Businesses You Can Run On the Go

A guide to the Soekarno–Hatta Line – the Jakarta airport train. Travel information, tickets, and which stations are best for visitors. The Soekarno–Hatta Airport Commuter Line (formerly the Soekarno–Hatta Airport Rail Link) is the airport railway connecting Soekarno–Hatta International Airport to Central Jakarta. The Soekarno–Hatta Line was built with the combination of a new railway connecting to an existing track. As such the railway has to weave its way around the airport and surrounding area to get to the old track. It’s not an express train, but it’s still a better option than a taxi in peak hour traffic. Here is all the information on how to get the Jakarta ai…

The Bangkok to Ban Klong Luk Border train service goes from Bangkok Railway Station (Hua Lamphong) to the Thailand-Cambodia border in Aranyaprathet. There are two trains a day in each direction, but the early morning service (Train No. 275) is the best if you are planning onward connections in Cambodia. Train number: 275 Service: Ordinary Depart Bangkok: 5:55 am Arrive Ban Klong Luk Border: 11:17 am Total travel time: 5h 22m [Bangkok to Ban Klong Luk Border timetable.] Depart from Hua Lamphong Station (Bangkok Station) Most trains from Bangkok now depart from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal. Trains that travel to Eastern Thailand still use the old Bangkok Rai…

Battambang is on the Northern Line that operates between Poipet and Phnom Penh. Here is what to expect on the train from Battambang to Phnom Penh. Battambang – Phnom Penh train details The Northern Line is the train line from Phnom Penh to Poipet (on the Cambodia-Thailand border). There is usually one train per day in each direction between Phnom Penh and Poipet, but at the time of my visit the Battambang-Poipet section wasn’t operating. Depart Battambang: 3:00 pm Arrive Phnom Penh: 9:30 pm The official booking site is at https://royalrailway.easybook.com. I use Baolau to buy Cambodia train tickets. If you are overlanding from Bangkok to Phnom Penh, there is a train…

A review of the Japanese KiHa 183 series train that operates between Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville. In 2024 the Royal Railway of Cambodia acquired 11 KiHa 183 series train carriages from JR Hokkaido in Japan. The trains were converted from 1067mm gauge to metre gauge, and a test service began on the Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville route in November 2024. This retired train from snowy Hokkaido now has a new life in tropical Cambodia. I rode the service from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville in December 2024, and it turned out to be one of the most enjoyable train trips I’ve taken in Southeast Asia. Here is what to expect. Southern Line Phnom Penh – Sihanoukville Depart Phnom Pen…

A guide to Vientiane Khamsavath railway station, including station amenities, tickets, and transport to and from the station. Vientiane Khamsavath railway station (also known as Khamsavath railway station and Vientiane-Tai railway station) is a railway station that connects Vientiane to Thailand’s Northeastern Line. The new station and railway extension from the border means that it’s now possible to get the train from Bangkok to Vientiane. Khamsavath Railway Station map [Map of Khamsavath Railway Station About Vientiane Khamsavath Railway Station Khamsavath officially opened on 31 October 2023, and the first passenger service from Bangkok’s Krung Thep Aphiwat Ce…

Lubuk Linggau (or Lubuklinggau) is a city in South Sumatra, Indonesia. There is a train that goes from Palembang to Lubuk Linggau, so that was the only excuse I needed to visit. I didn’t want to backtrack to Palembang, so I decided to stay in Lubuk Linggau and then find other transport to Bengkulu on the coast. The train from Palembang to Lubuk Linggau takes 7 h 15 m to travel the 306 km. Palembang to Lubuk Linggau might seem like a random city pair to build a passenger railway, especially when there are bigger cities in Sumatra that should be connected by rail. As I discovered on my first train trip in South Sumatra, this railway was built to extract coal from the South…

