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Beautiful Places #1: Nong Khiaw
All travellers are finding themselves reminiscing during this travel hiatus. It’s good to reflect on places which were so beautiful they left not just a lasting impression, but also the distinct feeling that you didn’t stay long enough. Here we look back at some of ours. Like many places of incredible beauty, Nong Khiaw isn’t the easiest to get to. In reality the only sensible option is to make a visit to Nong Khiaw whilst based in Luang Prabang, and even then it’s a fairly lengthy bus journey between the two places – bus journeys which can be just a little bit cramped and uncomfortable. Take it from us though,…
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Our Place In The World As The World Collapses
And so we pick up our story from our eviction from Tuan Chau…. For 4 hours we sit at the offices of Halong Tours, at first outside and later, as it chills, inside with the lovely Nhur Minh (aka Julian), who is incredibly sweet and helpful and looks after us for those four hours, from providing water to reassuring chat to organising our driver. Nothing is too much trouble for her. We will never forget these four hours. As we sit here, scared and bewildered, news is changing at an incredible rate as nation after nation take extreme measures to combat the pandemic. Everything is collapsing across the globe and…
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Nongtao Part 4: The Jungle Trek
Night noises. You fall asleep to the sound of a thousand cicadas, and wake to dozens of cockerels. Now and again in the darkest hours, the village dogs bark and howl as one; maybe a wild animal has passed through the village and the dogs are on guard. As dawn approaches, our wooden hut creaks and groans as the temperature plummets. And then the national anthem booms out. The morning dew is heavy as we await our guide, these sweeps between day and night temperatures absolutely soak the ground each morning with both dew and mist. Still cold at dawn, the rising sun brings instant warmth and another mountain day…
