As the cheapest city to fly into, we use HCMC as our gateway to Vietnam. Two nights is all we stay, wanting to have more time in the mountains. The city is chaotic and noisy. I love it immediately, being something of a fan of the cities everyone loves to hate. Shortly after we arrive…
Raglan is a popular surfing town on the west coast. It is buzzing with backpackers and is similar to many backpacker towns around the world. Advertisements abound for surfing classes, diving, caving and boat trips just as they do in most beachfront tourist towns and backpackers can be heard phoning ahead to hostels further along their journeys…
We stop in Waihi to see the open cut gold mine. It’s ugly but impressive and worth a look. The north wall has collapsed under a land slip, which emphasised the scale of the project. I wouldn’t say it is picturesque because mining is part of the earth destroying greed that is causing so many…
Our stay with Andrew amd Suzie has been so relaxing. The past two nights have felt like we were staying with relatives, not strangers who opened their home and lives to us. We’ve played with their big boofy dog, petted their cats, shared meals, swapped storied and watched some tele. I’m almost sad our stay…
The artsy town of New Plymouth is the only large town on the west coast of the Taranaki region. It’s little more than a village but the distinction between city, town and village is broad here in New Zealand with its tiny national population. Len Lye Gallery Len Lys was a post modern artist from New…
We have a small window of opportunity from 9am Wednesday until 3pm Thursday so we pack the car and hit the road. Our destination is the Bunya Mountains, about three hours drive from our house. Our first stop is Kilcoy. We visit Kilcoy Quality Meats, which is an amazing butcher shop where steaks are cut…
We’ve come to Rotterdam to visit Mum’s cousin P and her family, including my great aunt and great uncle. We stay with P and her husband M, who have given up their room for us. My great aunt E and great uncle C prepare feasts for us to eat at their house near P’s home.…
De Haar Castle sits like a fairy tale between green grass, canals and dairy cows. A castle has existed on this site since 1391. As is the story with many castles, fire and war damaged the castle over the centuries. It passed from family to family and generation to generation until, finally, in the late 1800s…
The Westerbork Transit Camp was originally a refugee camp for Jews fleeing persecution in Nazi Germany. Unfortunately, the Nazis took the camp over and transformed the once safe-haven into part of their regime of reign of terror. Gypsies and Jews from all over The Netherlands were rounded up and sent to Westerbork for transportation to…
Loeverstein Castle is part of a network of protection that extended down the Rivers Meuse and Waal for centuries. Originally built as a private home using stolen river taxes, the castle was quickly commandeered by the government of the day while the owner was away. The waterways that surround the castle are more than a mere…
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