Introducing another new Gadling blogger, Brett Atkinson…
Where was your photo taken? Santa Monica pier in Los Angeles. The reason I’m smiling is that it was the first stop in a six week honeymoon that would eventually take in New York, Budapest, Zagreb, Sarajevo, Istanbul and Singapore. (When you’re from New Zealand you try and make the most of international travel).
Where do you live now? Auckland, New Zealand.
Scariest airline flown. Lao Aviation. On a flight from Luang Prabang to the Plain of Jars, most of the seatbelts were broken and the cabin filled up with misty condensation. Stunning scenery though.
Favourite city/country/place: A toss up between San Francisco and Istanbul.
Most remote corner of the globe visited: Niue, a tiny island nation in the South Pacific with only 1500 inhabitants.
Favouriite guidebook series: Lonely Planet
Worst hotel experience: A cheap hotel in the town of Sape on Lombok, the jumping off for trips to see the Komodo dragons. If a cheap Indonesian hotel ever offers you “seafood pizza” don’t be surprised if you’re served up a doughy frisbee that tastes of diesel and has a few dried fish flakes on top.
Most recent trip. Bouncing around the deserts of Oman in a 4WD.
Favourite restaurant. The Slanted Door in San Francisco (followed by microbrews at Toronado in the Lower Haight).
When I’m not writng for Gadling, I’m… Writing and researching guidebooks, and writing about the bars and restaurants of Auckland (a tough job but someone’s got to do it).