Today’s been one of the most productive days of the whole trip: Got up early, had pho for breakfast at a smart joint nearby, then headed off for some serious walking around the southern part of town. Visited the Museum of the Vietnamese Revolution, the crazy market area of the French Quarter (long lanes less […]
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Hanoi
Hanoi is electrifying, pulsing with manic energy all day and half the night. It’s just what I needed to pull me out of the funk I fell into last week. This city of almost four million people sprawls for miles, with rural villages on the outskirts, varying degrees of dense suburbs as you head towards […]
Bugger Sapa, I’m going to Hanoi
I abandoned a bus today, getting off it at the first opportunity. In a land where the highways are generally unsafe – where overtaking on blind corners is considered a right not a risk – I found this driver so certifiably insane that I could not stomach another minute of his madness. The large town […]
Travelling in Laos is never dull
Part 1 – Slow boat downriver I forgot to mention the boat trip downriver from Hat Sa near Phongsali to Muang Khua. The trip itself was less beautiful than that from Luang Prabang to Nong Khiaw, and considerably colder too. But it was a truly local journey with several interesting moments: – we started off […]
Sitting still in Muang Khua
I love unscripted travel, where you may have an idea where you’re going but no exact plan and no schedule to stick to. Where you have the freedom to sit still for a few days if you really like a place, or take off immediately if you don’t. It’s one of the biggest reasons why […]
Phongsali observed
The rhythms of life are gentle in this town, and not much different from that observed in smaller places across northern Laos. There is a rush hour of sorts from 7am to 8.30am, when scooters scoot and cars rumble through town as people go into their day. Walking around town after this you see families […]
