I revel in the queue these days. Lines speak to me. New driver’s license, new medicare card, wait for a flight to arrive, wait to exchange my krone back to dollars. I get to go through it all over again, as slowly as possible. I…
And out of the desert, a blonde figure emerged, on a camel, and was beckoned to play and master the magical bowed violin instrument on her first try. Mixed results.
And out of the rolling sand dunes, a figure approached. He was on a (co)mission to woo the tourists with desert tunes. He had deep set eyes that sparkled. He seemed stern and serious, but a wide smile betrayed his subdued intensity. He got…
Where you wake up every morning to the sounds of gentle water lapping against your bungalow door, because the guesthouse pool is adjacent to your room, and it is indeed a private pool because the other guests are old French couples who seem to fear…
“That price seems fair, and I don't want to insult him by negotiating” “OK, I guess if my hotel burned down you can take me to another one” “Let's stay in and cook tonight, all the restaurants are unaffordable” “Really? Your brother has a gem…
The motorbike. The symbol of Vietnam. The country's utmost point of pride. “90 million people live in Vietnam today, and we have 55 million motorbikes,” one tour operator exclaims. “9 million people live in Saigon. And can you guess the number of motorbikes? Nearly 7…
A few highlights of the last month: Smoggy, sumptuous Saigon: where we sampled all forms of transport and movement – rowboats and speedboats down the Mekong, high speed slides at a waterpark on the outskirts, public buses to war museums and art galleries, and dark…
Where there's always a motorbike to take you somewhere -“Motorbike? Motorbike?” – and there's always a way to make a five minute walk seem far. Until, of course, you actually need a motorbike. Where the coast in Nha Trang stretches long and white, and has…
