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…
Sir Stamford’s secret weapon
Morris is doing the crossword when I spot him in the hotel lobby. Spectacles perched on his nose, head slightly bowed, a hot chocolate on the table in…
Onboard lounging
It’s all a-buzz in the bar. People are standing around, drinks in hand, chatting to strangers and the barman. I’ve stumbled on this little scene after…
Dirndl to go (or stay)
Claudia casts a critical eye over my cleavage. Or lack of it. Clearly, I’m wearing the wrong kind of bra. Compared to her décolletage – and…
Beyond the grave
In the rocky mountainside cemetery in the pretty Austrian village of Hallstatt, space is at a premium. It’s been that way since the early 1700s, and…
Into the salt mines
In 1734, the “Man in the Salt” was uncovered deep in the mountains above the Austrian village of Hallstatt. With a history dating back more than 7000…
A Glass Half Full 