Under the Volcano
“You can’t swim in the crater now,” says Michael, our guide, as we negotiate the bangka across Lake Taal to the serene, petite volcano at...
Tagged: Family
Starfish and Shells
Easter Monday, and Marinduque is back into election mode. Banner-fluttering jeepneys pump out the Pilipino answer to Things Can Only Get Better in clouds as...
Hot Springs, Tamarinds and Tricycles
So here we are in the Philippines, on the little island of Marinduque to the south of Luzon, experiencing the Pilipino Easter in all its...
The Magic of Travel
One of the great things about travelling with Z is the pleasure he takes in the different means of going from A to B. From...
The Best-Laid Plans…
We have hot-footed it — well, night-bused it — back from Luang Prabang to Vientiane, with a sleeper train to Bangkok ahead of us tonight,...
The Fear Factor
Can intensive, sweaty, pulse-pounding vertigo count towards one’s recommended 30 minutes cardio? If so, I need no more exercise for at least a week… I...
Palanquins and Kings
The generational differences between me and Z never cease to amaze me. We went to the Royal Palace in Luang Prabang, Laos, yesterday, former home...
The Pocket Diplomat
Whatever our struggles with formal schooling, Z’s certainly learning a lot as we travel. And he sure does choose his moments to show it. We...
Up with the Larks
So we’ve arrived in Luang Prabang, Laos, and, as ever, I’m still trying to work out whether the benefits of night buses — saves a...
The Joy of Tubing
Tubing, or floating down a river in a tractor inner tube, is what brought us to Vang Vieng, Laos, where the locals have made a...