Food Glorious Food

A year on the road exposed us to many delicious dishes in Asia. My own delicious dish, Kristen, has somehow miraculously managed to stay slim and gorgeous while I have taken on a barrel like shape and are preparing myself for several bouts of serious dieting once we get back to Sydney, Here are some […]

Breakfast Epiphanies

Forget about Tiffany’s these are our epiphanies… When travelling included-breakfasts are a big deal. Depending on their largesse they can keep you going for the day AND the heavy duty of sightseeing and walking miles not knowing where you’re going. We have come across some exceptional ones in our travels Vientiane, Laos The transcendental rice […]

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, […]

Délices d’Architecture of Saigon

After falling in love with her vivacious and beautiful Northern sister, Hanoi, we were expecting a plainer, less exciting Saigón…but she fluttered her eyelashes, lifted her petticoats – just a tad – and revealed that she was an equal beauty.

Capitalist Rats meet Saigon Micky

We beetled towards Hoang Sa in District 1 (to check in with the lovely Lunch Lady of Saigon), when we came across a splendid park. Saigon is strewn with lovely green spaces, beautifully treed, gorgeously shrubbed, elaborately flowered. They often have magnificent ceremonial arches, stirring heroic statues and heavy duty exercise gear for the locals […]

Sigh…gone !

It was raining in Saigon as we lay in bed in our little kipsy above the knocking shop. The Miss Mekong Pub complete with sad-eyed elderly men and dressed-to-the-nines nubile hostesses. Whilst they cheered and beered the World Cup goals we sniffled and sighed, sad to be leaving Vietnam. Here are some tokens and signs […]

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 […]