Category Archives: Travel

Who Will Buy?

The Flowers All the names I know from nurse: Gardener’s garters, Shepherd’s purse, Bachelor’s buttons, Lady’s smock, And the Lady Hollyhock… by Robert Louis Stevenson Well, we didn’t find Lady’s Smock or Hollyhocks, but then the Dangwa market is a … Continue reading

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Drifting Down the Mekong

Flying into Saigon provided a stunning aerial view of immense snaking waterways, twisting and turning through the city and surrounding countryside. Growing up in a South Australian city that boasts only a narrow creek, I am always impressed by the … Continue reading

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Cooking up a Storm in Saigon

Our day started at dawn. We were to meet Chef Bao from the Vietnam Cookery Centre at the Ben Thanh Market in downtown Saigon. Chef Bao proved hard to miss. Dressed in his white chef’s jacket, he was shaped just … Continue reading

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Sailing across Lake Ta’al

As a relative newcomer to Manila, I have been trawling the guide books and the memories of long term residents for good day or weekend trips out of Manila.  I quickly discovered that Tagatay and Lake Ta’al tend to be … Continue reading

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Messing About in Boats

There are few holidays as peaceful as drifting down a river in a boat. Or as Ratty puts it so blithely in Wind in the Willows, ’there is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply … Continue reading

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Kapampangan Food Safari

Last weekend I joined a convoy of cars and a small coach bound for Pampanga. It was my first trip further north than Quezon City, and I was wide-eyed with curiosity like Alice down the rabbit hole. As we left … Continue reading

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‘Walk this Way’ through Intramuros

As the title suggests, this is a walking tour. But for those of you who fear a long hot trudge through the streets of Intramuros, rest assured, your guide and entertainer Carlos Celdran is not so masochistic. This three hour … Continue reading

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Chinese New Year in Binondo

Our special Chinese New Year Edition will begin at 8am on the dot from the Binondo church on the edge of Chinatown. We reach the purple fire truck at 8:02am but can’t see a tour group anywhere ~ they weren’t … Continue reading

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Downtown Manila

It was my first adventure into the wilds of Divisoria. Wide, tree lined boulevards along Manila Bay suddenly narrowed into streets choc-a-block with pedestrians and push carts. The car was forced to a slow crawl, and eventually to a standstill, … Continue reading

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Travels with My Daughter

‘Gorgonians, black coral, shells, turtles, rays, grunts, jacks, snappers, and… soft corals.’ Luscious names that rolled off the tongue and tempted us to dessert the shopping malls of Metro Manila, rest our blistered feet and explore further afield. My husband … Continue reading

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