David R Turner

The night was stormy and we awoke with some apprehension about what the day would bring. It is Mary's birthday and we wanted to go for a walk along the cliffs. Breakfast was excellent, although there was no-one else eating throughout our meal. The hotel seems very quiet... Having agreed to meet up at 10:30, we we pleasantly surprised to be on the move by 11:00. The cliff walk to Tenby has stunning views. It also has stunning hills, some of which were eased by steps on the footpath. They were still steep, so we stopped frequently to admire the view and to catch our breath. Eventually we caught sight of Tenby from the coastguard communications hut, the sunlight playing on its pastel-coloured higgledy-piggledy houses. Whilst this was a welcome sight, we could tell that there ... read more

This morning we left our hotel by boat for the Can Tho floating market. Words can barely do justice to the bustle and life that we witnessed and I recommend that you see our photo set on Flickr™. Wares are advertised by examples being strung from the top of a bamboo pole so that all can identify the boat they need to buy their melons, their turnips or their candies. The authorities were out sticking trading licences to the side of the boats. A lone European tourist was canoeing amongst the jostling craft, much to the amusement of the traders. We bought a couple of cans of cold drink from a young boy out on a boat with his mother, all without our boat slowing! The streets were also fascinating with shops that specialised in very ... read more

We woke to a slightly overcast day looking over the lake at Da Lat. Ostentatious service in the dining room with the same view and then we headed off on foot through town to the Crazy House - the creation of the daughter of one of Ho Chi Minh's protégées. In generally very poor taste, the rooms are available to rent but look none too clean and all feature mirrors on the ceiling! The photos do it greater justice than can any description. We then took a fairly kitsch trip around the town in the hotel's 1953 Citröen traction-avant which was, nonetheless quite entertaining - especially when our driver attempted to double de-clutch in inclines! We started with a visit to the Bao Dai Summer Palace which is a 1930s construction in what, in England, we ... read more

Flight en route from Manchester to Ho Chi Minh City. We stayed at the SAS Radisson at Manchester Airport on Saturday evening, avoiding a very early drive from Shropshire. We had a so-so meal with Jen sending her fish back (of course) and middling service that meant free coffee and liquors and some of the cost written of. We'd have rather paid full price for what could have been a perfect dinner... The Servisair lounge at Manchester couldn't find the paperwork to charge us for Jen's entry so both of us were admitted on the strength if my IoD card. This meant that we could settle down with Saturday's newspapers, Jen could buy accessories for her new iPod and we could have a modest breakfast before our 0915 flight. The Qatar Airways flight was fine - ... read more

For the tourist, two drinks dominate his consciousness - pisco sour and Inca Kola . The first is cocktail of one part lime juice to three parts of the url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backus_and_Johnston pisco eponymous national brandy made from Quebranta or Muscat grapes. Whilst the strength varies a little, we have enjoyed both the ones we paid for and the (not necessarily) weaker complimentary ones we received. Inca Kola is, however, an acquired taste that we have yet to acquire. The sweet flavour reminds some people of bubblegum. This beverage is yellowish-gold in colour, and has been successful to the extent that it drove Pepsi-Cola from Peru and has been able to tie up an advantageous joint venture with the less dominant Coca-Cola. The extent to which this drink pervades Peruvian society - apart from advertisem... read more