Travel Pics Theme: H for Hoi An

The theme for our ‪‎travel pics this week is H, for Hoi An.   The final pic in our series is of a local woman carrying fruits for sale in baskets, or Thúng, on a caryying pole, while wearing the Nón Lá  or traditional conical hat. She volunteered to pose for the photo saying no payment was…

Travel Pics Theme: H for Hoi An.

The theme for our ‪‎travel pics this week is H, for Hoi An. This shot is from the rooftop of a bar and cafe in the town. Most people only go up here at night to party – and the staff seemed somewhat bemused by these fully sober middle-aged Aussie heading up there in the middle…

Travel Pics Theme: H for Hoi An

The theme for our ‪‎travel pics this week is H, for Hoi An. One of the highlights of our three days there was a visit to the bustling food markets on a Sunday morning. The sheer variety of fresh food was astounding – and so was the range of participants. There were fruit and vegetable peddlers, interspersed…

Tuesday Cruiseday: Mystery Island, a review

Hundreds of thousands of visitors head to Vanuatu’s Mystery Island each year – almost all of them offloaded from passing cruise ships for a day of snorkelling, and swimming, and seashell collection, and sun. And for an uninhabited island, this tropical paradise does a remarkable job of catering to them all. Mystery Island’s ‘proper’ name is Inyeug Island…

Travel Pics Theme: H for Hoi An

The theme for our ‪‎travel pics this week is H, for Hoi An.   There is a bridge at the edge of Hoi An Ancient Town – it’s called Japanese Bridge, and has been there for centuries – the first incarnation was completed in 1590, and the ornamentation remains faithful to that period. It was built…

Travel Pics Theme: H for Hoi An

  The theme for our ‪‎travel pics this week is H, for Hoi An – and today, we head to My Son holy land, about 40km away. My Son was built by the Cham people, who ruled Central Vietnam from 200AD to 1700AD until finally annexed by the Vietnamese in the 19th Century. Influenced by Hinduism they…

Travel Pics Theme: H for Hoi An

  The theme for our ‪‎travel pics this week is H, for Hoi An. One of the delights of Hoi An is the river on which it is located – the Thu Bon (Sông Thu Bồn in Vietnamese). It’s host to tourist boats – like those seen here – but also to working vessels which ply…

Friday Travel – The Mystery of Mystery Island

One of the more popular ‘cruise ship’ destinations in Vanuatu is “Mystery Island”, at the south of the archipelago that makes up that country. It’s actual name is Inyeug island – and it’s an uninhabited island about a km off the larger Anatyeum. But why Mystery island? Well, there are two theories – and both…

Travel Pics Theme: H for Hoi An

Friday marks a new week of images, and the theme for our ‪‎travel pics this week is H, for Hoi An. This city in the centre of Vietnam is amazing – calm and relaxed compared to the frenetic, frantic pace of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) or Hanoi. In its ancient city centre is the Chau…