My Books
Why I’ll Miss Saigon…
Well, actually, I’ll miss all of Vietnam but who can refuse a good pun when the opportunity arises? Looking back at the three or so weeks we spent in Vietnam, I feel soooo grateful to have been able to do so many amazing things (the Sapa O’Chau trip, and the Easy Rider trip with Bo, especially) but our last few days in Saigon with the wonderful Rosie and Rick were a wicked send-off. Above you can see us looking extremely …
My Son, an eskimo and a rabid monkey in Vietnam… (day tripping from Hoi An)
“Remember this is Yellow. Bus. Number. 9″ bellowed Dung from the front of the stuffy bouncing vehicle as we trundled, honked and swerved our way down the road from Hoi An to My Son. Dung (pronounced Yung) has been a guide for two years and is pretty much the most enthusiastic human I’ve ever encountered. He probably speaks the best English I’ve heard anyone speak here in Vietnam too, although I got the distinct feeling he learnt it by watching …
Posted in Random Ramblings, Southeast Asia, Travelling, Uncategorized, Vietnam
Tagged Hoi An, My Son, tour, Vietnam
Comments Off
White fungus drinks, grilled geckos and a side of dog, please…
It pained me greatly to see my good friends, the geckos splayed out today in a corner store, not defying gravity by clinging to walls but flattened and presumably ready for consumption in plastic bags here in Hue, Vietnam. Look at them! If anyone had tried to do this to Monet last year in Bali I would have stuck them on a stick and fried them! Monet was my friend. We spoke nightly as he hung out behind the painting …
Posted in Southeast Asia, Travelling, Uncategorized, Vietnam
Comments Off
Sapa O’Chau trekking and a hot tub time machine…
Yes, that’s right. A hot tub time machine. It’s definitely a time machine because when I was immersed in a frothy mixture of bubbles and hot steamed herbs in a tub in the corner of a smoky wooden house, I was also in a tiny village called Ta Phin in the hills of Sapa, Vietnam. The Red Dao people who live here are well known for their expertise in herbal medicine, and use plants from the land to treat different …
Posted in Southeast Asia, Travelling, Uncategorized, Vietnam
Tagged H'mong, Sapa, Sapa O'Chau, trekking, Vietnam
Comments Off
A vine old time! Hanging out at La Casona, Matetic Vineyards (near Valparaiso, Chile)…
Behold the beefy, meaty treat before you… mmmmagical! I can’t even remember exactly what this dish was, but it was flaky and covered in gravy and the sweet potato crispy things were surely crafted on another planet… one of gastronomical greatness (or perhaps just by the awesome Chef Matías Bustos here at La Casona’s restaurant, Equilibrio just 40kms away from Valparaiso). After a few glasses of wine, I do get carried away. But look at this place! Matetic Vineyards is an …
Posted in Latinalicious, Latinalicious - The South America Diaries, South America, Uncategorized
Tagged Chile, food, La Casona, wine
Comments Off
12 hours in Iquique, Chile (and some sea lions)…
Technically, we should be on a bus right now, heading down to San Pedro de Atacama – the gateway to the driest desert on earth. There are parts of northern Chile that have never seen rain, ever. It’s basically uninhabitable. I’ve never been, but I’m imagining it looks a bit like this: It rained on our parade today though. Having reached the bus terminal with a plan, it emerged that there were no buses heading south till 11.30pm. We found …
Posted in Latinalicious - The South America Diaries, Random Ramblings, South America, Uncategorized
Tagged Chile, Iquique
Comments Off
I’m taking part in Blogfest 2012…
This is a nifty little event that aims to connect bloggers, so I’ll be taking part on September 28. BlogFest is a blog run of sorts. A list of participating blogs will be provided on September 28, each offering a fantastic giveaway for readers to enter. Each blog will link to another, pulling readers through the fantastic party the hosts will have set up. If you’re a blogger, come and play! You might even win an advanced copy of Balilicious! …
Posted in Events, Uncategorized
3 Comments
Why I miss Ubud more than ever…
Dance walk! An incredible craze that’s sweeping the nation! My friend Sarah just sent me this video and it’s making me homesick! I can spot a few of my friends in it. The idea is to dance through the streets of Ubud wearing your iPod and listening to songs that make you want to shake your BOOTY. Everyone looks at you like you’re mental, but I guess that’s half the fun. Look how the Balinese are all smiling, too. Dance …
Posted in Random Ramblings, Uncategorized
Comments Off
Musings of a Nyepi captive…
Today in Ubud, my parents, me and a group of strangers are imprisoned in a hotel, like contestants in a Balinese episode of Big Brother, doing things like this: The outside world is a deathly quiet ghost town with nothing but the ring of the insects and the occasional bark of a dog to break the silence. It’s a bit odd. I keep expecting Davina McCall to pipe up from a speaker and announce that one of us is getting …
Trinfinity8 and beyond: a lesson in healing by numbers
Now, hands up who hates math? I know I do. Even the word math conjures images of my scary school teacher, who upon giving up on me completely would send me next door to an empty classroom during long equations classes so I couldn’t distract anyone else with my ignorance. BUT, and I say this very loudly, my thoughts about math were changed quite dramatically this morning when I met the oh-so effervescent Kathy Forti, who’s bringing her life changing …
Facebook
Twitter