A Modern Wayfarer

Saigon Highlights: A Sign of the Times

There is a noticeable schism between two of Vietnam’s most well known cities. On the one hand, you’ve got Ha Noi, with it’s quaint charm and faint French-colonial vibe, and on the other you’ve got the progressive and ever-growing Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon as the locals still like to call it. Fast becoming one of the key commercial hubs in Asia, this type of urbanisation filters right down to the type and flavour of Saigon highlights. Free citywide wireless Internet anyone? It is this Vietnam ... Read More

Hanoi Highlights: A Street-Cart Named Desire

Sometimes when you’re on the road, unexpected things happen. Like exiting your hotel in old town Hanoi in search of a local travel agent and ending up at his family's place for dinner. There are many tantalising Hanoi highlights - both big and small - to be uncovered just by walking down the street and chatting to the locals. It is this eager hospitality and old-world charm that sets the city apart from other Vietnamese cities, as well as its fresh and tasty street or “hawker” food lining the ... Read More

Things To Do In Canal St Martin: A Parisian Weekend

A Paris Weekender: What To Do In Canal St-Martin It was Canal St Martin’s colourfully cosmopolitan streets and cast-iron footbridges that stole viewers’ hearts in Amelie, Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s 2001 quirky Parisian blockbuster. These days the eclectic neighbourhood is a character unto itself – filled with shabby-chic bars, boutiques and hidden laneways. Take a stroll down the banks, devour some artisan cheese and watch the (extremely well-dressed) boho crowd walk by. Got 48 hours in Paris? Here's ... Read More

San Francisco Highlights: The Unassuming Cool Kid

I am seriously considering flagging the NYC plans and firmly planting the seeds of my new life right here in the Mission District! There are so many San Francisco highlights it's going to be way too difficult to fit them all in here for you. I have seen many cities, but San Francisco has a certain kind of unique and welcoming feel to it that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside… or at the very least break out the peace pipe.  It is, without a doubt, one of the most breathtakingly beautiful ... Read More

Sapa Highlights (sort of): Drowned and Out On A Mountain

As it turns out, SaPa highlights are kept to a minimum when you can't see more than two steps in front of you. I'm certain that the (apparently) scenic, yet remote town located 1500 meters above sea-level in Vietnam’s northwest Tonkinese Alps, famed for its lush vegetation, rugged mountains and luxe overnight train is pretty as a picture without the influence of torrential downpour and fog - I just personally didn't get to experience it. In fact, the most interesting experience during my stay ... Read More

Phnom Penh Highlights: The Weird and Wacky Wonderland

So you want to learn a little something about the city of contradictions, eh?  Some Phnom Penh highlights? Well, as I write this I am sitting awkwardly in the back of a Moto Tuk-Tuk, my face half-covered in a surgical mask acting as a barrier against the dirt and grit from the uncovered back streets. Before my travels someone described Phnom Penh to me as 'raw'; well I'm here to confirm that yes, indeed Phnom Penh is ‘raw’. And then some. This weird and wacky and sometimes confronting city is ... Read More