Phu Quoc is an island of Vietnam in the Gulf of Thailand, off the coast of Cambodia. It’s Vietnam’s largest island, covering 515 sq km (199 sq mi). To compare, that’s about the same size as Phuket in Thailand, which is 543 sq km (210 sq mi). Despite its size and paradisiacal qualities, it gets […]
On the trail of Mad Max in Namibia
Visiting the filming locations of Mad Max: Fury Road in the Namib Desert Mad Max: Fury Road heralds the return of the Mad Max franchise thirty years after the third film was released. While the Mad Max world is still set in a post-apocalypse Australia, there is a new Max (Tom Hardy replacing Mel Gibson) […]
Notes on Galle: The fort city of Sri Lanka
Galle is a city on the coast of southwest Sri Lanka and is most famous for its fort. The Galle fort is the largest remaining European-built fortress in Asia and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The old colonial buildings and little lanes are utterly charming, even if it has calcified into a full-blown tourist […]
Propaganda posters and a parade – the 40th Anniversary of the reunification of Vietnam
April 30, 2015 marks the 40th anniversary of the day the North Vietnamese Army arrived in Saigon and ended the war. The day is known in Vietnam as liberation day, in the US as the fall of Saigon, and to overseas Vietnamese as Black April. In Ho Chi Minh City (or Saigon) there are hardly […]
Notes on Phu Quoc Island – Southeast Asia’s next big thing
Phu Quoc is an island of Vietnam in the deep south of the country, off the coast of Cambodia. I had never heard of it until I came to Vietnam, and having been in Vietnam for much of the past two years I’ve since heard varying opinions about it. For my first visit, I combined […]
Telok Ayer Market – The historic hawker centre in downtown Singapore
One of my favourite hawker centres in Singapore is the Telok Ayer Market. This food court – also known as Lau Pa Sat – is in a heritage building that is worth a visit in its own right. While a Singapore foodie might tell you there are a dozen other hawker centres that are better, […]
Notes on Colombo: Colonial remnants, cricket, and crows
Reading up on Sri Lanka’s capital city I kept seeing the words “hectic”, “chaotic”, and “bustling” to describe the city, followed tips on how to get out of the city as soon as possible. They write that like it’s a bad thing. To me that sounds like a place I want to visit. I’m drawn […]
Flight Review: Cathay Pacific – Hong Kong to Ho Chi Minh City
Flight: Cathay Pacific CX 767 From: Hong Kong (HKG) To: Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) I flew with Cathay Pacific from Hong Kong to Ho Chi Minh City, booking via airfare search site Vayama. This flight was the last of three flights I took to get from Windhoek in Namibia back to Vietnam. The flight […]
Hotel Review: Mifuki Boutique Hotel, Ho Chi Minh City – Vietnam
Hotel Name: Mifuki Boutique Hotel Address: 33-35 Le Anh Xuan Street, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam I stayed at the Mifuki Boutique Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City. I booked it online via Agoda and booked it for its location in the Ben Thanh Area. I stayed here for a night while looking for a […]
Hotel Review: Mingle in The Shai, Hong Kong
Hotel Name: Mingle in The Shai Address: 202 Shanghai Street, Jordan, Hong Kong I stayed at the Mingle in The Shai hotel in Hong Kong. I selected it for its price and location. The rate was HKD 570 for 2 nights, which works out at about 36.75 USD per night. When I’m looking for a […]
