travel bite: Vientiane to Savannakhet, Laos
VIENTIANE was a shock to the system. Having arrived from the intensity of Hanoi – a city that constantly induced in me rapid switches between love and hate for the place – Laos’ capital seemed like a joke. This relatively sleepy Asian city, boasting a significant lack of motorbikes and touts (in fact just a … Read more
best of the rest: Vietnam
SPEEDING between coffee plantations, lime coloured butterflies energetically swarm. Cicadas throb; silk worms noisily munch upon their mulberry leaves. The Virgin Flower’s fern-like arms fold down, fronds pulled in tight upon a foreign body’s touch. Along a raised ledge of grasshopper-green rice paddies, tops twinkling yellow, a woman in shocking pink walks. Floating villages, local markets. Gushing waterfalls, … Read more
travel bite: Hanoi, Vietnam
HIGH heels, slim fit jeans and a tight red t-shirt walk out from the shop-house. A large shiny motorcycle stands proudly before her on the pavement. She dons her ladybird red helmet. A slight motion of the girl’s arm gets someone to position the bike down by the kirb. Mounting the machine it becomes clear … Read more
travel bite: Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
HA LONG BAY was grey. I’m sure that there are many islands to see. But I’m not sure that I saw many of them. Despite this the primitive formations emerging from their murky landscape, the unsettling calm, the dense quiet, made me serene. Happy even. For the drama of ‘nothing’, the tension of what may … Read more
travel bite: Hoi An, Vietnam
HOI AN has stumped me. It was grey and raining during my stay. Therefore I did not hire a bicycle, and I did not go to the beach. My mud splashed legs carried me through streets abound with tourists. At eye level I was bombarded with shops, tailors and restaurants that held no other purpose … Read more
travel bite: Quy Nhon, Vietnam
I ENTER the newly constructed shopping centre in a frenzy. There must be a toilet in here. There are always toilets in these places. I repeat these mantras to myself as I scour the ground floor for signs. Success! I rush in; saunter out. And relax… Well now that I’m here I might as well … Read more
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