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...
Tagged: single parent
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...
Winged Creatures
When it comes to bugs, even European ones, let alone rattling, flying, two-inch-long South-East Asian roach-type creatures which convention insists one refer to as “beetles”,...
Dinosaur Bones
So today we got to hold real dinosaur bones! And get a sneak preview of some very large, very impressive, and as yet unidentified skeletal...
In Praise of Crap Towns
Here we are, in Savannakhet, Laos, the third-largest city in the People’s Republic, as all 120,000 inhabitants would, I’m sure, be pleased to tell you,...
Anyone the Wiser?
I have seen some unusual bathroom set-ups in my time. But this, on the Vietnam-Laos border at Lao Bao, has me completely stumped. The ladies...
Age Appropriate Reading
The creator of the immortal line “The bitches mortared the piss hole and it didn’t blow up!” has, this evening, completed his reading of Chickenhawk,...
The Birds and the Bees
In the aftermath of our not wildly successful dragon boat cruise, Z and I are ambling along the south bank of Hue’s Perfume River, trying...
Mum, Mum, Your Hair is Turning Green!
When does a child count as a swimmer? I guess the baseline test is chuck them in and see if they sink or not. This...
On Laundry
So this rather hot Kiwi chap in his 30s hit on me in the hotel last night. Obviously, I completely failed to register it until...