because you are much closer to everywhere. ???? Consequently I am able to travel to many more places compared to living in Australia. Having said all that, it is & has always been my intention to return to Australia when my travelling is finished, I predict this will happen around 2021.

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