Search Results for: vietnam

It’s mesmerising: sitting in a rustic wooden boat, gliding across pristine emerald waters through a jaw-dropping karst landscape while listening to the gentle splash of the rhythmic rowing. The tops of the mountains are shrouded in cloud as a gentle rain falls. Bai Tu Long Bay in North Vietnam was designated a National Park in 2001. It adjoins the UNESCO World Heritage-designated Halong Bay […]

View full post »

One of the nicest things about going to sleep on the water is waking up on it. I love waking up on a boat, well away from ‘civilisation’ in the middle of ‘nowhere’ – provided there is coffee! It was the morning of our second day on a beautifully fitted-out oak- and teak-finished Chinese-style junk, […]

View full post »

<<Knock, knock, knock!>> “The cooking class is starting upstairs,” said one of the boat’s crew through a closed cabin door downstairs. “I guess the optional cooking class is not so ‘optional’!” I whispered to my husband, laughing. We were already standing in the dining room of our purpose-built traditional Chinese junk, waiting. I was keen to watch […]

View full post »

“What are water puppets?” asked one of our travel companions from Argentina. We were on a small bus from Hanoi to Halong, and had stopped in Yen Duc Village for a show and an early lunch. “Ahhh, they are a unique local entertainment; you have to see them once.” I replied. “But only once?” he responded, with […]

View full post »

The air pulsates with dry heat. The sky and earth vibrate with impossible colours. You are surrounded by rusted equipment, reclaimed tyres, and expensive solar panels; it is impossible to discern what is in use and what has been abandoned. Houses are fashioned from old campers and railway carriages, or lovingly created out of mud […]

View full post »