A guide to the best beach areas in the coastal resort city of Nha Trang, Vietnam. Nha Trang is a beach city in the South Central Coast region of Vietnam. The city is a popular destination for those wanting a beach break with the comforts of city lifestyle. The good thing about Nha Trang is that is has all the trappings of a beach resort town, but go inland a few blocks and it’s a regular provincial Vietnamese city with street food and garden cafes. This guide lists the mains areas to stay in the Nha Trang. Where to stay in Nha Trang guide Map of Nha Trang hotels Best area to stay in Nha Trang Nha Trang Beach (the main beach of the city) Other areas to stay in Nha Tr…

A guide for the original bamboo railway in Battambang and the new bamboo tourist train in Banon. The bamboo railway in Battambang is a lightweight trolley (known as a norry) that was originally used to transport goods and passengers along the old railway. This makeshift trolley railway served a functional purpose when there was no rail service. The railway became a popular tourist attraction, and trolley rides were set up specifically for tourists. I visited the railway in 2016 after hearing that the bamboo railway would be closed down once the line was rehabilitated. I wrote a review of the bamboo railway before the line was rebuilt, which explains some of the history …

Bengkulu is the capital of Bengkulu province on the west coast of Sumatra Island. The city was a British outpost for nearly two centuries, though the colonial remnants are not as well preserved as the famous Straits cities. I visited Bengkulu after going from Palambang to Lubuk Linggau by train. Instead of backtracking on the same line, I got a shared taxi from Lubuk Linggau over the mountains to Bengkulu. These are the main sites of Bengkulu. Fort Marlborough Fort Marlborough is the main attraction of Bengkulu. The fort is surprisingly well preserved considering how little remains from this era in the rest of the city. The fort is the second largest of the East India …

April 30 is Reunification Day in Vietnam, and 2025 marked the 50th anniversary of the end of the war. Ho Chi Minh City held a grand military parade to mark the historic anniversary. The day is known in Vietnam as the liberation of southern Vietnam and national reunification. For overseas Vietnamese who escaped it is known as the fall of Saigon and Black April. My social media newsfeed was filled with the perspective of Vietnamese from both sides on this day. This article covers what it was like in Ho Chi Minh City in lead-up to the day and on April 30. Propaganda posters The previous big parade was for the 40th anniversary in 2015. The city was covered with propagand…

The best areas to stay in Da Lat, including a guide to the most iconic French colonial-era hotels. Da Lat is a former French colonial hill station in the Central Highlands region of Vietnam. The city is 1500 metres above sea level, and its cool climate and mountain scenery makes it a popular getaway from the heat of Saigon. Da Lat is often promoted in travel guides as an idyllic French town in the hills, but the reality is that it’s a bustling provincial capital with the traffic of a typical Vietnamese city. Looking on the map, it’s not obvious where the city centre is. The city is built on in a hilly area, and the streets a jumble of roads that follow the contours o…

Bandung is the capital city of West Java province in Indonesia, and about 150 km southeast of Jakarta. I was in Bandung after riding the Jakarta Bandung High-Speed Railway. The new train (known as Whoosh) is the fastest train in Southeast Asia, with a top speed of 350 km/h. I’ve been to Bandung before, but it’s good to revisit a place to see how its changed, and to see how you have changed as a traveller. These are notes from my visit in April 2024. Whoosh (the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway) [Whoosh at Padalarang (Bandung).] The train from Jakarta to Bandung takes 30 minutes, though you lose time going from Central Jakarta to the high-speed station. The good …

How Da Nang has overtaken Chiang Mai and Canggu to become the digital nomad capital of Southeast Asia. Da Nang is a city on the central coast of Vietnam. The city is between the coast and the mountains, with a river running through the middle. There is also a bay where the main port is, separated from the tourist coast by a spectacular peninsula. Its geographic variety is ridiculous. [The ridiculous geographical variety of Danang (view the map).] As a frequent visitor to Da Nang over the last decade, I have been observing the city grow in stature as an important regional hub and tourism destination. I remarked on my visit in 2017 that Da Nang was a city on the rise. …