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1 day ago August 18, 2018August 18, 2018sarahnicho

Hints on finding flight deals …

1 week ago August 9, 2018August 9, 2018sarahnicho

New look for Caravelle Saigon …

2 weeks ago August 8, 2018August 8, 2018sarahnicho

Going for a Galway getaway …

2 weeks ago August 7, 2018August 8, 2018sarahnicho

… Saigon afternoon storm …

August 4, 2018August 8, 2018sarahnicho

Answering the big hire car questions …

August 2, 2018August 8, 2018sarahnicho

… Saigon’s Tan Son Nhat …

New winter cruise in New Zealand's Milford Sound ...
August 1, 2018August 8, 2018sarahnicho

Wintertime cruising on Milford Sound …

July 31, 2018August 8, 2018sarahnicho

Secrets to success​ when kids flying solo …

July 29, 2018August 8, 2018sarahnicho

Stay in one of Tokyo’s quirkiest hotels …

July 12, 2018August 9, 2018sarahnicho

… Okunikko’s British Embassy Villa …

July 10, 2018August 9, 2018sarahnicho

… Kawagoe’s Kita-In Temple …

April 23, 2018August 8, 2018sarahnicho

… China’s Yangtze River …

April 21, 2018August 8, 2018sarahnicho

Top address for Zhangjiajie stay …

April 11, 2018August 8, 2018sarahnicho

Exploring royal quirks in England …

April 6, 2018August 8, 2018sarahnicho

The Porter adds Portland charm …

April 4, 2018August 8, 2018sarahnicho

No-plastic hotel for Bangkok …

April 2, 2018August 8, 2018sarahnicho

Refresh for Alice Springs address …

March 29, 2018August 8, 2018sarahnicho

Canberra in 2018 …

March 27, 2018August 8, 2018sarahnicho

Byron Bay YHA update …

March 26, 2018July 31, 2018sarahnicho

Local tips for​ visiting Victoria …

March 23, 2018August 8, 2018sarahnicho

Qantas unveils new Perth lounge …

March 22, 2018August 8, 2018sarahnicho

Inle Lake for Myanmar Sofitel …

March 21, 2018August 8, 2018sarahnicho

… Hue’s Imperial City …

March 20, 2018August 8, 2018sarahnicho

Freycinet’s new Coastal Pavilions …​

March 18, 2018August 8, 2018sarahnicho

Staying hydrated in the sky …

March 16, 2018August 8, 2018sarahnicho

Chef ​Luke Nguyen moves up …

March 14, 2018August 8, 2018sarahnicho

Holiday Inn Melbourne on Flinders refurb …

March 9, 2018August 8, 2018sarahnicho

Understanding air miles …

March 7, 2018August 8, 2018sarahnicho

Trains emerging as Europe favourite …

March 5, 2018August 8, 2018sarahnicho

… Japan’s Lake Towada …

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About me …

My name is Sarah and I’m a travel journalist writing features and news for a swag of Australian newspapers, magazines and websites.

This is my website, the place I post words and pictures gathered as I gallivant around the globe.

So enjoy the news, reviews, updates, random thinking and regular snapping – photos, that is – assembled here.

And hopefully you will find inspiration for your next trip far, near or here …

© Sarah Nicholson 2018

Recent Posts

  • Hints on finding flight deals …
  • New look for Caravelle Saigon …
  • Going for a Galway getaway …
  • … Saigon afternoon storm …
  • Answering the big hire car questions …

What's new on Instagram ...

