Swell sculpture
Sand between my toes, a soft-serve ice-cream covered in sprinkles in my hand, and a feast of seashore, surf and some stunning sculpture before me. That’s how I…
Raising a glass to Merle and Ro
On a Wednesday afternoon in March 1965, Merle Thornton and her friend and fellow feminist Rosalie “Ro” Bognor walked into the public bar of a Brisbane pub and…
My name is Lee
Travelling in Asia can be problematic at times if you are a Western woman and your name is Lee. Your first name, I mean. Lee is one…
Cocktails and comfort in Saigon
Mid-afternoon in Saigon. From the rooftop bar of the iconic Rex Hotel, we see the monsoonal clouds gathering. It’s the kind of day when your shirt sticks…
Dalat delights
Some days, there’s just not time for real indulgence, and you have to improvise. This was one of them. Dalat is a cool change from the…
Down and dirty in Vietnam
It slides in a silky, smooth brown torrent over my skin. A slick, slippery cascade of liquid mud, pouring through my wet hair, down my back,…
Face first in Nha Trang
Today’s therapist is Lin, a slim and sweet looking young woman at the luxury day spa at Mia Resort, Nha Trang , on the Vietnamese coast.…
Beauty afloat in Nha Trang
Pushing through the crush of tourists, touts and boatmen on the wharf in the Vietnamese beach resort town of Nha Trang, I’m eager to find our…
Bliss on a budget
For weeks I’ve been trying to ignore the knots in my shoulders and an ache in my neck. Sometimes, it’s my lower back that’s giving me…
A glass half full of…friendship
Thirty-odd years ago, as a rookie traveller, I signed up for a bus tour of Europe. One of those 27-countries-in-21-days tours. As a solo traveller, I…
A Glass Half Full 