The Kindness of Strangers

Take a bow world. People, pat yourselves on the back. Goodness and decency flourish. Kindness, laughter and generosity of spirit rule. Like Blanche Dubois we are constantly amazed, warmed, delighted and thankful for the generosity and warmth we’ve encountered from total strangers on our travels. Here are some of the stars of our show, people […]

Cool Cats’ cafés Hanoi

Hanoi’s Hidden caffeine hits Our last loving look back at Hanoi. Sigh. What a Gal ! The war is over. Give Peace a chance. Everything old is new again and the young of Hanoi are creating a grungy hipster scene with a nod to the colours of Cuba, all styles of music, the furniture of […]

The Strange Fascination of Mee Kee Mao

“We’re ready for our close-ups Mr DeMille”

Our first (and evidently last) modelling assignment and photo shoot. Strangely the offers have not been flooding in. No word from the Houses of Sasoon, Lagerfeld or KMart. Vogue, Women’s Day and New Idea have been conspicuous by their silence. We posed for these shots in Hanoi for a very lovely Couple, (that’s them below, […]

The Reunification Express

Our shoes clomped along the cobbled stones of the alley as we made our way down the side of the Cathedral to join the buzzing devotees milling in the Plaza. Hanoi has given us so much joy and fun and food and coffee and music and poetry. This city is a poem in itself, stamped […]

The Hanoi Social Club: Jeff Buckley…with Chile

In a very old alley in an ancient city, arching around other tiny ancient arterial ways, framed by wires and fuse boxes, dripping palms and bougainvillea stands the coolest club this side of the Mekong, the Hanoi Social Club. Damn it…let’s not quibble…it’s the coolest club the other side of the Mekong too. The young […]

Dislocated Recipes for Success: Bún chả Hanoi

Bún chả (Vietnamese grilled pork with rice vermicelli noodles) Timing: 2 hours Serves: 6 In our favourite Bún chả establishment as you sit down a smiling lady places a plate of white rice vermicelli, next to another plate overflowing with freshly-washed greens: coriander, mint, lettuce, and about five other twisted, stemmed, leaves,grasses and herbs. They […]

Delices d’Architecture of Hanoi

Hanoi is a picture postcard. It bursts with colour, movement and delight.

Hippie Mug Shots

Are there chillies ? There are Chillies ! There ARE chillies ! THERE…..ARE……….CHILLIIIIES !!!!!!!!!!!

Sisters of the Lovers of the Holy Cross: Hanoi

There are 11,433 Nuns in Vietnam and Sister Venard is one of them. (here she is next to a cute little Dominican girl I know). Here are their headquarters. The playground outside their crèche, primary school, bookshops and statuary. Their statuary shop, (bursting with vacuum sealed goodness). Their grottolicious grotto. Their […]