My November visit to the United World Schools we have built in NE Cambodia inspired me to do something tangible to make a difference to the children’s impoverished lives in these remote villages, where our schools are a beacon of hope for their future.
Category Archives: Food
Following Louise’s footsteps in Sydney
Sydney is one of those iconic cities: the opera house and the bridge are some of the world’s most memorable structures. Continue reading
May Day in Hanoi: ice cream capital of the world
Floral display to mark the anniversary of the fall of Saigon
Strange as it may seem, Hanoi is a city obsessed with ice cream! Continue reading
Tamil Nadu 2: New Year and festivals
We have a charming leaving ceremony at the Mantra Retreat: after being smeared with vermilion ash on our foreheads, a fragrant flame is wafted around and some coconuts smashed. We now understand why the geese and ducks have been waddling around expectantly all morning as they dive for the succulent flesh with cackles of delight. Continue reading
Tamil Nadu 1: girls’ road trip to the deep south
My two boys are away heli-skiing in Canada, something the poor old hip won’t allow me to do at the moment, so what better plan than to have a girls’ jaunt round Tamil Nadu with my India-loving friend Hilary? As she lives in Abu Dhabi it’s only a short hop for the both of us. Continue reading
Easter in the Taroko Gorge, Taiwan
Looking up the gorge towards the Swallows’ Grotto
We arrive in Taroko on Good Friday, in the rain, after a pain-free train journey from Taipei and a scenic ride up the winding vertiginous road that leads to our hotel. Continue reading
Flash-packing in Laos 3: Luang Prabang to Vientiane
Luang lives up to its reputation, though we are overwhelmed by the number of tourists, ranging from dreadlocked backpackers to chic French groups, via the hordes of Koreans, Japanese and Chinese, that descend en masse upon this sleepy town. Continue reading
Flash-packing in Laos 2: Nong Khiaw to Luang Prabang
The karst landscape on the Nam Ou river
In the second part of our journey we travel from Nong Khiaw to Luang Prabang, via Nam Tha and the ‘Green triangle’ of the hill tribes. Continue reading
Flash-packing in Laos: 1 Vientiane to Nong Khiaw
We arrive in Vientiane after a disaster of a start to the holiday: first Ross can’t find our tickets online so he rebooks them, and then he gets shortchanged on arrival at the airport. But bad humour is soon dispelled by cousins Christine and Diego, who are waiting at the hotel, and the arrival of G&Ts and beers. Continue reading
Of headhunters, bat caves and apes in deepest Borneo
Kuching at sunset
Nicholas meets us at the airport. He is our Iban guide, descended from the legendary headhunters and heavily tattooed in traditional fashion. He will be looking after us for our few days in Mulu, in the heart of Borneo, bordering Brunei. Continue reading
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