Travelling through Asia
Early start. Picked up by Long, our tour guide for the day. Happy, chatty and funny. Almost absurdly so for this hour of the morning. He declares himself ‘Saigonese’ and answers every uncomfortable question we’ve been sitting on since we got here. Police corruption, government policies, propaganda – nothing is off limits. We ooze through […]
Awaken to the sounds of construction in the vacant block next door. Excavator is pushing dirt around, filling in a muddy hole. I spot about 10 health and safety concerns in the space of about two minutes. The sun is rising, and soon it will be too hot for them to work. We see them […]
Ho Chi Minh City is sizzling beneath the sun today. We started late, and lazy. Walking outside is a challenge. The footpaths double as obstacle courses – rough pavement, exposed tree roots and gravel. Those that aren’t posing as the next ninja warrior course are utilised as scooter parking lots, complete with guards and attendants. […]
Touch down, Saigon. Or Ho Chi Minh City. Can I call it Saigon? Arriving at night gives the most skewed sense of a city. Everything is cast in shadows, punctured only by the veins of street lights and scattered lights on in homes. The city sprawls as far as the eye can see, a spider […]
When you’re planning your trip to Vietnam, you’ll probably notice that Ho Chi Minh City doesn’t get a whole lot of love. Most things I read before heading over in April suggested only a couple of days in Ho Chi Minh City. Apparently that’s all we’d need. Other people I spoke to said I was […]
Lager is king in South East Asia… or at least it was. Craft beer has made its way to the region and beer drinkers are rejoicing. No longer are fans of the hops restricted to Singha, Saigon Special or Tiger. There’s a movement afoot and Vietnam is leading the charge. This trip to Vietnam we […]
My mother is a genius. She’ll never tell you, she’s not one for blowing her own trumpet. But she’s bloody brilliant. And loving and kind and creative. She’s dusted me off each time I’ve fallen down and shown immense patience as I’ve described the ways in which my world is ending (not overdramatic at all). […]
There’s a saying about travelers: ‘your brain starts working the moment you are born, and stops the day you land in Thailand’. Not gonna lie, its kind of true. But you could substitute Thailand for any South East Asian nation. Indonesia, Cambodia, Myanmar. I’ve made some stupid decisions in my travels. Some have been really […]
It’s the end of the year. No doubt your social media is flooded with destination countdowns and new year resolutions by now. 2018 has sped by, and I’m flat out keeping up with everything that’s happened. Can you believe we had a Winter Olympics this year? Me either. So what happened for Siam Dreaming this […]
Its not until you reach a certain age, that you realise the impact your parents have had on your life, and what you’ve learned from them. My Dad is a legend. When we were tiny, he taught us to say “Dad is the best in every test” just because. He’s an encyclopaedia of witty mottos, a […]