austynallison

Archive for the ‘Travel’ Category

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A roast-tinted take on coffee

In Dubai, Travel, Video on September 7, 2012 at 6:15 pm

A different take on Ethiopian coffee at Make contrasts with the coffee ceremonies of Addis Ababa. And makes me think about coffee in general.

This morning I went to Make Business Hub for a coffee morning. Not a coffee morning with gossip about family and work, but a coffee morning dedicated to, well, coffee.

It was hosted by Matt Wade, of Coffee Planet Roastery, whose business card reads “roast master”, a coffee expert.

He was showcasing one coffee, an Ethiopian roast, that had lemon hints, and tones of chocolate and caramel. He filtered it into a large decanter that looked like it had been taken from a chemistry lab, added some lemon peel to it, and a bit of sugar syrup “to balance it”; that is, to bring out the chocolate tastes. It was served poured into a glass with ice and a slice of lemon peel.

Ethiopian coffee at Make Business Hub. It was filtered into the glass cafetiere, lemon peel and a little sugar syrup added, then poured over ice. (Photo taken with my HTC One X)

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Round India with an HTC One X

In Photography, Travel on July 24, 2012 at 11:31 pm

A few weeks ago, one of Taiwanese phone maker HTC’s communications agencies got in touch with me via Twitter to ask if I wanted to be a brand ambassador for their new phone, the HTC One X. They would give me a free phone, and I would try it out and say what I thought. My proviso was that it would be nothing to do with work; I’d have the phone as Austyn the tweeter, Austyn the occasional blogger, Austyn the freelance brand ambassador. Not Austyn the journo. Suits me. It’s a great phone.

One problem with reviewing the phone was that I was off to India for a week to meet a former housemate, Ellen, and see the Golden Triangle, that tourist route of Delhi-Jaipur-Agra. I took the phone; I didn’t take a data package. So for a week I carried it, alongside my SLR, as an extra camera.

Which is what it’s really good at being. It’s got an 8mp sensor on it, and a massive screen. The screen I framed the photos on was probably larger in terms of square inches than the images my Facebook friends would see when I posted them from hastily snatched wifi hotspots.

Here’s some of the photos. Check ’em out (and click on them for full-sized versions):

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Hong Kong in six hours

In Kipp Report, Published journalism, Travel on February 13, 2011 at 8:58 pm

A Kipp travel tip to seeing the city from above

Originally published on Kipp Report, August 2009

If you find yourself, as Kipp did recently, with some time to spare in the South East Asian travel hub that is Hong Kong airport, why not get out and see a little of the city? More specifically, why not head up to the Peak (it’s also called Victoria Peak, but everyone drops the first name) and see a lot of the city, from above? Kipp decided to do just that, and here’s what we found: Read the rest of this entry »

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Cairo – a travel article

In Kipp Report, Published journalism, Travel on February 13, 2011 at 8:54 pm

From world heritage sites, to some of the region’s most insistent tourist touts… welcome to Cairo.

Originally published on Kipp Report, January 2010

“I don’t know what you are looking for, but I have exactly what you want,” is the cry of tourist-tat touts in Cairo’s Khan Al Khalili bazaar. The spiel has a nice ring to it, but crudely carved scarab paperweights, papyrus scrolls and Pyramid ashtrays are not exactly what I want. What I’m after on this short trip is a snapshot of the bustle and history of Egypt’s capital city. And there are plenty of people waiting to tell me what I want. Read the rest of this entry »

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The pipes are calling: Baku beckons

In Dubai, Travel on January 28, 2011 at 2:44 pm

The capital of Azerbaijan provides the backdrop for a long weekend of surreal sightseeing, gold teeth and geological oddities

Fly Dubai flight 705 leaves the UAE half full and lands in Baku half empty. As we touch down at Heyder Aliyev International Airport, our fellow passengers passengers cheer. Any place that treats a successful landing as a privilege rather than a right falls into the “alternative” category of weekend breaks. The capital of Azerbaijan is no regular tourist hub. Read the rest of this entry »