THE FEAR FACTOR
A lot of people have concerns about the risks involved in travel. But they’re usually worried about the wrong things. Yes, the strange is scary…but it’s the familiar that kills you.
Author Archives: TravelBitch
“But Madam, He Loves Me”
Madam is petite, brilliant and beautiful. But she can be fierce. Over the years she’s lived in many Asian countries, where she’s always had at least one live-in maid. And some of her Western friends, us included, thought she could sometimes be a bit of a tyrant. For instance, she...
Whatever it Takes
We grow a little weary of hearing our Western leaders say — as they march off on their latest Boys’ Own Adventure in some distant, dusty land — that they’ll “do whatever it takes”. It’s a phrase that’s worth closer examination — particularly when you visit the Cu Chi...
The Winds of Change
This is one of the loveliest places on earth — a bay full of rocky islands, so breathtakingly beautiful that tourists come from all over the world to see it. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of boats on Ha Long Bay to take them on cruises that might...
Doing the Cu Chi-Cu Chi
I resisted the idea of visiting the Cu Chi tunnels for ages, until I was promised the chance to shoot an AK47.
Memo to Housekeeping
Here’s a news flash: some hotel guests stay longer than a night or two. Some even stay for a week. Some of these guests like a snack with their drink in the evening…assuming there are any left after the first night. So do us all a favour (and improve...
Monkey Business
Los Angeles to Australia — is this the world’s longest single-leg flight? Well, no, it just feels like it. Actually it’s number fourteen. But at just under 16 hours, it’s right up there. And you might not be in peak form to begin with, if you started your journey...
Taxi Rage
The woman at the spa’s reception desk was in quite a state. Her taxi driver was parked on the pavement outside the large front window, leaning against the car with his arms folded and a murderous scowl on his face. There’d been a dispute about the fare, she explained...
Toucans and Tapenade
If you’re fortunate enough to stay at the Santa Clara Hotel in Cartagena, Colombia, you’ll meet Mateo. The Santa Clara is a Sofitel which began life in 1628 as a beautiful rose-coloured convent, with high ceilings and wide cloisters surrounding a big central patio, lush as a jungle. Mateo...
The Lunch Lady’s Stolen Secret
Madam and Marlyn, her maid, often go together to the Lunch Lady’s sidewalk restaurant in Saigon. They sit on tiny plastic stools while they eat her famous noodles – different every day, and always delicious — and try to figure out the secret of her amazing soup. The stock...