... Saigon lemonade at Saigon Oi, the cafe in an old apartment building on Nguyen Hue Street that’s now home to a collection coffee shops and artist studios. . The apartment block at 42 Nguyen Hue was built for American soldiers serving in Saigon during the 1960s and 1970s before accommodating dock worker and the families from 1975. . Now the apartments facing Nguyen Hue Street are being turned into eateries and while it’s illegal for families to rent out their abodes the government is yet to clamp down and the floors of this modernist tower are packed with quirky places to drink and dine.
... late night laneway lingering in Pasteur Street.
... breakfast on the go in Pasteur Street.
... two of District 1’s historic old buildings. . On the left is a French-colonial era apartment building standing on the corner of Ding Khoi and Ly Tru Trong streets and next door is what was know as the Pitman Apartments during the American War. . This was a CIA building and that white pedestal you can just see to the right of the photo was the location of that famous April 1975 photo showing a helicopter evacuating people from the rooftop. . Many people mistakenly caption that photo as the nearby US Embassy, which was also evacuating from the roof on April 30, but a smaller group of local CIA staffers and their families climbed to the top of the Pitman Apartments via flimsy ladders to board Huey helicopters hovering above.
... a touch of Scandi style in the Liberty Central Saigon Centrepoint Hotel’s 16th floor club lounge.
... there are a few things visitors simply must eat when in Saigon and one of those is crusty French-style baguettes.
... admiring architecture in Saigon’s Ton That Dam Street. . Looking up above the market stalls reveals another gem built during Vietnam’s French-colonial era.
... fruit stall on Saigon’s Ton That Dam Street.
... fruit - some of it already sliced for convenience - for sale in Saigon’s Ton That Dam Street. . This lady likely collects her stock in Ton That Dam Street - which is one of the last remaining traditional street markets in the heart of the southern Vietnamese city - and then carries the baskets around the neighbourhood finding customers. . The baskets hang from a plank of wood she wears across her shoulders when moving around and locals sell everything from fruit to freshly-made waffles from these travelling kitchens.
... a flower stall in Ton That Dam Street, which is now one of the last traditional market streets in Saigon’s District 1.
... I love the old buildings constructed during the American and French-colonial eras. . These elegant structures make Saigon the city it is and it breaks my heart to see so many of these architectural treasures demolished to make way for generic glass towers. . While many are long gone there are still lots of bygone structures in the streets of District 1 so keep your eyes up when wandering around to see structures boasting delightful Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Belle Époque and modernist flourishes.
... I love this fabric at a shop selling quilts, and other crafty items, created by ladies living in the remote corners of Vietnam’s Mekong Delta. . The shop, called Mekong Creations, is upstairs in the building on the corner of Le Loi and Nguyen Trung Truc streets using the stairs on the left side of the jewellery shop.
... every morning the arcade, which leads to the apartments above, is one of Saigon’s busiest eateries with a couple of local ladies cooking up a storm to feed an army of diners who sit on little plastic schools dotted around the footpath. . Around lunchtime, once the ingredients are exhausted, they clean up and go home. . I don’t know how long they have been there but from the looks of the sign hanging above the open green shutters I would say it’s been a while, a long while.
... Saigon is rapidly changing, going from the sleepy settlement I knew in the 1990s to a big and busy metropolis lacking the uniqueness bestowed by decades past. . But there are still opportunities to see “old Saigon” and I’m making that my quest for this visit. . Here artist brushes being sold by a footpath vendor - these guys have been around for decades and I remember spending money on this stuff back in 1997 - hang on the grill covering the front door or a Le Loi Street shophouse. . #saigon || #hochiminhcity
... a room with a view at Liberty Central Saigon Centrepoint Hotel. . I’m up on the 15th floor and the vista from every window is somethings special, especially for those of us that love this city’s 19th and 20th-century history, but it’s really special in the bathroom ... just swipe sideways to see. . #libertycentral || #libertycentralcitypoint

What’s new on Twitter

  • Today marks new chapter in long - and colourful - life of the #Caravelle #Saigon with historic #Vietnam #hotel begi… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 1 week ago
  • I knew the beach was good at #AVANI Quy Nhon #Resort & Spa - and it hasn’t let me down - but the #food has been a r… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 1 week ago
  • A very sweet turn-down gift from the housekeeping team at #Avani Quy Nhon Resort ... I do love a #frangipani.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 1 week ago
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