Malacca doesn’t seem to feature too highly in the tourist brochures back in Australia but it is a place worthy of a visit and a stay. We usually see it promoted as a day trip from Singapore or Kuala Lumpur, the former needing a full day and half a night most of which is bus travel. We...

We spent a week and a half on the Central and South Central Coast, taking in Hue, Danang, Hoi An, Dong Ha and the Demilitarized Zone. The travelling was done by a mixture of train and bus, the former being very pleasant and the latter at least bearable. Train Trip Phu Ly to Hue We rose early,...

The project has come to an end. As I write, we are waiting to head off to Trung Luong Village (the other job) for a hand-over ceremony. Our job, at Ma Nao Village, was completed yesterday and handed over amid much speech making, dancing girls (5 year old ones), karaoke singing and beer...

I am writing from the hotel, having spent the day resting up with a “touch of belly”. After the things we have been eating, it’s not surprising. Christine, as usual, had a quick bout of mild illness then straight back on deck while I seem to take a couple of days to get over...

We spent 4 wonderful days in Langkawi, en-route to Vietnam for this year’s Project Vietnam undertaking. Our visit last year to Langkawi was all too brief and we promised ourselves a return trip. We still didn’t allocate anywhere near enough time and we are determined to come back for a...

Terry and Christine have slipped away for a quick caravaning trip along the South Coast. We have not visited the area between Esperance and Albany before so we are treating this trip as a bit of an exploration. Tuesday 1 February 2011 We left Dowerin mid morning and headed to Merredin,...

Day 20-21 24-26 Hanoi 13-14, 17-19 March 2010 Getting back to Hanoi has been one of the main aims of the whole trip and our memories of this wonderful city have not disappointed us. Many people do not see the beauty in Hanoi, finding the narrow, dirty and horribly crowded streets of the Old...

Day 16 – 18 Hoi An 9-11 March 2010 We used a hotel transfer from Danang to Hoi An, approximately 30kms South. Danang seemed like just another Asian City, whereas everyone raves about Hoi An and says it is a “must see”. It proved to be so for us. The love affair with the old-world charm...

Day 13 Ho Chi Minh City 6 March 2010 Arrival at Ho Chi Minh was on time and we cleared immigration without a fuss. I’m not sure that the man even looked at the passport or visa properly. He seemed to be half asleep anyway. Once outside, we prepared for the onslaught of taxi touts. To my...

Day 9 Langkawi to Koh Phi Phi 2 March 2010 We were picked up by a young man as promised at 8am to be taken to the pier for a fast speedboat to Koh Lipe. The transport was a real eye opener, an ancient van with more rust than metal, decaying seats and a gear box that resembled an old tool box...