2024 Showcase Gallery - 2nd Half

I focused on Asia for the first part of the year while I was still based in Hong Kong. That shifted to Europe and North America after moving to London mid-year.

It's actually quite easy to get anywhere from London, whether it's on a full-service airline or in low-cost hauling everything into a bag underneath the seat. It's a very short flight into the continent for quick city breaks, while crossing the Atlantic isn't bad at all at 7 hours to the East Coast.

Charlotte (August)

Charlotte surprisingly gets a lot of daily flights from London even though it isn't a major tourist destination. While it has a major financial services industry, I wasn't expecting London executives to fill these planes, but it opened up an opportunity for me to transit through on miles, so I made an overnight stop before continuing to Canada.

There is a decent skyline with a number of highrises and walkable streets, but it wasn't crowded given people tend to drive to work with lots of parking lots downtown.

Not far from the skyscrapers is an upscale residential district with beautiful homes from the 19th century. While it weathered a downturn as suburban flight plagued many American cities, restoration efforts in the 1970s have made this area a good place to live once again.

Toronto (August)

Buttonville was a general aviation airport north of Toronto in the suburb of Markham where you could learn how to fly on the cheap. Now surrounded by suburban development, it closed in late 2023 and will be swallowed up by the city.

Markham, like other North American suburbs, is made up of various low-rise buildings, strip malls, and busy roads. Pockets of highrises are starting to appear around major intersections.

Belfast (September)

I came to Belfast specifically for the Titanic museum. While many cities have claimed links to this famous doomed ship, Belfast has a very legitimate interest since the ship was built here. Harland & Wolff employed almost 10,000 people in 1900 across their vast shipyard. However, this museum is mostly concentrated on its concept and construction and not a gallery of salvaged objects that we often hear about on auction in the news.

There is no shortage of stories of people crossing the Atlantic in ultimate luxury on board the Titanic, but we know less about what happened in second and third class. Along the middle price range, accommodations look quite decent for the time - a bit better than a hostel but not as good as a hotel.

Protestants and Catholics did not get along during the 30 year era known as the "Troubles". While the Good Friday agreement in 1998 brought peace and reconciliation, walls that once separated these communities were not completely dismantled.

It feels a bit like the Berlin Wall, although the headlines of violence and riots are now a distant memory.

Completed in 1906, City Hall is a grand landmark with a big public space around it. The Lord Mayor in the late 1890s was also managing director of Titanic's builder, so the two share similarities in the interior design.

I got a very good look of the interiors by joining a guided tour, which costed a very reasonable 6 pounds.

Dublin (September)

My first visit to Dublin was a crazy day trip from London flying on a cheap Ryanair fare. I finally returned some 20 years later with a bit more time to explore in greater detail.

Dublin Castle was once home to the English colonial master's representative, and is still used for state ceremonies today. Admission is a reasonable 8 euros and there is an audio guide you can load on your phone to help take it all in.

Just next to the historic core, I found reasonably-priced accommodations in the new and dazzling Docklands, where many financial services firms have outsourced operations.

Sure, wages here are a lot cheaper than London, but it didn't feel like the outsourcing hubs I've seen in India and China. This office park has walkable streets and a beautiful riverfront to watch the sunset. There are also a lot of residential buildings as well, so it isn't a dead neighbourhood at night.

While I'm not a big shopper, I did enjoy exploring some architecturally-interesting retail spaces in the city, such as Powerscourt Townhouse and Stephen's Green.

Montreal (September)

I've visited Montreal a number of times over the years across different seasons, including in the middle of a frigid winter. This time, I was only transiting for a few hours en route to Toronto, and luckily got some good aerials on landing.

Montreal used to be Canada's top city and financial capital until the 1980s when separatist sentiments pushed business interests to Toronto. The city feels more European than North American, which makes it very charming and good to live, although winters here can get quite brutal.

Toronto (September / October)

Flying in from the east, I made sure I had a right window seat to spot the city's best views on final approach into Pearson.

Fall colours are an important part of the itinerary at this part of the year. I headed 2.5 hours north to Arrowhead Provincial Park for this, although it was still a bit too early despite being October already. Arrowhead is a quieter alternative to nearby Algonquin Park, which would be incredibly crowded at the main viewpoints and visitors' centre during the peak weekends.

While there is a well-documented residential boom in downtown Toronto, it's not the same story for commercial buildings. There is some new construction activity but it's nowhere as big in scale as the residential sector. CIBC's new headquarters next to Union Station is probably the biggest new office complex under construction downtown.

Toronto doesn't have a big subway system, but underneath a working station is an extra set of platforms that is used for media productions and the occasional open day. The original concept was a hybrid subway route but that plan was scrapped after only half a year in the 1960s.

Brussels (November)

Almost 20 years after my first visit, which was disappointing due to the grey weather, this 2nd trip was a lot more delightful with blue skies shining against the stunning historic architecture. The Grand Place was impressive as usual, and I visited twice to see both versions - day and night.

One of the stunning buildings fronting the Grand Place is the Town Hall, whose construction began in 1401. It is possible to visit the interiors and I would recommend doing so. It's not expensive and there is an audio guide to help explore the rooms.

Venturing out of the square hoping for less touristy lands, I was surprised to find a daily flea market at Place du Jeu de Balle where you treasure hunt someone else's trash, or perhaps loot from a robbery? There's something enticing with a messy assortment of random things arranged in no particular order.

Another highlight is the Royal Military Museum, which has extensive galleries full of historic weapons and a large hall full of aircraft. There is even a Sabena plane, with the Belgian flag carrier's brand long gone. Brussels Airlines is now part of the Lufthansa group.

Kuala Lumpur (December)

Malaysia has always featured high on my list for good quality of life and great value for money. People are friendly, many speak English or Chinese, and the country has modern infrastructure. Yet, it still maintains a strong set of traditions, a place where multiculturalism more or less works most of the time.

An authentic local food court to visit in KL is ICC Pudu, which houses traders from Imbi Market that had to relocate to make way for a new skyscraper and mall project. While you get a huge variety of delicious foods, it's not a good place to sit and linger with no air-conditioning, so I can't imagine coming here after breakfast.

KL has had ambitions to reach the world stage since the 1990s, when they opened a huge new airport and built the world's tallest buildings, the Petronas Towers. Today's skyline is quite large given it's not a very big city, with only about 2 million in the city and 8 million including its surroundings.