I am writing this having recently returned from a “full immersion” South East Asian trip. Malaysia was the impetus for this extended sojourn. I hankered to revisit because I was born in Malaysia, in a small inland township called Kamunting,…
Having recently travelled the length and breadth of Southeast Asia on various transport; including an overnight sleeper train, a long-haul bus, and a river ferry, the choice to travel our next leg, the length of Cambodia, by road, definitely fitted…
(Before reading this story, to provide context, I suggest you read Phnom Penh-City Tour ). Silk Island is locally known as Koch Dach Early the following day, Sorya picked us up in his Tuk Tuk. We traveled for 10 minutes…
Six hours after leaving Vietnam, we docked at Phnom Penh. Excited. Anticipating our first experience of Cambodia. Disembarking from our ferry into a hot sticky day onto a very steep and crowded bridge, chaos reigned. Where was our stowed luggage?…
I just got back from a weekend in “The Central Plateau” in the North Island of New Zealand. Namely a small, remote “desert” town called Turangi. Fifty kilometres southwest of Taupo and skirted by volcanic mountains; Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro,…
The daily high-speed ferry departs from South Vietnam (Chau Doc) at 7.30a.m. Picked up from the hotel we were very politely and rather tentatively shown where to embark. We walked down a broken concrete stairway that circumvented another hotel, The…
The Capital of Vietnam Hanoi is one of the most exciting and absorbing cities I have ever visited. It is a city much defined by its streets. The locals live on them, their lives unfolding before our eyes as we…
aka Saigon Saigon is a city I always wanted to see. During the Vietnam War, I used to imagine journalists holed up in hotel rooms, busy typing or telexing their foreign correspondent reports back to the West. My father was…
Hoi An … translates as “peaceful meeting place.” Indeed, the city’s serenity was captivating the moment we disembarked our 45-minute taxi ride from Danang. History – A UNESCO World Heritage site, this small ancient city sits on the banks of…
Da Nang As we trained into Da Nang, one of the most eye-catching sights from my window seat was the view of “Lady Buddha Da Nang.” She is huge. At 67 metres high, she is the tallest Buddha statue in…
Hanoi – Da Nang. On the night train Recently selected by Lonely Planet as the leading journey among eight of the world’s great train journeys, The Reunification Express departs twice daily from Hanoi and travels the coastline down to Ho Chi Minh City over…
Yes, it’s a tourist cliche, and yes, it is relatively expensive. However, visiting Halong Bay is a must, if only to witness its overwhelming beauty and historical interest. We broke our stay in Hanoi – opting to take a two-night…
