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...
Tagged: rtw
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,...
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...
Bang Bang, Vang Vieng
Vang Vieng, Laos. Sullied paradise. Stoner playground. Backpacker hell. Apparently not the ideal destination to explore with child in tow, silkscreen landscape, gorgeous river and...
Lao Saunas
Laos wouldn’t seem the most obvious place for a sauna, particularly not in the lowlands, during dry season, but after a pedicure from doctor fish...
On Eating Insects
So Z and I have eaten our first round of insects on this journey — in Vientiane, Laos. Baby crickets, deep-fried to a quite delectable...
Age-Appropriate Reading (Again)
Z is scrutinising Lonely Planet South-East Asia with an expression I can only describe as panic. “Mum,” he says. “I really don’t think it’s a...
Messing About in Boats – Part 2
It is pretty much a given, in rural South-East Asia, that falang (and, I guess, locals too) in need of a bed for the night...