An especially enjoyable Labour Weekend in Auckland inspired me to share my recent experience with you. Auckland offers lots of “getaway” options, and because many locals head either South or North for their long weekend break, Auckland becomes a haven…
To complete my special birthday odyssey in Malaysia, we chose Penang. Why? Penang, a tropical island off the Northwest coast of the Malaysian Peninsula, offers all the ingredients for an indulgent R&R stint—and it was my birthday, after all. My…
A small city of approximately, 250,000 people, Siem Reap is split into two halves by the Siem Reap River travelling through the middle of the delightful town. The river was created by the ancient kings of the Khmer empire to…
As most of us know, Vietnam is renowned for its food. Fresh, tasty, and authentic. The Vietnamese people celebrate food and treat it as a time to get together with friends and family to share plates of delicious food, cooked…
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…
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…
Halong Bay 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…
It was a life dream. I blame the movies and the soundtracks of my childhood and young adulthood. New York City was always going to be a place I had to see. I needed to be in the city that…
I know – it’s a cliché, right? But let’s be honest; Italy must just about take the cake (ha ha) for gourmet food. It’s not just the flavours, the ingredients, the passion that goes into the cooking, or the visual…
“Oh, Island in the Sun” as the famous Harry Belafonte song goes, evoking images of sun, water and “shining sand”. This island could be Matamanoa. A tiny tropical island in the Mamanuca group of Fijian Islands, award-winning Matamanoa provides all the…
