Some places are so easy to like. But I’m not going to lie, Hanoi is not one of them. After a very early wake-up call to catch our flight from Danang, we arrived in Hanoi to catch the first morning light. We were tired, cranky (well I was!) and quite sad after leaving Hoi An behind us. I had been told great things about Hanoi; but my first glimpse of it, as we were...
The ancient town of Hoi An used to be a major trading port. Now, it’s a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the most visited places in Vietnam. This fact alone might be a turn-off. After all, who likes a place full of tourists? We certainly don’t, but we’d heard so many nice things about Hoi An that we had to include it in our Vietnam itinerary. I’m so glad that we...
Ho Chi Minh City, also known as Saigon, is Vietnam’s largest city, and its financial and commercial hub. This sprawling city has a population of over 8.5 million people, half of which are under the age of 35. It’s a young city and one of the fastest growing cities in Asia. Cranes dot Ho Chi Minh City’s skyline. Many more apartments, shopping centres, offices and even...
As animal lovers, the highlights of any trip we take are our encounters with wildlife. Over the years we’ve been lucky enough to come across many different species of animals, birds and marine life on our travels. This has ranged from green turtles and monk seals in Hawaii to wild elephants in Sri Lanka. But we still have a long list of wildlife encounters on our...
The Great Ocean Road is Australia’s most iconic stretch of road, and together with the Twelve Apostles, it’s one of the most photographed natural attractions in the country. It’s the pride of the state of Victoria and it’s one of the best road trips that you can do in Australia. It’s a bit of an adventure but it’s a lot of fun and incredibly beautiful. The...
Living in Australia, we are really spoilt because we have some amazing beaches. For beach lovers like me, Australia is a fabulous place to live, especially in summer when we often head to the water to escape the heat. While most travellers have seen photos of our world famous Bondi and Whitehaven beaches, not many of them would associate Victoria with breathtaking...
I don’t know about you, but I love Singapore. Even though the latest Time Out City Life Index labels it a boring city, I couldn’t disagree more. Singapore is far from boring. After holidaying there twice, we still haven’t scratched the surface of what it has to offer. Singapore is packed with fabulous and interesting attractions and neighbourhoods to visit. Its...
The Grampians National Park is part of the Great Southern Touring Route, and so for a lot of tourists, a visit there is a one-day affair on the way to or from the Great Ocean Road. Although you can’t possibly see everything in a single day, it is possible to see the main sights and to fit in a short hike or two. Of course, if you’re the adventurous type, the hiking...
There’s definitely no shortage of breathtaking places to visit in Tasmania, and even though the state is quite small, you could easily travel around it for weeks and not see them all. The Bay of Fires is one of those amazing places. This hidden gem of Tasmania stretches fifty kilometres from Binalong Bay to Eddystone Point along the eastern coast of Tasmania. The...
Running alongside the Tamar River, the Tamar Valley stretches sixty kilometres north from the Tasmanian city of Launceston, up to the Bass Strait. It’s Tasmania’s oldest wine growing region and is renowned as one of the best in Australia. Simon and I both love wine, but surprisingly after eight trips to Tasmania, we still hadn’t made it to the Tamar Valley. So on our...